Towson running back Terrance West, who set FCS single-season records for rushing yards and touchdowns, is bypassing his senior season to turn pro.
West (5-foot-11, 223 pounds) rushed for 2,509 yards and scored 42 total touchdowns in helping Towson to the FCS title game, where it lost to North Dakota State.
Towson coach Rob Ambrose told The Sun of Baltimore that feedback from the NFL Draft Advisory Board was that West could go as early as the third round.
West should vie with North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner and Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to be the first FCS player taken in the 2014 draft.
West lacks elite speed, but he has been clocked as fast as 4.5 seconds in the 40 and shows patience and good vision. He has quick feet and is a tough, powerful downhill runner who is right at home working between the tackles. He also has proved to be a workhorse, averaging 260 carries per season in his college career (21.7 per game, including 26.1 per game this season).
"I'm ready for the challenge," West said, per The Sun. "I'll adapt to anything that's thrown at me. I'm just prepared."
West, who turns 23 on Jan. 28, had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Tigers and finishes his career with 4,849 rushing yards. He also had 86 career touchdowns, three shy of the FCS record held by former Villanova running back Brian Westbrook, who rushed for 6,335 yards in nine NFL seasons.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.