Redshirt junior safety Josh Jones has announced he will bypass his final year of eligibility and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. Jones made the announcement via his twitter account at 11 a.m. Tuesday following the Wolfpack's 41-17 victory over Vanderbilt in the Camping World Independence Bowl Monday night.

"This decision was not easy," he wrote. "I came to NC State as a young boy and I'm leaving as a MAN. My road along the way has not been a smooth one, it has been with a lot of learning experiences, but I wouldn't redo any of it because it helped me GROW into a man."

Jones led the defense in tackles during seven of its 13 games this fall from his free safety position after playing strong safety the previous two years. He paced the Pack with 109 tackles and three interceptions, while adding eight pass breakups, four tackles for loss, one sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery en route to All-ACC honorable mention honors. He was the first NCSU defender to reach triple-digit stops since 2013, and his regular-season average of 8.8 tackles per contest tied for sixth in the ACC.

The native of Walled Lake, Mich., ends his career with 32 starts in 38 games played. He notched 229 tackles and eight interceptions during that time.

"We are proud of what Josh has accomplished during his career and wish him great success as he pursues his dream of playing in the NFL," head coach Dave Doeren said in a statement released by the school.

The 6-2, 215-pounder is currently ranked 18th at his position by CBSSports.com. According to director of strength and conditioning Dantonio Burnette, Jones clocked a laser-timed 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash this past May (see tweet below). That would have tied for the best mark among defensive backs at the 2016 NFL Combine.