BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – LSU running back Leonard Fournette will sit out the 19th-ranked Tigers’ matchup with No. 15 Louisville in the Citrus Bowl, a decision that ends his highlight-filled collegiate career.
Fournette portrayed the decision to rest his injured ankle as a mutual one made in consultation with coach Ed Orgeron. The junior will be eligible to enter this spring’s NFL draft, during which he is expected to be among the top players selected.
“I’m not a quitter at all. I tried to play through the injury as best as I could,” Fournette said. “It’s a hurtful feeling knowing that we had the season that we had and I didn’t get the opportunity to play to my full potential.”
Struggling with an injury nagging him since August, Fournette rushed for 843 yards and eight touchdowns in seven games this season.
The Tigers, who entered the season ranked fifth and with national title aspirations, split their first four games, after which coach Les Miles was fired. Orgeron, who initially took over on an interim basis, gained the permanent head coaching title after going 5-2, with both loses coming in close contests to No. 1 Alabama and No. 20 Florida – the teams that played in the Southeastern Conference championship game.