Jackson leaving Louisville for NFL draft

One season after becoming the youngest Heisman Trophy winner, Lamar Jackson announced he is leaving Louisville after his junior season to enter the NFL draft.

The 20-year-old quarterback tweeted Friday that he talked with his family before announcing the decision, which was confirmed by the school.

His decision was somewhat expected after he compiled some statistics that were better than those from his Heisman-winning numbers as a sophomore. He finished third in this year’s vote.

Jackson thanked Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino, teammates and fans on Twitter. “It has been nothing short of an honor to be a member of #CardsNation and to play for this university.”

Jackson, 6 feet 3 and 212 pounds, is a dynamic player but it’s uncertain how high he’ll be drafted this spring. Despite accounting for 5,261 yards and 45 touchdowns — his second consecutive season in which he surpassed 1,500 yards rushing and 3,500 passing — questions remain about his accuracy and size.

The native of Pompano Beach, Florida, led the Cardinals to three consecutive bowl games, though they lost their last two. Jackson totaled 329 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s TaxSlayer Bowl but also threw four interceptions in Louisville’s 31-27 loss to No. 24 Mississippi State.

Fox Sports NFL analyst Charles Davis believes Jackson can play at the next level because of improved decision-making, along with his mobility.

“A lot of his big plays before occurred because of the run. This year I saw a better pocket presence, I saw better accuracy, better delivery. I’ve seen that improvement, that growth,” Davis said recently.