Utah tight end Jake Murphy will forgo his senior season and enter the 2014 NFL Draft.
"This has been a really tough decision for me to make and one that I do not take lightly," Murphy said in a prepared statement released through the school. "In the end, I had to make the choice that was best for my family -- my wife and my daughter. Although I will miss playing college football, I am very confident in my abilities and ready to pursue my dream of playing in the NFL."
Murphy (6-foot-4, 252 pounds) caught 25 passes for 417 yards and five touchdowns despite being limited to eight games because of a wrist injury.
In his college career, Murphy caught 10 touchdowns and proved to be an effective weapon working down the seam, averaging 13.2 yards per catch.
Murphy, 24, signed with BYU out of high school and enrolled at Utah after going on a two-year Mormon mission.
Murphy's father is Major League Baseball veteran Dale Murphy, who was twice named National League Most Valuable Player. Among his other accomplishments during his 18-year career with the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies, Murphy was a seven-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glove winner and a four-time Silver Slugger winner.
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