Ohio State junior running back Mike Weber announced Sunday evening that he plans to declare himself eligible for the 2019 NFL Draft.
Much like defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones, Weber said that he plans to play in the 2019 Rose Bowl before officially turning pro.
Weber made the announcement on Twitter. He wrote “I will forgo my Senior season an will live the dream I’ve had since (I was) 5 years old. I will be declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft.”
The decision is not a surprise. Weber considered leaving for the NFL after the 2017 season, but opted to come back for another year with the Buckeyes.
He has rushed for more than 2,500 yards in his OSU career, good for 15th all-time in school history. He is only 69 yards behind Raymont Harris, and could move up a spot on the list with a nice day in his collegiate finale.
A native of Detroit, Weber always seemed to save his best efforts for the games against his home-state schools.
He rushed for a touchdown in all six of his career games against Michigan and Michigan State, all of which were wins.
Weber has overcome a series of injuries to be a steady and effective back for the Buckeyes. He missed his true freshman season with an injury, but rebounded to rush for more than 1,000 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2016.
A hamstring injury cost him a big chunk of the 2o17 season, and he missed time this fall with a leg contusion. In each of the last two seasons, he split time and carries with J.K. Dobbins.
Still, Weber was a consistent performer for OSU, rushing for 6.2, 6.0, and 5.5 yards per carry in his three seasons of work.
Weber’s last game as a Buckeye will also be the finale for retiring head coach Urban Meyer.
Last week, Weber said that was a big motivation to send his coach out with a win.
“That’s something that we take a lot of pride in,” Weber said. “I feel like he deserves it and so do we. So that’s the No. 1 goal.”
You can read Weber’s full statement below.
— Mike Weber (@mikeweberjr) December 17, 2018