ORLANDO, Fla. -- Ellis Brooks believes he's the ultimate team player. But Brooks, an Under Armour All-America linebacker that's being heavily pursued by Oregon, Notre Dame and Northwestern, also understands there could come a time in his career when he might have to be bigger than his team.
Brooks could someday be faced with the same decision Stanford star running back Christian McCaffrey and LSU standout tailback Leonard Fournette faced last week as their teams prepared for bowl games. McCaffrey and Fournette both chose against risking their NFL futures and decided to sit out of their bowl games, igniting a controversy about what is more important: Preparation for professional careers or a commitment to their school and teammates?
Brooks, a four-star out of Richmond (Virginia) Benedictine College Prep, is torn on the issue.
"If a player is completely healthy, a big intricate part of the team -- and obviously he is if he's going to the NFL draft -- then I think he should play," Brooks said. "As a player, I would want to finish off my career with my teammates. But say if I had an iffy shoulder, an iffy wrist, or my ankle wasn't 100 percent quite yet and this game could further injure it, then it's something to think about. I know a lot of times you don't want to be selfish, but sometimes you have to make selfish decisions for the best of your career.
"It's the logical decision to sit out, but in terms of an ethical decision, it's such a tough call."
With McCaffrey, Fournette and others like Baylor's running back Shock Linwood's decision to skip bowl games, many observers feared it signaled the days of playing for your team are going away and the "me-first generation" is here to stay. But after visiting with 25 of the nation's most heavily recruited high school players and future stars of college football at the Under Armour Game, it is clear many wouldn't skip their bowl game and some of those fears are unwarranted.
At least they are with this crop of recruits.
"Me, personally, I'm a competitor so I would definitely want to play," third-ranked cornerback and Florida State commitment Stanford Samuels said. "There wouldn't be any second thoughts about whether or not I would play, even if I was dinged up a little bit. If you're worried about injuries, they could happen at any time. Injuries could happen while you're preparing for the [NFL] combine.
"I just don't think you're going to see a bunch of guys start skipping bowl games just because they did it. We're football players. We're competitors."
Texas A&M pledge and top-ranked inside linebacker Anthony Hines III is of the same mindset as Samuels. He said a strong bowl performance "would send a bigger message to scouts than sitting out." Oklahoma State commit and 11th-ranked receiver Tylan Wallace said his "leg would have to be broken" for him not be on the field for a bowl game, and Florida recruit and No. 13 safety Daquon Green said "wining a bowl championship is one of the best things about college football."
"It's the logical decision to sit out, but in terms of an ethical decision, it's such a tough call."ESPN 300 recruit Ellis Brooks
Not everybody is of the same mindset, especially if injuries are a factor. Brooks said his health would be something that would weigh heavily in any decision he would make, but he wasn't the only one.
"I kind of was in a position somewhat this year," sixth-ranked safety and Alabama commit Daniel Wright said. "I broke a bone in my wrist and only played three games. It was a battle between getting surgery and getting on the field, or waiting it out. I believed that waiting it out was the better option because I have something bigger to work for. I would have to think a long time about it if I was injured and faced a situation like that again in college."
While a majority of the recruits asked about whether or not they would sit out a bowl game to prepare for the NFL said they wouldn't, every one interviewed was also non-judgmental of McCaffrey and Fournette. Many even went out of their way to defend them and said if they were their teammates they would support them because, as Hines said "most teammates know it's a business decision."
"When it comes to teammates, they're probably looking at it through the mindset of the player sitting out," Brook said. "They know he could get better, start training, prevent from possible injury and things like that. I like how Christian McCaffrey's teammates backed him up. It shows how much of a great teammate he really is.
"The whole situation is a tough one to be in and I know of a lot of us would be blessed to have to make it. It would be a good problem to have. It means you've got a shot."