A.J. Brown

A.J. Brown made it official on Tuesday. He is foregoing his senior season for early entry into the NFL Draft.

Brown issued a statement via Twitter.

"I just want to start off by saying thank you to the Ole Miss family," he began. "You have welcomed me with open arms. Ole Miss is a special place and has been since I took my first official visit. This place has become my second home.

"During my official visit, I knew that this was the place for me. The past three years, I have created memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. I just want to say 'thank you' to the coaches for keeping me grounded and my teammates who have always pushed me to be great. I want to say 'thank you' to my family, because without them, I would not be in this position today.

"Dreaming of coming to Ole Miss and breaking records, recorded as one of the greats, still has me at a loss for words. I will never forget where I came from and I'll never forget the place that turned me into a man. This is a special place: Oxford, Mississippi.

"With that being said, I would like to announce that I will be foregoing my senior season and declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft. I love you Ole Miss, and it's true: You don't have to be blood to be family. You just have to be real."

Brown tallied 1,320 yards receiving in 2018, breaking his own single-season school record of 1,252, set last season. His 7.2 receptions per game rank 10th in the NCAA. He stands as the all-time leading receiver in Ole Miss history with 2,984 yards. He has 12 100-yard receiving performances during his career, also a program record.

Thank you Ole Miss?? pic.twitter.com/J5Cn077S75 — AJ Brown (@Brown1arthur) December 4, 2018

The Starkville, Miss., native tied the school record with six 100-yard receiving games this season. He's the only player in Ole Miss history with two 1,000-yard seasons to his name. Brown also set the Ole Miss single-season receptions record with 85 catches this year.

The announcement comes as no surprise, as it has been speculated that Brown would declare for early entry into the NFL Draft for quite some time. He is the second Ole Miss underclassman to declare for the Draft since the season-ending Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night, following third-year sophomore wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. Junior left tackle Greg Little is expected to officially announce his intentions to forego his senior season for the NFL Draft in the coming days. Junior tight end Dawson Knox is contemplating his future, as well, as could be junior right tackle Alex Givens and defensive tackle Benito Jones.

We dreamed of times like this brother! From battling in high school to becoming teammates in our home state. Then late nights at the IPF and talking about the future. Congrats bro and love you ????? pic.twitter.com/UMgXBqasCk — DK Metcalf (@dkmetcalf14) December 4, 2018

As a recruit, Brown was a four-star prospect rated as the nation's No. 4 wide receiver by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite index. he was an Under Armour All-American.

Brown's NFL Draft projections range from him being a top 10 pick to a second-round selection.

Some statistical info in this article courtesy of UM Media Relations