Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher speaks to reporters during the NCAA college football Southeastern Conference Media Days in Hoover, Ala., July 21, 2021. No. 23 Texas A&M won’t play in the Gator Bowl against Wake Forest on Dec. 31 because of COVID-19 issues and season-ending injuries, the team announced Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. “It is unfortunate, but we just don’t have enough scholarship players available to field a team,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said in a news release. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)

No. 23 Texas A&M won’t play in the Gator Bowl against No. 20 Wake Forest on Dec. 31 because of COVID-19 issues and season-ending injuries, the team announced Wednesday.

“It is unfortunate, but we just don’t have enough scholarship players available to field a team,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said in a news release.

The Aggies (8-4) were scheduled to leave for Jacksonville on Sunday.

“It is heartbreaking for our players, coaches, staff and fans that we are not able to play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl,” athletic director Ross Bjork said. “Postseason football is the pinnacle of the season and when the opportunity is lost, it hurts on many levels.

“As we have learned in the last 21 months of this health challenge, the well-being and safety of our student-athletes is paramount,” he continued. “Our players poured their heart and soul into this season and we appreciate their dedication as Aggies. Aggie football is on track for long-term success and we know that the best is yet to come.”

Wake Forest (10-3) is holding out hope of finding another team to play in the Gator Bowl to cap a 10-win season that included winning an Atlantic Coast Conference division title.

Athletic director John Currie said Wednesday that he was “heartened” that at least five teams had reached out to express potential interest in playing, including one team that has already played in a bowl game.

Coach Dave Clawson met with the team captains earlier Wednesday for them to decide whether they wanted to play. The answer was yes, but with a “qualifier” that they didn’t want to work out and practice through the holidays if the game was unlikely to come together.

“I think for our players, in fairness to them, if we’re going to keep them over the Christmas holiday, we probably need to know something fairly early Friday,” Clawson said. “We wanted to give it enough time so there was an opportunity to find an opponent. But again, our players – and you can understand this – if they’re not going to be playing in a bowl game, they wanted to be able to spend the holidays with their families.”

The Aggies had an up-and-down season in which they went 4-4 in Southeastern Conference play. They beat Alabama on Oct. 9 when the Crimson Tide was ranked No. 1 but wrapped up the season with a disappointing 27-24 loss at LSU.

In addition to the outbreak and the injuries, Texas A&M also had tight end Jalen Wydermyer and running back Isaiah Spiller declare for the NFL draft. Quarterback Zach Calzada, who started 10 games this season, entered the transfer portal.

“So if you take running backs, receivers, quarterbacks and defensive backs, we had 13 of those guys and only 13 scholarship players on defense,” Bjork told ESPN. “We had over 40 guys out between COVID, season-ending injuries, transfers and opt-outs.

“We just didn’t have enough. You can’t put the other players that are healthy at risk.”

The Gator Bowl said it was “aggressively” working with the NCAA to find a replacement team over the next few days.

Illinois (5-7), which officially was eliminated from bowl contention once all eligible teams were selected on Dec. 5, is open to the possibility of playing in a bowl game, sources told ESPN. Marshall, which lost to Louisiana-Lafayette last week in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, also is interested in being a replacement opponent, sources told ESPN.

“Waiting by the phone…. #ILL #famILLy,” Illinois coach Bret Bielema posted on Twitter on Wednesday.

Tweeted Marshall coach Charles Huff: “Someone said one more game???…..”

Clawson said over 90% of Wake Forest’s team has received a COVID-19 booster shot, and the team has gone back to masking indoors, distancing and limiting contact — all in the hope that it will be able to play.

Texas A&M is scheduled to open the 2022 season against Sam Houston State on Sept. 3 in College Station. Other non-conference games include: Appalachian State (Sept. 10); Miami (Florida) (Sept. 17) and Massachusetts (Nov. 19).