Analysis: Josh Uche Declares For NFL Draft

Michigan senior linebacker Josh Uche announced on Twitter this evening he will forego his final season for a shot in the NFL.

Michigan's top sack producer, with 8.5 on the year, senior rush linebacker Josh Uche announced Wednesday he will be entering the NFL Draft. 

Forever Go Blue 💙💛 pic.twitter.com/PtZxSrYuFm

— Josh Uche 🧠🇳🇬 (@_Uche35) December 4, 2019

Uche's announcement came as a little bit of a surprise because the Miami native did not appear to have eligibility remaining, appearing in four games as a freshman in 2016, 10 as a sophomore in 2018, and 12 each of the past two seasons. The NCAA enacted legislation prior to the 2018 campaign that allows a player to suit up in four games and still maintain a redshirt but the clause did not exist in Uche's rookie year. 

It's quite possible the NCAA is retroactively grandfathering in any current player who did not take a redshirt but played in four or fewer games at some point during their career. Either way, Uche has announced the bowl game - which he intends to play in - will be his final contest in a winged helmet. 

The 6-2, 250-pound senior has been a standout pass rusher for the Wolverines these past two years, his 15.5 QB takedowns the most on the team in 2018-19. 

U-M is unsure who will step into Uche's role next season as an edge-rush specialist. It's quite possible the Maize and Blue won't use a player in that specific of a role in 2020, and will instead rely more on true defensive ends to create havoc for opposing quarterbacks. 

Two names we have heard to keep an eye on are redshirt freshman David Ojabo (6-5, 245) and redshirt junior Luiji Vilain (6-4, 244) - both could potentially emerge as a third-down pass-rusher.