There was no last-minute change of heart for Chris Olave.
In the days leading up to the Rose Bowl, Olave’s continued participation in practice with the team even though he had opted out of the game left reason to wonder if there was perhaps a slim chance that he would end up playing against Utah after all. Even Ryan Day didn’t completely rule out the possibility when he was asked about it at his final pregame press conference on Friday morning.
But while Olave was on the sidelines with the rest of the team on Saturday, he wasn’t in uniform for the game, and while he might have felt tempted to run out onto the field at times, he ultimately stuck with his decision to not play against Utah and preserve his health for the 2022 NFL draft, in which he’s projected to be a first-round pick.