Leonard Fournette will not play against Louisville in Citrus Bowl

The 2016 Citrus Bowl lost a bit of its star power on Friday with the announcement that star LSU running back Leonard Fournette will not be playing in the game. The junior had previously announced that he plans on entering the 2017 NFL Draft, which means his college career is now over.

Despite battling a lingering left ankle injury that forced him to sit out four games, Fournette rushed for 843 yards and eight touchdowns in 2016, earning him second team All-SEC honors. A season ago, he rushed for 1,953 yards and 22 scores.

Even without Fournette, LSU figures to field one of the strongest rushing attacks that Louisville has faced this season. Sophomore Derrius Guice has led the charge all season, averaging 8.0 yards per carry on his way to 1,249 yards and 14 touchdowns.

While this is a bit of a hit to the overall perception of this game, the bowl's biggest selling point was always going to be Lamar Jackson vs. the LSU defense, not Jackson vs. Fournette. That remains unchanged.