The 2020 college football season remains in heavy doubt from happening due to the coronavirus pandemic, and they could end up losing more than just games this year.
Multiple agents told Ben Standig of The Athletic they believe college football players with hopes for NFL careers will not play this year. The pandemic has already caused multiple conferences to cancel nonconference games.
“If this [COVID-19] really continues down the path that I think it’s going down, there is a very likely chance that there’s going to be some high-profile kids signing with agents in the next 60 days,” one agent told Standig. “They’re gonna bail.”
“I mean, I’m recruiting some high-end kids,” another agent said. “I talked to probably four of them last night, and they all echoed the same thing. Like, they’re done. This is over.”
On top of everything that has happened, the Pac-12 and Big Ten have already eliminated their non-conference slates, and the Ivy League has postponed all sports until the 2021 calendar year.
“It feels like we’re just postponing the inevitable,” a Power Five athletic director told The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach last Friday.
As for the players, one agent believes top college stars like Clemson signal-caller Trevor Lawrence have nothing to gain by returning and everything to lose.
“There’s literally nothing to gain [by coming back] for these top players other than, you know, the greatness of Alabama football and Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney and Clemson football,” the agent said to Standig in part. “I mean, what benefit truly is [there] for you to play? There’s no benefit. All risk.”
