Even if there is a college football season this year, some players have decided the risk isn’t worth the reward.

Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley was among the first to opt out of the season this past week, while Pac-12 players released terms for their potential participation on Sunday. The Big Ten saw a star player opt out Tuesday, as Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman announced he would forego the season.

Ohio State isn’t immune to the possibility of opt outs, and early first-round draft hopefuls like junior quarterback Justin Fields and redshirt junior cornerback Shaun Wade –– who were each named first-time captains Tuesday –– could be most likely to leave.

If their comments are any indication though, that decision has yet to cross their minds.

“Getting to the money as fast as I can isn’t really a priority for me,” Fields said. “Just playing with my teammates and grinding every day with coach [Mariotti] during workouts and just plays and stuff like that, that’s what I’m cherishing the most right now.”

After a 51-total touchdown, three-interception season that earned him a trip to New York as a Heisman finalist in his first year as a collegiate starter, Fields can’t climb all that much higher when it comes to draft projections.

A Heisman Trophy win over Trevor Lawrence could tip the scales in his favor for the No. 1 overall pick, but the Clemson quarterback has long been pegged the slightly more heralded prospect at the next level.

Fields also dealt with injury issues last season, as a sprained MCL limited him in several games down the stretch. Without J.K. Dobbins in the run game this year, it’s possible Fields’ rushing abilities are utilized even more in the offense, which could subject him to further physical setbacks ahead of the draft.

Still, Fields said his financial needs aren’t as dire as some players who may be quicker to opt out.

“Some people’s families might not be as financially stable as others,” Fields said. “For me, growing up as a kid, I’ve always been a competitor, I’ve always loved to play football. Me just growing up with my family, I’ve never really needed anything. My family has provided me with everything I’ve needed.”

Just like on offense, the biggest name on the Buckeye defense could very well sit out the impending season as well.

Wade returned for one last hoorah with the Buckeyes in 2020, and after a bitter end to his third year, he was slated to receive all the attention as the lone returning starter in the Ohio State secondary.

“I have no second thoughts, no second thoughts, no thoughts about opting out,” Wade said. “Just really taking it day by day and trying to enjoy what we have right now.”

Expected to move to outside corner this year, Wade made the preseason watch lists for a multitude of college football’s most prestigious defensive awards, and some felt he could have been a late-first or second round pick in this past year’s draft.

It’s no secret that the Silver Bullets have a Teflon track record with the early first round of the draft in recent years, and Wade will likely remain projected as a top 20 or higher pick whether he plays this season or not.

In an interview with First Coast News in last month, Wade’s parents said their son would not play a spring college football season, and with speculation swirling around the possibility of a fall one, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched that he might decide to opt out altogether.

With so many questions about the season still up in the air though, Wade and Fields are just trying to focus on the task at hand.

“Right now, as a team and as myself, I’ve just gotta focus on camp,” Wade said. “I can’t worry about the outside world right now.”