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    Wake Forest WR Sage Surratt Opts out of CFB Season; Potential 1st-Round Pick

    Mike Chiari@mikechiariFeatured ColumnistAugust 19, 2020

    FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2019, file photo, Wake Forest wide receiver Sage Surratt (14) runs a pass route during an NCAA football game in Houston. The North Carolina-Wake Forest game will put brothers Sage and Chazz Surratt on opposite sides for the first time. Sage is a top receiver for the Demon Deacons, while Chazz has moved from quarterback to linebacker for the Tar Heels -- raising the odds that the two meet in a collision at some point Friday night. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson, File)
    Matt Patterson/Associated Press

    Wake Forest wide receiver Sage Surratt announced Wednesday that he is opting out of the 2020 college football season to focus on preparing for the 2021 NFL draft:

    Sage Surratt @SageSurratt_14

    Forever Grateful🖤 https://t.co/fQBpdpRbln

    While the Big Ten and Pac-12 have both postponed their 2020 fall sports seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic, the ACC, SEC and Big 12 are still planning to play college football in the fall.

    Despite the fact that Surratt plays for an ACC team in Wake Forest, he will not play in 2020, citing "uncertainties and risks" tied to COVID-19.

    Bleacher Report NFL draft expert Matt Miller referred to Surratt as a "first-round talent" after news of Surratt opting out broke and ranked him as the No. 14 overall prospect on his way-too-early big board for the 2021 draft.

    The 6'3", 215-pound Surratt took a big leap forward last season. After finishing with 41 receptions for 581 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman in 2018, Surratt improved to 66 grabs for 1,001 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019.

    Surratt would have been a top contender to win the Biletnikoff Award in 2020 as the most outstanding wide receiver in college football, but he has instead set his sights on the NFL.

    Based on his way-too-early draft board, Miller views Surratt as the fourth-best draft-eligible wide receiver in 2021 behind LSU's Ja'Marr Chase and Alabama's Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith.

    Wake Forest WR Sage Surratt Opts out of CFB Season; Potential 1st-Round Pick
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    Chase, Waddle and Smith all play in the SEC, meaning they will have a chance to boost their draft stock during the fall season provided they don't opt out.

    Surratt is one of the many Power Five players who have opted out of the 2020 college football season, with many of them not wanting to put their draft stock in jeopardy.

    Among the other big names to opt out are Michigan offensive lineman Jalen Mayfield, LSU defensive back Kary Vincent Jr., Oklahoma running back Kennedy Brooks, Maryland quarterback Josh Jackson, Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.