Why isnt kenny pickett playing in the peach bowl

Kenny Pickett and Kenneth Walker III won’t be in action when their respective teams face off in the Peach Bowl on Thursday. It’s an unfortunate turn of events for the bowl game, each team, and their college football fan bases as the Panthers’ and Spartans’ most polarizing players will not participate. However, it’s the right decision for Pickett and Walkers’ future careers.

Kenny Pickett could be QB1 in the 2022 NFL Draft

The reason for Pickett to sit out of the 2021 Peach Bowl is simple: preservation. There is no more difficult position to play in team sports than quarterback, and the risk of injury is too high for Pickett. He’s preparing for the next step of his football journey — potentially becoming the first quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Pickett explained his decision to forgo the Peach Bowl in a social media post. He started by thanking the man who started it all for him.

“To the University of Pittsburgh, thank you for all that you have given me over the past five years. Coach (Pat) Narduzzi, thank you for being by my side throughout my entire career and teaching me life lessons every step of the way.”

Pat Narduzzi and Pickett have had an incredible relationship. Narduzzi stuck with Pickett through it all, and it led to a historic 2021 season. Pickett threw for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns en route to a bevy of season-ending awards and an ACC Championship. With that in mind, Pickett let his intentions be known for skipping the Peach Bowl.

“I am incredibly proud to say I was a part of the team that brought back another trophy to the City of Champions. With love and gratitude, I have decided to forgo the Peach Bowl and begin training for the 2022 NFL Draft.”

Pickett will now go through the offseason gauntlet of workouts and examinations. He’ll be one of six quarterbacks at the 2022 Senior Bowl and a shoo-in for the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. How it all shakes out is going to be compelling to watch. Forgoing the Peach Bowl was just another step in Pickett’s journey to the NFL.

Kenneth Walker III could also be the top player at his position

Don’t look now, but there is a world that Walker could be the top running back selected. Sure, he ran for 1,636 yards on the ground and wasn’t quite featured in the passing game as much as you’d like for an RB1. But the fact remains that Walker is a breed of his own.

He is now a record holder at Wake Forest and Michigan State. His ability to evade defenders while somehow accelerating through his breaks is special. Like Pickett, Walker thanked his head coach and explained his decision to forgo the Peach Bowl in a social media post.

“It has been a true honor to represent Michigan State University and wear the Green and White. I am beyond grateful to Coach (Mel) Tucker and the entire staff for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to shine under their leadership. As the regular season has come to a close, I would like to announce that I have decided to forgo playing in the Peach Bowl to begin preparation for the NFL Draft.”

In the same vein as Pickett, preparation for the NFL Draft is paramount for a running back. The shelf life of an RB in today’s NFL is arguably the shortest of any position. And the risk of injury is too severe. Walker now has four months to showcase his abilities off the field.

If he can advertise what made him so special on the field for the past three seasons, look for Walker to hear name called first next April. He’s already being mentioned with Isaiah Spiller and Breece Hall, and that’s some elite company.

The bowl game sponsored by a fast-food restaurant that deliberately doesn’t open on Sundays may not have the benefit of one of its best players, who hopes to enhance his ability to actually work on Sundays.

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett, who chose to take advantage of the opportunity to return to college for another year, may be choosing not to play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Pickett led the Panthers to the ACC championship, which qualifies them for the game. Pickett told Dan Patrick on Wednesday that Pickett hasn’t decided whether to play in the game against Michigan State.

In recent years, more and more players who have attracted the clear interest of NFL scouts have decided to skip the bowl game. Some fans of the team grumble, but it’s the right move — unless the player believes any potential increase in his draft stock merits the risk of serious injury from one more game.

It’s ultimately a business decision, and we’re finally arriving at a point of acceptance regarding the fact that college football players can and do make business decisions. It’s about time that people realize it and respect it.

One factor for Pickett, one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2022 draft, could be that Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple recently has left the school and won’t be available for the bowl game.

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett announced on Thursday that he will forego playing in the Peach Bowl against Michigan State to begin training for the 2022 NFL Draft.

