University of Miami DE Greg Rousseau Opting Out of 2020 Season

University of Miami star defensive end Greg Rousseau is opting out of the 2020 college football season, head coach Manny Diaz announced Thursday.

Rousseau, who would have been a redshirt sophomore this season, was the 2019 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and was a first-time All-ACC player last year. He led the ACC in sacks (15.5) and tackles for loss (19.5), ranking second and ninth in FBS, respectively.

He is currently projected to be a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft and viewed by many pundits as the draft's top pass rusher.

Rousseau's decision comes as a number of other players across college football have opted out of the season and instead announced their intentions to prepare for the NFL draft. Rousseau joins Penn State's Micah Parsons, Minnesota's Rashod Bateman and Virginia Tech's Caleb Farley on a growing list of top players who have decided not to play college football this season.

On Sunday, a group of hundreds of Pac-12 football players said they will opt out of any upcoming training camps and games unless the conference negotiates with them and reaches a legal agreement regarding health and safety practices and additionally addresses issues of racial injustice and economic inequality. On Wednesday, Big Ten football players released their requests for increased testing and safety protocols ahead of the 2020 season. 

Miami is currently set to open its season on Sept. 10 vs. UAB.