Rashan Gary Won't Play in Michigan's Peach Bowl Matchup with Florida

Michigan Wolverines defensive end Rashan Gary won't suit up for his team in the Peach Bowl against the Florida Gators, Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed Sunday.

According to MLive.com's Aaron McMann, Harbaugh indicated Gary is the only player who plans on voluntarily sitting out the game.

Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette made waves during the 2016 bowl season when they sat out their teams' respective games. When they both went on to be first-round picks in the 2017 draft, they showed NFL teams aren't all that concerned about whether top draft prospects compete in a bowl or not.

The trend continued last year when safety Derwin James ended his college career early to focus on the draft.

In his most recent big board, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Gary as the No. 7 player in the 2019 draft class. Gary already announced his intention to forgo his senior season at Michigan as well. He finished the regular season with 44 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Gary's decision is understandable. Since he's already so highly rated, he doesn't have much to gain by playing in the Peach Bowl.

Jaylon Smith's knee injury in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl is a cautionary tale for the worst-case scenario. Smith was still a second-round pick in the 2016 draft, but he might've been a top-five selection before the injury.

Gary is unlikely to be the only notable player who skips bowl season in order to start preparing for the 2019 draft.