Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley becomes first player to opt out of 2020 college football season

When Virginia Tech takes the field this fall (should the college football season still happen), the Hokies will be without one of their best players.

Cornerback Caleb Farley, a projected first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has decided to opt out of the season due to health concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Farley will spend the next year training for the draft, which is scheduled in April of 2021. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report the news.

“After much consideration with my family, I have decided to opt out of the 2020 college football season and begin preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft,” Farley said. “I am opting out due to uncertain health conditions and regulations and all the other opt-outs going on in football right now.”

Farley also cited the tragic loss of his mother in 2018 due to illness as a reason he feels uncomfortable playing this fall in the midst of a pandemic still raging in America.

“I tragically lost my mother, Robin, on January 2, 2018, due to illness, and I can not afford to lose another parent or a loved one,” Farley said. “Though the competitor in me badly wants to play this season, I can not ignore what’s going on in my heart and I must make the decision that brings me the most peace.”

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The cornerback is coming off an incredible season with the Hokies, one where he led the Atlantic Coast Conference in passes defended (16) and tied for second in the ACC for most interceptions (4). Farley earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2019.

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Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley becomes first player to opt out of 2020 college football season originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington