Ed Oliver has two more years of eligibility at Houston, but he already knows where his future lies.
The Cougars' defensive tackle announced Monday his intentions to play out his junior season and then enter the 2019 NFL Draft.
"This was a dream of mine coming in," Oliver said in a statement released by the school. "I knew I was going on a business trip, and whether my business trip was three years or four years it just depended on how early I got on the field and how effective I was."
Oliver did in fact get on the field early, and there's certainly no denying his effectiveness.
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound DT became the first underclassman in Outland Trophy history to win the award this past season. He logged 73 total tackles and 5.5 sacks as a sophomore despite playing the noseguard position in Houston's 3-4 defense. He's rated No. 2 on draft analyst Chad Reuter's "Top future NFL stars of 2017 regular season" list, ahead of players like Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, Lamar Jackson and Bradley Chubb.
Oliver, who's considered a legitimate candidate for the Heisman Trophy next season, will begin his final season of college football against Rice on Sept. 1.
