James Conner is taking his inspirational story and frightening running back skills to the NFL.
The Pittsburgh running back made the announcement Saturday afternoon through his Twitter account.
The Panthers immediately released a statement blessing the move.
We will always love #ConnerStrong pic.twitter.com/ujIgna3Wpx
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) December 10, 2016
Conner burst on the scene as a freshman, leading the Panthers with 799 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He exploded as a sophomore for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns before missing his junior season due to Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He returned to the field this fall with a body free of cancer and promptly returned to form, carrying a team-leading 208 times for 1,060 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Conner was named the winner of the Disney Spirit Award on Thursday night.
The Pitt running back will join a growing list of running back early entrants, including D’Onta Foreman, Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey.