Alabama Football Practice November 4, 2014

Alabama defensive lineman Jarran Reed (90) will be back for his senior season.

(Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Ending the speculation and occasional confusion, Alabama announced defensive end Jarran Reed was returning for his senior season.

The news release also stated linebacker Reggie Ragland would be back for his final season, but there were more questions about Reed. A day earlier, IMG Academy tweeted a welcome to Reed for its NFL Combine training program. The tweet was deleted after it went viral and Alabama said it must have been a mistake.

So Reed made his decision public in the Thursday afternoon news release.

"After sitting down with my family, Coach (Nick) Saban and Coach (Bo) Davis, I have decided to return to Alabama for my senior year," Reed said in the release. "I am on track to finish my degree and that is very important to me. The chance to play in the NFL is still my dream, but I am excited about another year at Alabama with my teammates. I learned a lot being here last year, and I'm confident another year will only improve my chances to succeed in the future."

The deadline for underclassmen to declare is Thursday and the NFL will publish the full list on Monday. Landon Collins, Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon remain the only Alabama juniors who have announced departures.