BATON ROUGE - LSU safety Eric Reid will forgo his final season of eligibility and will make himself available for the 2013 NFL Draft, the junior announced on Friday.

Reid, a first-team All-America selection in 2012, joins linebacker Kevin Minter as LSU's early NFL entries thus far.

In three years with the Tigers, Reid played on teams that won 10 or more games all three years, including last year's 13-1 squad that captured the Southeastern Conference title and reached the BCS National Championship Game. Reid's three-year record at LSU was 34-6.

"I've been very fortunate and blessed to have been able to play football at LSU," Reid said. "It was always my dream to go to LSU and play football.

"I want to thank Coach (Les) Miles and all of the people that played a role to get me to this point in my life. This was a very difficult decision because I always wanted to be a Tiger and I love LSU. But, after careful consideration and talking with my family, I feel like this is the right time to make this decision. I will always be a LSU Tiger."

In his final season with the Tigers in 2012, Reid started all 13 games and finished third on the team in tackles with 91. He had seven pass breakups, two pass interceptions, one tackle for loss and recovered a fumble for an LSU defense that ranked among the best in the nation.

Reid earned was a consensus All-America in 2012 after earning first-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America and the American Football Coaches Association. He was also a first-team All-Southeastern Conference pick from both the media and the SEC Coaches.

Reid continued a trend of outstanding defensive backs at LSU as the school has now produced six first-team All-American defensive backs under Les Miles, including four over the past three years.

For his career, Reid played in 39 games, starting 29 times. He finished with 194 career tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and six interceptions.

Reid was named one of five permanent team captains for LSU in 2012.

Reid said that he is two semesters shy of graduating and that he will continue to pursue his degree during the offseason.