![](https://localtvwtkr.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/gettyimages-860275892-1.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&w=300&h=201)
Deshawn McClease #33 of the Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Boston College. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech running back Deshawn McClease says he’s leaving school early to enter the NFL draft.
McClease, an Oscar Smith High School alumnus, made the announcement Monday on Twitter.
The 5-foot-9, 190-pound redshirt junior ran for 843 yards and seven touchdowns this season, including 126 yards and a touchdown in the Hokies’ 37-30 loss to Kentucky in the Belk Bowl.
In his tweet, McClease thanked the coaching staff for playing “a major role in my transition from a boy to the man I am now.”