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SMU QB Matt Davis drops bid for sixth season, will enter NFL draft

The NFL has gained another signal-caller for its upcoming draft, while SMU has lost a veteran presence in its quarterbacks room.

United Athlete Agency, which describes itself as a Dallas-based professional sports representation agency, announced in a release Wednesday that Matt Davis has declared for the 2017 NFL draft. Davis has hired and will be represented by UAA’s Scott Casterline.

Because Davis’ five-year eligibility clock has expired, he will be eligible for the April draft despite his very late entry into the process.

The draft has a new QB: #SMU QB Matt Davis will now be in the 2017 @NFL Draft, rather than seek a 6th year of eligibility pic.twitter.com/e7dD4YpYsH

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2017


Davis missed all or most of the 2012 and 2016 seasons because of injuries, which led to SMU to seek a sixth season of eligibility on the quarterback’s behalf. As of late January, the university and the player were still awaiting for a decision from the NCAA.

After beginning his collegiate career at Texas A&M as a four-star recruit, Davis left College Station in August of 2013 and, after a stop at the junior college level, ultimately transferred to SMU. After starting the last five games of the 2014 season, Davis started 11 of 12 games the following season.

A start in the 2016 season opener was quickly followed by a torn ACL that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

It seems highly unlikely that the 6-0, 212-pound Houston native will taken at any point during the seven-round draft in Philadelphia next month.