Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. arrived at Florida three years ago as one of the nation's top 10 recruits, and he is leaving as one of the top prospects in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Fowler on Friday took out an ad in the Gainesville Sun to thinks Gators fans for their support.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Fowler (6-foot-3, 260 pounds) as the No. 7 prospect overall for the draft and has him going third overall, to the Jacksonville Jaguars, in his first mock draft. Fellow analyst Bucky Brooks has Fowler going 13th, to the New Orleans Saints, in his first mock draft. And analyst Lance Zierlein says Fowler has "a Pro Bowl ceiling with double-digit sack potential."
Fowler's freshman season at Florida was the final one as the Gators' defensive coordinator for Dan Quinn, who now is coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks and considered the favorite to be named the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Quinn spoke highly of Fowler this week.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.