As expected, one of the top quarterbacks in college football is making the early jump to the pros.
Citing an unnamed source, ESPN.com‘s Brett McMurphy is reporting that Teddy Bridgewater has decided to leave Louisville early and make himself available for the May NFL draft. The report comes a couple of weeks after speculation surfaced that the quarterback was hedging on a jump to the NFL and was contemplating a return to the Cardinals.
There’s been no official word from either the player or the football program regarding Bridgewater’s future.
Bridgewater is widely projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft. Interestingly, the team that holds that pick, the Houston Texans, are expected to announce the hiring of Penn State’s Bill O’Brien in short order.
In Bridgewater’s final game at the collegiate level, the junior torched Miami for 447 yards and four touchdowns (one rushing) as the Cardinals rolled over the ‘Canes 36-9 in the Russell Athletic Bowl Saturday night.
UPDATED 2:51 p.m. ET: Louisville confirmed in a press release that Teddy Bridgewater has indeed decided to forego his senior season.
“After discussing all the options with my family and the coaching staff, I have decided to forgo my senior season and declare for the NFL Draft,” Bridgewater said in a statement. “This was an extremely difficult decision for me. I can’t express how much my time at Louisville has meant to me. These past three years have allowed me to mature as a person and leave the university as better person and with my degree in hand, which was one of my goals. I will cherish every moment on the field and off the field, and every bond that I built. I will forever represent the university with the utmost pride and respect. I want to extend a special thank you to my teammates, Tom Jurich, all the academic staff and professors, the coaching staff, support staff, students and the Cardinals’ fan base.
“I didn’t know much about Louisville when I made the decision to attend, but in the end, it was one of the best decisions I could have ever made.”