Everyone was a little surprised when former Auburn running back Peyton Barber declared early for the NFL Draft. Now, we know why and it’s a pretty good reason.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, Barber told the media that his reason stems from the fact that his mother isn’t in a good spot right now.

While Barber, a redshirt sophomore last season at Auburn, did rush for just over 1,000 yards last season (1,017), he didn’t manage to record a 100-yard game in any of his last six games. He only totaled 247 yards combined over that span.

Barber started off last season as the Tigers’ third-string running back before injuries to Jovon Robinson and Roc Thomas helped boost Barber up the depth chart.

Next year’s draft class may be loaded as LSU’s Leonard Fournette, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, Georgia’s Nick Chubb and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook will be eligible.

Barber has said previously that he still intends to finish out his degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at Auburn.