Baylor’s RG3 Makes Right Call To Leave Early For NFL

(credit: Sarah Glenn/Getty Images)

HOUSTON (CBS Houston) â€" Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Robert Griffin III has informed Baylor coach Art Briles that he intends to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft, according to reports.

The only surprise here is Griffin waited until this close to Sunday’s deadline for underclassmen to declare for this Spring’s NFL Draft.

This was indeed the right call for Griffin and his family. It’s a tough call for the Baylor family which has ascended to unthinkable heights since Griffin arrived in 2008. The pinnacle came this season when the electrifying Griffin led the Bears to a 10-3 overall and all-time Big 12 best 5-3 mark, which included wins over conference powers Oklahoma and Texas.

Then he took home the most prestigious individual prize in college football when he came out of nowhere to become the first Baylor player to win the Heisman Trophy over much more celebrated Stanford quarter Andrew Luck and Alabama running back Trent Richardson.

But Griffin wasn’t done there, he then led the Bears to shootout victory over Washington in the Alamo Bowl to cap what will be a season to remember.

Certainly the fourth-year junior could return to Baylor for his senior year with a chance to build on this past season’s success but this seems like the right time to move on. He is being projected as a Top 10 pick but by the time April’s NFL Draft rolls around he could the No.1 overall pick ahead of Luck.

It’s hard to imagine how Griffin could improve on his status by returning. He put up numbers that will be hard duplicate, 4,293 yards, 37 touchdowns and just six interceptions while rushing for 699 yards and another 10 touchdowns. Furthermore, he has done the work in the classroom, completing his undergraduate political science degree in three years.

The time has come for Griffin to move on to the next level where he has a chance to be exciting young talent for some NFL team in need of a franchise quarterback.

For Baylor, this can’t be easy. Life without the school’s unparallel star has to be scary. The Bears hadn’t won 10 games in a season since 1980. But in college football, nothing lasts forever.

It’s time to move on.

Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris