University of Missouri junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert has elected to make himself available for the NFL draft.
Gabbert, a two-year starter coming off a standout performance in the Insight Bowl, was among five players who declared Monday their intent to apply for April's NFL Draft.
"This is definitely a bittersweet day for me," Gabbert said in a statement. "I was really looking forward to having a chance to do some special things next season with my teammates, but in the end, this is the right decision to make for myself and my family.
"These last three years have been an unbelievable experience for me, and I'll miss being at Mizzou, but I'm definitely looking forward to this next stage of my life."
The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Gabbert completed 41 of 57 passes for 434 yards and a touchdown in an Insight Bowl loss to Iowa.
Indiana wide receiver Tandon Doss, South Carolina wide receiver Tori Gurley, UCLA linebacker Akeem Ayers and Utah cornerback Brandon Burton also announced they are applying for the draft.
Gabbert, who led Missouri to 18 victories the past two seasons, passed for 6,822 yards, fourth-best in school history, in 31 college games.
"We're very proud of Blaine and how hard he's worked to put himself in position for this opportunity," Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said in a statement. "He's been an outstanding leader for our team. It's been a privilege to coach him and have him as part of our program."
St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danario Alexander, who led the nation in yards receiving last year for Missouri, called Gabbert a "prototypical quarterback."
"He's got the size, the big arm to make every throw," Alexander said.
Doss, a 6-3, 200-pound junior, made 63 receptions for 706 yards and seven touchdowns this season at Indiana, leading the Big Ten and ranking fourth in the nation with 175.8 all-purpose yards per game.
He said in a statement that "entering the NFL Draft was the best decision for myself, and most importantly, my family. ... My decision came down to the fact that I could not pass up the opportunity to start my professional career."
Gurley, 23, a redshirt sophomore, caught 65 passes for 905 yards in two seasons at South Carolina.
Ayers, a junior All-American who finished third in voting for the Butkus Award, which goes to college football's best linebacker, amassed 68 tackles, four sacks, 10 tackles for loss and two touchdowns this season for UCLA.
Burton, a junior who was second-team All-Mountain West Conference, might be best known for his last-second block on a field-goal attempt to preserve Utah's 17-16 win last month over BYU. that preserved a 17-16 win against rival BYU in December.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
