Byron Cowart just never seemed happy at Auburn.

There were rumblings of his discontentment over the last couple of years, and Will Muschamp leaving Auburn for South Carolina probably had a big impact. He struggled to break into the defensive line rotation at DE or DT.

Cowart signed with Auburn over Florida and others in the 2015 recruiting class, and his recruitment went down to the wire.

Tuesday morning, Cowart asked for his release from Auburn, and it was granted by Gus Malzahn. Following his release, Cowart spoke with AL.com’s James Crepea and explained why he left the Tigers program.

“I’m happy with my decision and I know that this ain’t it for me,” Cowart told AL.com. “My main reason was my mother’s health is more important. Me being an only child, got to get back to home to her. Plus I already wasn’t playing enough and contributing to the team.

“I’ll see what options I have and what the NCAA allows me to do. This isn’t over for me and this definitely is not the end of my college career. … I can guarantee you football is not over for me. I still love the game, I love everything about football.”

Cowart went on to explain he doesn’t know where he’ll play next, and he will only decide after he sees how bad his mother’s health is. He also indicated that he was unhappy with playing time.

“I just felt like I was more than the 10 snaps or 20 snaps I was getting a game,” Cowart told AL.com.

The Seffner, Florida, player was rated as the nation’s No. 3 overall prospect and the No. 1 DE in the 2015 recruiting class, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. No doubt everyone will be keeping an eye out to see where he turns up.