The NFL announced today the college football players who had been granted "special eligibility" for the 2012 NFL Draft - also known as underclassmen taking part in the draft. The deadline for a player to declare for the draft was January 15 - with a record setting 65 players declaring.
For a player to receive "special eligibility," they must have been out of high school for three-years, and renounce, in writing, any remaining college football eligibility.
Headlining this year's underclassmen is Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck and Baylor Bears quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. The list also includes possible Miami Dolphins targets tackles Riley Reiff (Iowa) and Jonathan Martin (Stanford).
The full NFL press release, to include the list of all 65-players, is below.
65 PLAYERS GRANTED SPECIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR 2012 NFL DRAFT
The National Football League announced today the names of 65 players who have been granted special eligibility for the 2012 NFL Draft on April 26-28 in New York.
Each of the 65 players has met the league's three-year eligibility rule and each has submitted a written application in which he renounced his remaining college football eligibility. The deadline for receiving applications was January 15.
The NFL Draft will kick off in primetime for the third consecutive year. The first round will be held on Thursday, April 26 at 8:00 PM ET. The second and third rounds are set for Friday, April 27 at 7:00 PM ET. Rounds four through seven will be held on Saturday, April 28 at noon ET.
The players granted special eligibility for the NFL Draft the past 10 years:
Year
Players Granted Special Eligibility
Year
Players Granted Special Eligibility
2012
65
2007
40
2011
56
2006
52
2010
53
2005
51
2009
46
2004
43
2008
53
2003
47
The players granted special eligibility for the 2012 NFL Draft:
Player
Pos.
College
Alexander, Alvester
RB
Wyoming
Allen, Dwayne
TE
Clemson
Baker, Edwin
RB
Michigan State
Ball, Mike
RB
Nevada
Berryhill, Jamison
RB
Texas
Blackmon, Justin
WR
Oklahoma State
Brockers, Michael
DT
Louisiana State
Brown, Bryce
RB
Kansas State
Burfict, Vontaze
LB
Arizona State
Charles, Orson
TE
Georgia
Claiborne, Morris
DB
Louisiana State
Cox, Fletcher
DT
Mississippi State
DeCastro, David
G
Stanford
Eure, Tiree
TE
Minnesota
Forston, Marcus
DT
Miami
Gilmore, Stephon
DB
South Carolina
Givens, Chris
WR
Wake Forest
Graham, Dorian
WR
Syracuse
Griffin, Robert
QB
Baylor
Hampton, Jewel
RB
Southern Illinois
Harris, Cliff
DB
Oregon
Hightower, Dont'a
LB
Alabama
Hill, Stephen
WR
Georgia Tech
Hillman, Ronnie
RB
San Diego State
Holloway, Max
DE
Boston College
Hosley, Jayron
DB
Virginia Tech
Jackson, Janzen
DB
McNeese State
James, LaMichael
RB
Oregon
Jeffery, Alshon
WR
South Carolina
Johnson, Aldarius
WR
Miami
Johnson, Damaris
WR
Tulsa
Jones, Chandler
DE
Syracuse
Kalil, Matt
T
Southern California
Kirkpatrick, Dre
DB
Alabama
Konz, Peter
C
Wisconsin
Kuechly, Luke
LB
Boston College
Lewis, Ronnell
DE
Oklahoma
Luck, Andrew
QB
Stanford
Manning, Terrell
LB
North Carolina State
Martin, Jonathan
T
Stanford
Massie, Bobby
T
Mississippi
Mercilus, Whitney
DE
Illinois
Miller, Lamar
RB
Miami
Osweiler, Brock
QB
Arizona State
Page, Eric
WR
Toledo
Paige-Moss, Donte
DE
North Carolina
Perry, Nick
DE
Southern California
Pierce, Bernard
RB
Temple
Plue, Ken
G
Purdue
Poe, Dontari
DT
Memphis
Randle, Rueben
WR
Louisiana State
Reiff, Riley
T
Iowa
Richardson, Trent
RB
Alabama
Robinson, Josh
DB
Central Florida
Sanu, Mohamed
WR
Rutgers
Scott, Darrell
RB
South Florida
Streeter, Tommy
WR
Miami
Thomas, Darron
QB
Oregon
Thomas, Johnny
DB
Oklahoma State
Thomas, Phillip
DB
Syracuse
Trotter, Barrett
QB
Auburn
Vernon, Olivier
DE
Miami
Washington, Brandon
T
Miami
Wilson, David
RB
Virginia Tech
Worthy, Jerel
DT
Michigan State
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