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SALT LAKE CITY — Junior safety Marcus Williams announced on Twitter Monday that he was forgoing his senior season to pursue a career in the NFL.
Williams said he consulted with his family before making the decision to declare for the draft, where early projections have him as a first- or second-round selection as one of the best safeties to enter the league.
"This program has developed me from a boy into a man," Williams said. "It has taught me how to sacrifice to get to where I want to be. It has shown me how to face adversity no matter how bad it may be. It has shown me how to respect the process and never give up on anything no matter how difficult the task is."
Prior to the Foster Farms Bowl, Williams said he hadn't decided whether he was coming back to Utah or leaving early for the NFL. He thanked his coaches Morgan Scalley and Sharrieff Shah for helping him "improve as a man and an athlete." He added that they "have always lived by their word and made me apart of their family."
"I am forever grateful to be a UTE and I will forever live by the saying UNITED TOGETHER ETERNAL SOLDIERS!"
Williams ends his career with 189 total tackles, 11 interceptions, eight pass breakups, four tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and one quarterback hurry.
