Hayden Hurst is heading to the NFL, as the South Carolina star announced in a lengthy Twitter post Thursday that he's skipping his final year of eligibility to turn pro.
Hurst played two years of minor-league baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates' system before joining the Gamecocks as a walk-on. He was second on the team with 41 catches for 518 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Hurst was named first-team All-SEC earlier this week and was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award for the nation's top tight end. He's expected to be a second-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.