Michigan junior defensive end Rashan Gary will forego his senior season at Michigan in in favor of the NFL draft.
Gary, a 6-foot-5, 287-pounder from New Jersey, announced his decision via a YouTube video on Monday. Michigan lost its regular-season finale at Ohio State, 62-39, on Saturday in Columbus.
More: Michigan football: What we learned at Ohio State, what's next?
Gary did not immediately specify whether he plans to play in the Wolverines' upcoming bowl game, and Michigan has yet to respond to a request for comment on the matter.
The Wolverines will learn their bowl destination Sunday.
"I would like to thank my higher power, my family, the University of Michigan and the students and the fans," Gary said in a video. "But I will be foregoing my senior season to make a dream come true (and) declare for the draft. Thank you and go blue."
Gary was ranked as the No. 8 available player in the upcoming draft by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. earlier this month.
The former No. 1-ranked recruit in the country, Gary entered his junior season at Michigan as a preseason All-American (Associated Press, second team) and had the distinction from head coach Jim Harbaugh as the program's "best player."
His year did not go as planned, however, as Gary suffered a shoulder injury shortly before the Wolverines entered the year at Notre Dame on Sept. 1. Gary played through the first three games of the season but was ultimately limited due to the injury in weeks three and four.
He missed wins over Maryland, Wisconsin and Michigan State before opting to return to the field for a win over Penn State earlier this month. He was a full participant in subsequent wins over Rutgers and Indiana before playing Saturday at Ohio State.
Speculation grew at the time that Gary may sit the rest of the season in favor of the draft, though the junior defensive linemen later said that was never his plan.
"You have to go when your body's ready. Mentally, it's 'let me do this, let me do that' but my body wasn't ready," he said earlier this month. "Having my brothers out there practicing and playing without me, that took a toll mentally. ... It felt like I'm not out there contributing or doing my job. As a player, that's something you're not used to. ... I don't know how to put that in words, it's hard.
"Throughout (MSU week) it (never got to) where I felt like I could come out and give my team 100 percent. ... Then we had the bye week, that helped me out. Then going into Penn State, I felt like I was ready."
Gary finished the 2018 regular season with 44 tackles (seven for a loss), three 1/2 sacks and five quarterback hurries. He played in parts of nine games.
If Gary doesn't play in the bowl game, his career stat line — per Michigan's online stat archive — will be 136 tackles (23 1/2 for a loss), 10 sacks and one forced fumble.
Gary was a first-team All-Big Ten performer in 2017 and the winner of Michigan's Richard Katcher Award, presented annually to the team's top defensive lineman/linebacker, as a sophomore.
Hailing from the same high school as former Michigan standout Jabrill Peppers, Gary came to Ann Arbor in 2016 with as much hype and attention as any recruit in Michigan history — as he became the first No. 1-ranked recruit to sign with Michigan during the online ranking era (Rivals began ranking recruits online in 2002).
Gary played mainly as a reserve behind future draft picks Chris Wormley and Taco Charlton as a freshman on Michigan's 10-3 squad in 2016. He finished the year with 27 tackles (five for a loss) and a sack.
His best individual year came in 2017 as Gary became a full-time starter at strong-side defensive end for the first time. He posted 66 tackles (12 for a loss) and six sacks.
Gary's biggest assets, in terms of the NFL draft, are his physical abilities as a defensive lineman.
Michigan clocked Gary at 4.57 seconds in a 40-yard dash before the start of the 2017 season. That number, if it held, would've been the third-fastest at the NFL Combine that year. He also posted a vertical jump of 31 inches, a 200-yard shuttle of 25.98 seconds and a broad jump of 9-feet, 6 inches.
"He dominates when he's at his best; he just manhandles offensive linemen. He has a high ceiling. The problem? Consistency," Kiper wrote this month. "A defender this big and this talented should create more pressure and disruptions. The former No. 1 overall recruit disappears too often for my liking. Gary could play end in a 3-4 defense or three-technique in a 4-3."
Gary is not the only Michigan junior with an NFL decision to make.
Junior linebacker Devin Bush Jr., who said last week he'd likely make his decision at the end of December or in early January, ranked No. 6 on Kiper's list. Also appearing on Kiper's position rankings were junior corners David Long and Lavert Hill as well as junior offensive lineman Ben Bredeson.
Michigan junior quarterback Shea Patterson is also eligible for the upcoming draft.
Contact Nick Baumgardner: nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.
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