North Carolina linebacker Andre Smith said he was looking forward to facing Stanford’s star running back, Christian McCaffrey, in the Hyaundi Sun Bowl next week.
The 6-foot, 235-pound sophomore, said playing against the NCAA’s elite players helps him measure where he is as a college football player.
But that won’t happen because the junior running back, who said he would declare for the NFL draft earlier this month, also announced Monday via Twitter that he would skip the Sun Bowl against UNC in preparation for the NFL.
The announcement surprised many throughout the sports world, as McCaffrey became the second player to say he would sit out his team’s bowl game to save themselves before the draft.