Bryce Young, Will Anderson explain their decision to play in the Sugar Bowl

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Will Anderson Jr. flashed the same smile Alabama fans have grown accustomed to seeing while providing an answer everyone should have seen coming. When asked about his decision to play in this year’s Sugar Bowl, the star edge rusher said it really shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

“Anybody that knows Will Anderson and that knows the type of person I am, the competitor I am probably knew that I was gonna be playing in this game,” he said.

That might be true, but in an age of opt-outs and players protecting their own personal interests, it’s rare to see a future early first-rounder elect to play in a bowl game without national-title implications.

Monday, Anderson and fellow projected top-five NFL Draft pick Bryce Young both spoke with reporters, explaining their decision to play for No. 5 Alabama in its Sugar Bowl matchup against No. 9 Kansas State on Dec. 31.

“For me, it was all just about leadership and being here for the team,” said Anderson, who was projected as the No. 3 overall pick in Todd McShay’s first NFL mock draft. “I’ve been preaching so much over these last two years about how to do things the right way, the standard around here and how to uphold the standard. It wouldn’t be right for me to walk out on my teammates. I think that’s a big reason why I decided to play in this game and play with those guys.”

Young has even more reason to opt-out. The former Heisman Trophy winner is widely projected as the top pick in next year’s draft and has already missed time with a shoulder injury this season. Still, he said the decision to suit up in crimson and white one more time was an easy one to make.

“It’s another opportunity to go out there and play with my brothers,” Young said. ‘Again, I’m grateful for the chance we have, for the opportunity we all have – individuals and as a team. This is a huge opportunity. This is a big game to play against a really, really good team. We have a lot that we wanna prove to ourselves, there’s a lot that we wanna accomplish as a team and I’m just happy to have another chance to play with my guys.”

Last week, Nick Saban said he sat down with both of his star players, explaining to them the pros and cons of playing in the bowl game. While Anderson and Young likely won’t gain anything financially from suiting up for the Crimson Tide one more time, both said giving up the opportunity to do so would prove too costly on their conscience.

“Everybody says it’s like the business part of it, but when you love the game of football, you also have that competitor part of it,” Young said. “And me just being at home, whether training or sitting down watching the game, I would be feeling so bad or not feeling great about myself, just the competitor in me, and that’s again why I wanted to play in this game, as well.”

Anderson and Young aren’t the only Alabama stars electing to play in the Sugar Bowl. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs and defensive back Brian Branch have been projected as first-round picks while safety Jordan Battle, linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor Jr. and defensive lineman Byron Young are all viewed as possible Day 2 selections.

As two-time team captains, both Anderson and Young said their decision was important in influencing other players not to opt-out.

“We talked about it like, ‘Hey, me and Bryce can put our stuff aside and come back and play in this game, I feel like everybody else can do that. We made a commitment to you guys. I think that’s the biggest thing is just being all-in and being committed,’” Anderson said. “But no other guys really talked about opting out or anything like that. All the guys [were just] really locked in and had a point to prove.”

Last week, Saban expressed pride in his players' decision to play in the game while stating that the university would provide injury insurance to "minimize the risk of them playing in the game." When asked Monday about risking their bodies before next year’s NFL draft, Anderson and Young never wavered.

“I have faith in God,” Anderson said. “God makes no mistakes. That’s another thing that me and Coach Saban talked about was the risk factor. That was never anything in my mind. I’ve been playing three years here, some of the hardest football of my life, SEC football, and if I had that same mentality going into my freshman year, I probably wouldn’t be standing up here right now because I’d be worried about getting hurt or something. I probably wouldn’t have achieved as much as I would have. So just going out there, playing fast and having fun and not worrying about anything else.”

While Anderson and Young have yet to formally announce their decision to enter next year's NFL Draft, their last game in a Crimson Tide uniform will all but certainly come on Dec. 31 when Alabama takes on Kansas State at 11 a.m. CT inside the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Until then, both players are focusing on making the most out of their final moments with the program.

“Just being in the moment, being where my feet are. Making sure I’m just enjoying it," Anderson said when asked about his thought process. "Make sure I’m still building those connections, still being a leader, not slacking off, still upholding everything I’ve been talking about since last year, the year before that, this year everything. That’s kind of where I’ve been, just being in the moment, enjoying everything, enjoying the guys. Just the laughs in the locker room, everything, I think that just keeps me going being around those guys.”