“To the University of Pitt, thank you for all that you have given me over the past five years,” Pickett wrote in a tweet. “Coach Narduzzi, thank you for being by my side throughout my entire career and teaching me life lessons every step of the way.

“One of the best moments of my football career was standing on stage with you, the team and our ACC Championship trophy. I will never forget our victory and everything it took to get us there.”

Pickett, Heisman Trophy finalist this season, left his mark on the field, throwing for 4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 81.5 percent of his passes. He was Pitt‘s first Heisman finalist since Larry Fitzgerald in 2003. 

The 23-year-old also pulled off the “fake slide” in the ACC Championship game, prompting the NCAA to change the rules.

The ACC Player of the Year recently received high praise from an AFC executive saying that “he’s a good version of Johnny Football” in reference to Johnny Manziel, who won the 2012 Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M. 

Pickett joins Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III—who finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting—as players who will not play in the upcoming Peach Bowl. 

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Kenny Pickett has made official what everyone has anticipated- he will not be playing in the Peach Bowl.

Tonight on Twitter, Pickett released this statement:

“To the University of Pittsburgh, thank you for all that you have given me over the past five years. Coach Narduzzi, thank you for being by my side throughout my entire career and teaching me life lessons every step of the way. One of the best moments of my football career was standing on stage with you, the team, and our ACC Championship trophy. I will never forget our victory and everything it took to get us there. Coach Whipple, I’m so proud to have learned from you. Together, we accomplished all of our goals and I wish you nothing but the best in the future. To my teammates, the memories we have made will last a lifetime. I am thankful for all of the friendships I’ve made and I look forward to keeping these bonds as we move on to the next chapter of our lives. To the fans, thank you for all of your support throughout my career. I am incredibly proud to say I was a part of the team that brought back another trophy to the City of Champions. With love and gratitude, I have decided to forgo the Peach Bowl and begin training for the 2022 NFL Draft. Thank you, Pittsburgh.”

Considering how Pickett has improved his NFL stock and skyrocketed up in the eyes of NFL teams, Pickett would’ve potentially risked millions of dollars by playing in a bowl game.

Following Pickett’s decision, Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi released this statement:

“Thank you, Kenny Pickett. It has been an honor to be your head coach, from the time you arrived as a freshman five years ago, right up until the moment you walked off the field in Charlotte as an ACC Champion. You gave the University of Pittsburgh absolutely everything you had. Your leadership and toughness raised the bar for our entire program. On behalf of Panther Nation, thank you for all you have given us, on and off the field.”

Pitt will begin bowl preparations on Saturday and Nick Patti will start in place of Pickett.

Earlier today, Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker, who is expected to be a high pick in April’s draft, also announced that he will not play in the Peach Bowl.

Andrea AdelsonESPN Senior WriterDec 16, 20212 Minute Read

Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett said Thursday he will opt out of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and begin preparations for the NFL draft.

In a message posted on social media, Pickett thanked the university, coach Pat Narduzzi and his teammates.

"One of the best moments of my football career was standing on stage with you, the team, and our ACC Championship trophy," he wrote. "I will never forget our victory and everything it took to get us there."

Pickett made the decision to return to Pitt for his senior year to improve his draft stock, but also help his team win a championship. He did both.

Pickett is now rated the No. 1 quarterback on ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper's position rankings after a spectacular season in which he threw for 4,319 yards and 42 touchdowns to lead the Panthers to their first ACC title. ESPN's Todd McShay has him going 12th to the Steelers in his latest mock draft.

Pickett finished third in Heisman Trophy voting, was the ACC Player of the Year and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award while setting multiple ACC and school records along the way.

Pitt finished the season 11-2 and earned its first New Year's Six selection to the Peach Bowl, where it will face Michigan State on Dec. 30.

Nick Patti and Davis Beville are the top quarterbacks behind Pickett, with Patti the more experienced of the two.

In addition to playing without Pickett, Pitt will be without offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, who left for the same job with Nebraska. Michigan State will play without running back Kenneth Walker III, who also announced Thursday he would skip the game and enter the draft.