The college career of one of the leaders of the Bulldogs' program in recent years officially came to an end today when linebacker Erroll Thompson declared for the NFL Draft.

“To my teammates and coaches—especially Zach Arnett, Todd Grantham, and Bob Shoop—I was blessed to be surrounded by many great people that helped me reach this point and am grateful for each of you,” said Thompson in a social media statement.

“Finally, to my Mississippi State family, thank you for always showing up, being loud and ringing those cowbells. Keep being the driving force behind this program, because big things are coming. At this time, I am blessed to announce I will be entering my name into the NFL Draft to pursue my life-long dream. Hail State!”

Thompson was one of the driving forces behind a Mississippi State defense that was vastly improved, and was one of the emotional leaders of the team. This season, he recorded 95 total tackles with three sacks in 11 games played.

That is on top of 84 tackles in 2019 as a junior and 87 in his sophomore campaign. In 2017, his freshman season fresh coming from Florence, Alabama, Thompson led freshman linebackers in the SEC with 46 tackles.