Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will miss his senior year and enter the 2020 NFL Draft.
Tagovailoa, who is projected to be taken in the top 10, made the announcement at a news conference and said it was a “difficult decision” after speaking with his parents, coaches and doctors.
The former Heisman Trophy runner-up missed the final three games for Crimson Tide this last season due to a hip injury, which required surgery.
Alabama quarterback will enter 2020 NFL Draft
The young quarterback remains a top prospect for teams in the Draft, despite recovering from a dislocated hip, which was suffered back in November.
In his three years playing with Alabama, between 2017 and 2019, Tagovailoa started 24 of 32 games and threw for 7,442 yards, 87 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while also recording 348 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
It is still unsure whether Tagovailoa will participate in any Pro day, but he also said that he doesn’t think any of the doctors “can tell the foreseeable future”.
“It's a unique situation," he told reporters. "With my hip, a lot of the guys and general managers and owners that I've gotten to talk to have said the same thing.
“They kind of look at this injury as a knee injury almost, even though it's not, in a way that, 'Are we going to take a chance on this guy or would he be able to possibly do a pro day before the draft?'.
“The biggest thing they want to see is that we can move and be back to how we were playing prior to the injury."
The Cincinnati Bengals have the No 1 overall pick in the Draft, while the Miami Dolphins are currently No 5, both may well show an interest in drafting Tagovailoa and move on from their current quarterbacks.