Cole Bishop will leave Utah after three seasons and enter the 2024 NFL Draft.

The star safety declared for the draft on Friday, choosing to forgo his final year of eligibility in Salt Lake City and move to the NFL. It’s not immediately clear if Bishop plans to play in the Utes’ bowl game against Northwestern on Dec. 23.

“Over the last three years, I’ve lived out a dream I never thought was in the cards. I was able to play college football in Utah,” Bishop wrote in a message shared on social media. “Growing up in Georgia, playing college football in Utah isn’t what I expected to do. Looking back, I couldn’t be happier I chose to come here. The University of Utah took me in with open arms and treated me like family from the first time I stepped foot on campus, the memories I built at Utah are everlasting.”

The 6-foot-2 Bishop started in 29 of his 35 appearances with the Utes. He started the final six games of his true freshman season and has been a star in the secondary ever since. Bishop ends his career with 197 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 14 pass breakups, three interceptions, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick.

He’s a playmaker. Utah used him with great effect rushing the passer over the last two seasons. He was a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist and an All-Pac-12 Second Team selection this fall, recording 60 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, three sacks, two interceptions, and three pass breakups in 11 appearances.