Jan. 5, 2012

University of South Carolina junior wide receiver Alshon Jeffery will enter the NFL Draft, he announced on Thursday.

“I plan to forgo my senior season and enter the NFL Draft,” said Jeffery. “I would like to thank the fans, my teammates, Coach Spurrier and everyone involved for all the opportunities South Carolina has provided me. I am proud to say I will always be a Gamecock.”

Jeffery a 6-4, 229-pounder from St. Matthews, S.C., leaves Carolina as the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,042, the second-highest total in SEC history and one of just three players in conference history with over 3,000 career receiving yards. In 2011, he earned second-team All-SEC accolades after leading the team with 49 catches for 762 yards and eight touchdowns. He capped his career with a four-catch, 148-yard effort in the Capital One Bowl win over Nebraska in which he earned game MVP honors. He garnered All-America honors and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award following his record-setting sophomore season of 2010, when he caught 88 passes for 1,517 yards. He finished his three-year career with 183 receptions including a record-tying 23 touchdowns, and a school-record 12 100-yard receiving games. He caught a pass in each of his final 36 games as a Gamecock.

During Jeffery’s three seasons at Carolina, the Gamecocks have posted 27 wins, including a school-record 11-win campaign in 2011.