LJ Scott didn’t have the senior season he hoped for and that resulted in his name not being called in the NFL draft.

The former Michigan State running back announced via Twitter on Sunday morning he signed with the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent.

“I’m happy for this opportunity I’ll get with the @Ravens I’ll shock the ones who passed on me,” Scott wrote.

Michigan State had just two players picked in this year’s draft as cornerback Justin Layne was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round on Friday and safety Khari Willis was taken by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round on Saturday.

I’m from Youngstown Ohio all I ever known was get it out the mud. I’m happy for this opportunity I’ll get with the @Ravens I’ll shock the ones who passed on me 🤫😴 — Lj Scott (@ljscott_03) April 28, 2019

Scott joins a trio of former Spartans who signed as a free agents after the draft ended. Receiver Felton Davis joined the Kansas City Chiefs, linebacker Andrew Dowell signed with the Dallas Cowboys and tight end Matt Sokol is headed to the Los Angeles Chargers. An injury plagued season that resulted in Scott playing just five games hurt his draft stock.

“I have him as kind of a seventh round, priority free agent type,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said about Scott on a conference call before the draft. “There’s just too many other running backs that have kind of pushed him down the board. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot to go off of here recently when you study him.”

Scott, 6-foot-0 and 227 pounds, made 23 starts in 43 games over four seasons with the Spartans. He led the team in rushing each of his first three years and ranks ninth in program history in career rushing yards (2,855) and attempts (610) and is tied for 12th in rushing touchdowns (25). Scott also finished his college career with 43 receptions for 403 yards and two touchdowns.

A former four-star recruit from Hubbard High School in Ohio, Scott was a member of Michigan State’s 2015 signing class after turning down Ohio State, Alabama and others in one of coach Mark Dantonio’s biggest recruiting victories. He appeared in all 14 games as a true freshman and led the Spartans with 146 carries for 699 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The signature moment of Scott’s freshman season and career came in the 2015 Big Ten championship win against Iowa. He had 14 carries for 40 yards on the final drive and broke tackles to stretch out for a 1-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left to secure the 16-13 victory that sent the Spartans to the College Football Playoff.

Scott posted 184 carries for a career-high 994 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per carry as a sophomore. During the offseason, he underwent surgery on both shoulders and missed spring practice in 2017.

While still splitting touches with Gerald Holmes and Madre London, Scott had 201 carries for 898 yards and eight scores as a junior. He overcame early-season fumble problems with a strong finish and had 18 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a Holiday Bowl win against Washington State in San Diego. Following the game, Scott announced he would return for his senior year instead of leaving for the NFL draft.

The decision to return to Michigan State, Scott said, was because he still had something left to prove. However, he was unable to meet his expectations in a difficult 2018 season in which he finished with career lows of 79 carries for 264 yards and zero touchdowns.

Scott suffered an ankle injury in a Sept. 8 loss at Arizona State and missed the next four games. He returned to play against Michigan but was injured again the following week against Purdue. After initially planning on staying sidelined to take a redshirt and return for a fifth year, Scott decided to play in the Redbox Bowl and leave for the NFL. That was his fifth game of the year and meant he couldn’t take advantage of a new NCAA rule that allowed players who appeared in four games or fewer in a season to redshirt.

After missing four straight games, Scott returned for the 7-6 Redbox Bowl loss to Oregon in Santa Clara, Calif. He posted a season high with 24 carries and tied a season high with 84 rushing yards.

Scott was invited to the Senior Bowl but backed out because he was banged up. He participated in the NFL Scouting Combine but didn’t run the 40-yard dash. Scott posted a time of 7.27 seconds in the three-cone drill (10th among running backs), 4.34 in the 20-yard shuttle (12th), 21 reps in the 225-pound bench press (tied for 10th), a 33-inch vertical (tied for 17th) and 120-inch broad jump (13th).

Scott let his combine numbers stand and ran the 40-yard dash at Michigan State’s pro day (no time was announced) while also going through position drills.