Stanford Cardinal RB Bryce Love to skip Sun Bowl

Stanford running back Bryce Love, who finished second to Baker Mayfield in the 2017 Heisman Trophy voting but had an injury-plagued senior season, announced this week he will skip the Sun Bowl game against Pittsburgh on New Year's Eve to get healthy and start training for the 2019 NFL Draft.

"God has blessed me with an incredible opportunity to play the sport I love at the highest level," Love tweeted. "It is a surreal feeling to be on the cusp of seeing my dream come true. I am completely devoted to this next chapter of my career, and I will always keep the Stanford community, my family and my faith by my side throughout."

Love rushed for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, and he was the preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season. However, he gained only 739 yards on the ground and scored six touchdowns in 10 games.

Ankle problems have plagued Love throughout his career. They impacted his performance over the latter part of last season, and limited his production this season. He missed two games entirely and parts of several others.

Love is rated as the No. 1 running back prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com.