College Players Jumping to NFL List Grows

Ohio State losing Bosa and Elliott after Fiesta Bowl

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa and running back Ezekiel Elliott will skip their senior seasons and declare for the NFL draft.

Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said both players will join quarterback Cardale Jones in leaving early during a news conference for the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday.

Bosa had 26 sacks and 50 1/2 tackles for loss during three seasons with Ohio State. He was a second-team Associated Press All-American and is projected to be a top-10 pick in next year's NFL draft.

Elliott also was a second-team All-American after rushing for 1,672 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He enters Friday's game against No. 8 Notre Dame second on Ohio State's all-time rushing list with 3,812 yards.

Jones announced he will declare for the draft on Wednesday.

UCLA offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch headed to NFL draft

LOS ANGELES (AP) — UCLA offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch says he will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

Benenoch announced his plans in a post on his Twitter account Thursday.

The 6-foot-5 Texas native has started 35 consecutive games in three seasons with the Bruins, including every game in the past two years.

He moved between right guard and right tackle this season, providing stability for the injury-plagued UCLA lineup.

Benenoch joins four Bruins who have already announced plans to head to the NFL. They include offensive guard Alex Redmond, who skipped the Foster Farms Bowl last week and signed with an agent.

Linebacker Myles Jack, defensive lineman Kenny Clark and tailback Paul Perkins are also headed to the NFL.

UCLA (8-5) lost three of its last four games.

Cal quarterback Jared Goff leaving early for NFL draft

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — California quarterback Jared Goff is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft.

He announced his decision Thursday, two days after capping his stellar career by throwing six touchdown passes in a bowl victory against Air Force.

Goff is widely considered to be one of the top two quarterbacks eligible for the draft and is projected as a high first-round pick. He is the first Cal quarterback to leave early for the NFL since Aaron Rodgers following the 2004 season.

Goff is the career leader at Cal in just about every significant statistic for quarterbacks. He broke Marcus Mariota's Pac-12 season record for touchdown passes by throwing his 43rd in the 55-36 win over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Memphis QB Paxton Lynch to skip senior year, enter NFL draft

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch has announced he's bypassing his senior year to enter the 2016 NFL Draft.

Lynch announced his decision Thursday morning, calling it the best decision for him and his family.

The redshirt junior concluded his college career Wednesday with a 31-10 loss to Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound quarterback was held without a touchdown, a big drop from the seven TDs he threw in the first half of the Tigers' regular season finale over SMU.

He was 296 of 443 for 3,778 yards with 28 touchdowns and only four interceptions this season completing 69.1 percent of his passes with Memphis (9-4).

Lynch says Leigh Steinberg is his agent, and his former coach Justin Fuente, now at Virginia Tech, was at the news conference.