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An ankle injury limited Rutgers' Jawan Jamison to only 28 carries over the final three games of the regular season.

(Photo by Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger)

Rutgers redshirt sophomore running back Jawan Jamison said he was given a third-round grade by NFL officials after rushing for more than 1,000 yards this season and that was enough to forgo his final two years of eligibility and declare for the 2013 NFL Draft yesterday.

"The grade that I got back was a very good grade, and I thought it was the best situation for me and my family, and I feel at this point in time I’m ready for the NFL," Jamison said on a conference call. "Actually, it (his grade) surprised me. I thought it was going to be a little lower. I was excited for that. I feel like we made the best decision and that’s why I decided to leave."

Jamison, a Starke, Fla., native, became only the third Scarlet Knight since 1976 to surpass the 1,000-yard mark when he rushed for 1,075 yards and four touchdowns this season, despite being slowed by an ankle injury the final three regular-season games.

Former St. Peter’s Prep star Savon Huggins is expected to step into the role as the Knights’ featured back next season. The Jackson native rushed for 410 yards and two touchdowns on 119 carries this season, including a career-high 179 yards on a school-record-tying 41 carries against Cincinnati on Nov. 17.

Often compared to Rutgers’ all-time great Ray Rice, Jamison said he spoke to Rice, who also declared early for the draft, and was told to do what he feels is best for himself and to weigh his options.

Jamison, still nursing his right ankle injury, said he has been thinking about declaring for the draft since the final weeks of the season. He said he’ll begin training tomorrow and has signed with agent Wesley Spencer.

Jamison is the sixth Rutgers player since 2008 to leave school early and enter the NFL Draft. Jamison joins fellow underclassmen Logan Ryan, a defensive back, to leave early after this season to enter the professional ranks.

"Jawan has been an exciting player for us during his career," said Rutgers coach Kyle Flood. "He is a running back with tremendous vision, great balance and has the gift to make people miss in the open field. We wish Jawan well as he begins his journey to play in the NFL."

Jamison, 5-8, 200 pounds, emerged as a do-it-all back this season and feels that will serve him well on the next level. In addition to rushing for more than 1,000 yards, he caught 28 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns.

"I feel like I can catch it out of the backfield, I feel like I can run between the tackles or outside and I can pass protect, too," he said. "I feel like I can do it all."

The four Scarlet Knights before Jamison who elected to skip their final year of eligibility since 2008 have enjoyed a tremendous amount of success at the next level.

Rice left Rutgers after his junior season in 2007 and was a second-round selection of the Baltimore Ravens in 2008. Wide receiver Kenny Britt declared for the 2009 draft and was a first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans. Offensive lineman Anthony Davis was selected with the 11th overall pick in 2010 by the San Francisco 49ers. Rounding out the list is wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, a third-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals this year.

Jamison, an All-Big East second-team selection, is the seventh player in Rutgers history to record a 1,000-yard season. For his career, Jamison rushed for 1,972 yards and 13 touchdowns in 25 games, including 897 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman.