Zakoby McClain was already not expected to play in the Birmingham Bowl, but he made his plans for the 2022 official in an announcement on Sunday.

He thanked his family, coaches, teammates and classmates at Auburn. Coach Bryan Harsin already announced about a week ago that McClain would not play in the bowl. But now he has announced that he’s headed to the NFL Draft.

“You all have made me a better player,” he wrote on Instagram. “But more importantly a better man. I will take all that you have given me and improve upon on it as I embark on this journey.”

McClain in the regular season led Auburn with 96 tackles. He had 113 last season. McClain was a 2nd-team all-conference selection, and also had 8 tackles for a loss.

Roger McCreary and Broadarius Hamm have also opted out of the game, but Smoke Monday intends to play in the bowl game.

 

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