DESHON ELLIOTT TO SKIP BOWL TO GO PRO
Safety says he will skip senior season; joins OT Williams in NFL draft.
Texas safety DeShon Elliott, the Jim Thorpe Award finalist who had six interceptions this season, announced Thursday he will skip his senior season and go pro.
Following left tackle Connor Williams’ lead, Elliott also will skip UT’s upcoming bowl game, the school announced. The Longhorns will learn their bowl destination on Sunday.
“It was a very difficult decision that I put a lot of thought into,” Elliott said in a statement. “I want to thank my coaches and teammates for the support and all they’ve done to make an impact on my life.
“I really appreciate Coach (Charlie) Strong giving me the opportunity to play and grow as a player and person at Texas,” he added. “Coach (Tom) Herman has been amazing, and I’m really excited about what he’s building here. I know that Longhorn football is in good hands.”
Elliott is essentially making a calculated gamble that his draft stock can only go down from
this point. The postseason awards have not been fully unveiled yet, but Elliott is expected to be a contender for first-team All-America status. The Rockwall product is scheduled to be in Atlanta next week for the Home Depot College Football Awards show.
Elliott had three interceptions as a freshman and sophomore combined, but he really broke through this year. He had two interceptions against USC and returned one for a touchdown. He also had a picksix against Baylor.
Elliott finished tied for third nationally as two players — Boston College’s Lukas Denis and Iowa’s Josh Jackson — had seven interceptions this season.
“To the awesome Longhorn fans, you have made every game in DKR an experience like no other, and for that, I thank you,” Elliott said. “And most of all, thank you to my parents for molding me into the athlete and person I am today. I couldn’t have done it without you. I am excited about the future but will forever be a Longhorn.” Big 12 honors: A slew of Longhorns were honored by the Big 12 on Thursday. Linebacker Malik Jefferson was named the league’s co-defensive player of the year along with Oklahoma’s Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. Jefferson becomes the fifth Longhorn to earn that honor.
Jefferson, a junior from Mesquite, finished the regular season with 110 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks and six quarterback hurries. It was easily his best season at Texas.
On Wednesday, he tweeted that he had not made a decision about his future. It’s widely expected that Jefferson will jump into the NFL draft. It’s unclear if he will play in UT’s bowl game.
Senior defensive tackle Poona Ford was named the Big 12 defensive lineman of the year. The anchor in the middle was a major reason why Texas had the league’s second-best run defense.
Ford had 30 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and blocked a field goal attempt.
Punter Michael Dickson, the two-time Ray Guy Award finalist, was named the league’s special teams player of the year. The Australia native leads the nation in average (48.4 yards) on 73 attempts. He had 14 punts go 60 yards or more and had a career-long 76-yarder against TCU.