Ryan Eckley is entering the NFL Draft.
The Michigan State punter made the announcement Tuesday, saying he’s skipping his final season in college to chase the NFL dream.
“Since I was six years old, football has been part of who I am,” he posted on social media. “What started as a kid chasing a dream turned into years of work, sacrifice and growth, and I’m incredibly grateful for every step of the journey that brought me here.”
Eckley led the Big Ten this season and was second in the nation, averaging 48.5 yards on 49 punts, including a long of 60 yards, and was tied for second in the conference with 20 punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
It was the second straight season Eckley led the Big Ten in punting averaging, after turning in 47.9 yards per kick as a redshirt sophomore. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and third-team honoree by the media in 2024.
In his declaration, Eckley thanked head coaches Mel Tucker and Jonathan Smith for “taking a chance on me and providing me with this opportunity, the belief, guidance, and willingness to trust me at the highest level. Means more to me than words can express. You helped push me to grow not only as a player, but develop as a man.”
Smith was fired Sunday after this second season, a 4-8 campaign that ended with the Spartans getting their first Big Ten victory in their season finale, 38-28 over Maryland at Ford Field. Michigan State has named Pat Fitzgerald, the former Northwestern head coach, as his replacement. He was to be introduced Tuesday.
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