Bryan Harsin announces 3 Auburn players have opted out of Birmingham Bowl vs. Houston
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Auburn is preparing to wrap-up its season on Dec. 28 as it takes on Houston in the Birmingham Bowl. The Cougars will enter the contest with an 11-2 mark after falling to Cincinnati in the AAC Championship Game on Dec. 4.
With many draft-eligible players opting to sit out bowl games and prepare for the spring, it’s not surprising to see some key names on the Tigers roster declare themselves unavailable. On Thursday, Bryan Harsin announced that a key trio of players in Brodarius Hamm, Roger McCreary, and Zakoby McClain will not play.
McCreary was a 1st-team All-SEC pick after the cornerback totaled 14 passes defensed and added 49 tackles. He also recorded a fumble and scored a defensive touchdown. McClain, who received a 2nd-team all-conference nod, had a team-high 95 tackles with 8.0 stops resulting in lost yardage.
Hamm has been the Tigers’ starting right tackle for the past 2 seasons and on Thursday announced his plans to declare for the NFL Draft. The Griffin, Ga. native took a year off before enrolling as he underwent treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma and celebrated his 5-year anniversary of being declared cancer-free in January.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
