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Citrus Bowl practice has officially commenced, and the reporters were out there with eyes peeled. The exciting news is that freshman five-star RB Trey Sanders is practicing with the team.
Trey Sanders back at practice today and looks great in drills
— Kyle Henderson (@Rivals_Kyle) December 16, 2019
We don’t know how much he will play in the Citrus Bowl, if at all, but it’s good to see him out there training for 2020 at the least. In addition, only two draft eligibles were missing.
Defensive back Trevon Diggs and edge Terrell Lewis are not at @AlabamaFTBL practice today and are not expected to participate in the Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl. Awaiting official word from Nick Saban.
— Cecil Hurt (@CecilHurt) December 16, 2019
As we’ve mentioned many times, it’s impossible to begrudge anyone for protecting themselves so close to a life changing payday. Both of these players have significant injury history, which undoubtedly contributed to the decisions. Lewis was a given, but Diggs is moderately surprising just because Michigan has some outstanding receivers for him to match up with, and he probably still has some work to do if he is to cement a first round slot.
Still, this is encouraging. We had feared a veritable skeleton crew, but it appears that all other draft eligibles will be playing in the game. Hopefully they come out looking to get the bad taste out from Lee County, resulting in a repeat of the last time we played a school from Michigan in the Citrus.
Roll Tide.