Nick Bosa was the best player in college football — in fact, he was a fringe Heisman Trophy candidate — before he suffered a core muscle injury against TCU on Sept. 15 that required surgery.
Ohio State announced the junior defensive end's intentions to withdraw from school Tuesday. It created the predictable initial social media shockwave, but it's a decision that requires open-mindedness from coaches, players, analysts and fans. That's Bosa's decision, but it affects a lot of people around him.
"I think that it's fair to have an opinion that it's the team, it's the team, it's the team," Fox NFL analyst Charles Davis told Sporting News. "I have no problem with fans or people who believe that, but we are not in the same era when that phrase was uttered. It doesn't mean that people don't care about their team, but (Bosa) had an injury that changed things for him. He's doing what's best for him and his family. I can't fault him for that."
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If you can't handle that middle ground, then the changing college football landscape soon won't be for you much longer. Take it from Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, a 20-year head-coaching veteran with the Hawkeyes, who was not surprised by Bosa's decision.
"It's all reflective of the world we live in," Ferentz said on the Big Ten teleconference Tuesday. "There's a business side of things, and there's a football side of things. You just don't want a player to do something stupid. We're living in a place where nothing would surprise me. You can't really be surprised, and you can't let it ruin your day."
Bosa — who is projected to be a top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft — wasn't criticized by his teammates. Chase Young — who could be a first-round pick in 2020 — took to Twitter to voice his support.
Get money big brotha.. love as always❤️ @nbsmallerbear https://t.co/XyV6V3gewZ
— CY2 (@youngchase907) October 16, 2018
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer reiterated that when asked about the meeting with the Bosa family before the decision was announced.
"It was very emotional," Meyer said on the Big Ten teleconference. "We love Nick. The Bosa family has been awesome for Ohio State and the program, and Nick is a first-class guy."
Meyer now must confront the dilemma that Bosa's NFL future still weighs more than helping Ohio State win a national championship. Bosa made the right decision for him by protecting himself from risking that future by trying to come back too soon. If there's anything to nitpick, however, it would be wondering why Bosa couldn't rehab at Ohio State and be a part of the team for the remainder of the semester.
That's one of the consequences of this business decision, and Meyer said Bosa's family is still working out how much he will be around the Buckeyes. A cross-section of Ohio State fans will never be happy with that decision either.
@nbsmallerbear you are a quitter! All of these college players get into the NFL and bust their ass you take the easy way out withdrawal from school and you still hope to get into the NFL? The NFL is definitely not for quitters don't even bother!
— lauren rector (@lrector19) October 16, 2018
Davis, who remembers being injured during his playing days and knows the distance that can cause with teammates, understands where Bosa is coming from.
"I think where people are really going to have the issue and challenge will be if he stays away from the team and withdraws totally," Davis said. "A lot of guys get hurt, but we all love the image of, 'There is the star player who cannot play. Look at him with his teammates urging them on.' But the truth is we've seen this day coming since a wonderful man, Christian McCaffrey, chose not to play in a bowl game."
McCaffrey, of course, was part of the bowl-skipping debate in 2016. LSU's Leonard Fournette, Florida State's Derwin James, N.C. State's Bradley Chubb and Oregon's Royce Freeman all decided to skip bowls in recent seasons and were criticized at different levels. Ohio State's Denzel Ward opted to skip the Cotton Bowl Classic last season — and he is off to a fantastic start with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. UCLA's Myles Jack also left school to focus on rehab during the 2015 regular season.
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Those players' NFL Draft status was not affected by skipping the bowl games. NFL.com analyst Chase Goodbread said Bosa won't be questioned for that either given that his talent resembles his older brother Joey, now a star with the San Diego Chargers.
"He's a guy who has put more than enough impressive play on film for NFL clubs to give him a strong evaluation," Goodbread told SN. "Myles Jack's draft status was unaffected by a similar decision. There's no reason to think Bosa's would be any different."
One issue is none of those other players who skipped bowls were on a national championship contender. That's another step toward the empowerment of the players at the collegiate level. It's also another adjustment coaches — especially highly successful coaches with talent-filled rosters like Meyer has — will have to make in coming seasons.
"The question is would you have liked to continue to have talented guys," Meyer said. "Of course. I certainly understand and we support — when you are talking about two high-character, classy people like Nick and Denzel. It's just something you have to deal with and move forward, just like early entries to the draft. It happens. You've got to go."
Bosa is an outlier, a player who, like Houston's Ed Oliver, didn't need to play another down of college football after his sophomore season. Bosa's decision might be considered the start of a larger movement, but we're not there yet. Bosa didn't try to circumvent the eligibility rules like Maurice Clarett, who sued the NFL to be included in the 2004 NFL Draft after being kicked off Ohio State's football team before his sophomore season. The NFL has not changed its eligibility requirements, and Bosa's decision likely won't change much in that regard.
The NCAA is a different story. It made some progressive rule changes with redshirt and transfer rules — which helped facilitate Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant's transfer this season — and they've generally been regarded as good for the game. As Ferentz said, the times are changing fast. There likely could be more rules down the line.
It would be different if Bosa were healthy — or if he decided to skip the College Football Playoff. That's the tipping point for the overarching reforms that could lead to more involved discussions about paying players. College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock told SN he didn't expect a player would skip those games.
"We haven't had any players skip our semifinals, of course," Hancock said. "I can't imagine we ever would, but it's up to the players to decide what to do. If I were playing, I would consider my teammates and consider the great times we had together and try to help them win a bowl game, but I would also understand my future. I see both sides of that."
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You have to see both sides now — because Bosa won't be the last player to do this. This is part of the changing dynamic in college football — and if the mission is to benefit the student-athlete, then protecting their future can't be seen as a negative at the expense of their health. Besides, Bosa will do more good for Ohio State in the long term if he's successful in the NFL — look at Ward with the Browns now.
Bosa's decision was met with support from the inside, even if the outside is still catching up to the changing landscape. The NCAA might be a few steps behind trying, but you can't fault it for trying. As Ferentz said, you can't let it ruin your day. That's the route Meyer is taking — and it will benefit the Buckeyes in the short term. Ohio State remains undefeated without Bosa.
"They've played good," Meyer said. "Obviously you take one of the best players in college football out that's an issue, but overall I think they've played pretty good."
If you can't handle that now, then wait a few years. The world keeps changing, and college football is starting to come with it. It's best to keep moving forward.
"At times, because the rules are more player-friendly, coaches may see them as more adversarial," Davis said. “But it’s the coaches who get on board and figure out that the world isn't out to get them, the ones who don't hold that over the kids, who will navigate this better than others."
