USC will have big shoes to fill at defensive end in 2015. On Monday USC announced defensive end Leonard Williams will pass on his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft in 2015.
“This was a very hard decision for me,” Williams said in a released statement. “I love USC, Coach [Steve Sarkisian] and the coaching staff, my teammates and the fans, and I love the game of college football. It’s hard to leave all of that. I know life is never the same once you leave college.
“But I feel like it’s the right time for me to go. I feel like I’m ready. I’m looking forward to the new challenge that the NFL presents.”
The 6'-5", 300 pound defensive star earned All-American honors in 2014 and 2013 and was widely regarded as one of the top defensive linemen in the nation this past season. Williams sat out in the spring due to a shoulder injury suffered in 2013, but Williams ended the season with 80 tackles, including 9.5 tackles for a loss.