Just a few hours ahead of the midnight deadline for draft-eligible underclassmen to declare their intentions, Justin Houston has decided at which level he will play in 2011.
Unfortunately for the Georgia coaching staff and their fans, the expected happened.
The All-SEC linebacker announced just a short while ago that he has decided to forego his remaining collegiate eligibility and enter the April draft.
“I want to thank the University of Georgia and the coaches for giving me the chance to come to UGA,” said Houston in a statement. “Without Coach Mark Richt, I would not be where I am today. He has helped me grow from a boy to a grown man during my four years. It was a very hard decision to make but in the end, I had to do what’s best for my family and me. Thanks to all of the fans who were behind us the whole time I was in Athens.”
“Justin is a great person and great player and we’ll miss him,” said UGA head coach Mark Richt. “He’s been an integral part of our team the past three years. We wish him nothing but the best as he moves into this next phase of his football career and I’m certain he’ll be successful.”
Houston is the second UGA underclassman to declare for the draft; last weekend, wide receiver A.J. Green did the expected and jumped into the NFL draft pool early.
In 2010, Houston led the SEC in sacks during the regular season with 10. The 6-3, 258-pounder was also a finalist for the Butkus and Nagurski awards.
His 20 career sacks ranks seventh in school history.