CRAWFORD | Opting in: Why Louisville leaders Moss and Lubin are back for the Boca Bowl | Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In the college football month of December, the headlines often belong to those who are leaving, to the draft, to the portal, or to wait for something better.

But in Louisville’s locker room, a different kind of story unfolded at the end of the season. The Cardinals have a handful of high-profile players who are doing something increasingly rare in this era of player empowerment and professional preparation.

They’re opting in.

Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford

Clev Lubin, an All-ACC defensive end with pro potential and seven sacks this season, will suit up Tuesday for the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans. So will quarterback Miller Moss, a veteran who could have protected his body and resume but instead chose to lead his team one more time.

Each had a choice. Each made it clear.

“As long as I’m healthy, I’m going to play,” Moss said. “You never know when this football thing ends.”

Lubin’s reasoning was just as simple — and revealing. The transfer from Coastal Carolina isn’t taking a bowl opportunity for granted.

“This is my first bowl game since being in college,” he said. “So I definitely want to play in it, experience it, have some fun. Go out one more time with the senior group we have and end it off with a bang.”

Now, I know what you’re saying. These guys may want more highlights on film. Maybe their contracts include provisions for bowl participation. That would be smart. Some, I suspect, do.

Each player has his own reasons. His own conversations. The point here is simpler: They’re playing the game. They’re showing up. And the longer you live, the more you understand how valuable that is.

“I'm super grateful for the opportunities that I've had and the opportunities that this school and this program have afforded me,” Moss said. “I don't approach it as like, ‘I have to put certain things on film.’ I approach it as caring a ton about this group of people, and I want us to go out with one last really positive memory and victory together.”

That’s what Tuesday is for Louisville players, a chance to go out with a bang. And these two aren’t alone.

Coach Jeff Brohm said only two players — defensive linemen Rene Konga and Wesley Bailey — have opted out. That’s notable in a college football landscape where bowl games outside the New Year’s Six often turn into scrimmages for the future. This one, at least in Louisville’s locker room, still means something.

“I’ve definitely seen it where you finish the 12th game of the season, and you come in the next day and half the lockers are cleared out,” Moss said. “This has been very mild… I think it speaks to the bond of this team and our want to play for one another.”

That word — bond — came up more than once. Moss called it a reflection of what the Cardinals built this year. Lubin called it a reason to keep building into next year.

This bowl might not be a playoff game. It might not carry high stakes for fans. But for players? It’s still a stage. Still a shared moment. Still a last ride with teammates who lifted you off the turf or stood by you in film sessions. And that’s worth something.

“I think when you invest so much in a certain group and in your craft, you want to finish it the right way, as long as you're able to do so,” Moss said. “That was kind of my attitude.”

For him, it’s a goodbye. For Lubin, a redshirt junior, it’s a launching point. He had one of his best games in the season-finale against Kentucky, with three tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.

“It’s definitely a tone-setter,” Lubin said. “We finished with a big win against Kentucky. It would be a good stride to win this one, too.”

That’s the quiet message behind Louisville’s Boca Bowl preparations this week, that sometimes the most powerful statements aren’t about who walks away. They’re about who shows up.