Cardale Jones confirms he will leave Ohio State to enter NFL draft

Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones confirmed Wednesday he will leave the program after this season to enter the NFL draft. The redshirt junior has one year of eligibility remaining, but he will graduate in June.

“I don’t want to be a 24-year-old college student,” Jones said during Fiesta Bowl Media Day. “I’ve got one more semester of school left. That was my whole focus of coming back to OSU, to get closer to my degree.”

Jones lost his starting job midway through the season to J.T. Barrett and called it a challenging season. He said he never considered transferring to another school for his final season of eligibility.

“My loyalty, my heart is at Ohio State,” Jones said. “I would come back and sit another year before I transferred. … I really don’t pay attention to my draft stock. Anything can happen. I think my life stock has improved being closer to my degree next semester. It’s 10 times more important.”

About the Author