HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall quarterback Chase Litton, in a surprising decision, will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
Litton ends his college career ranked fourth on the school’s list in touchdown passes (72) and fifth in passing yards (8,332).
He also threw 31 interceptions, including 11 over the final six games this season when Marshall finished 8-5.
“This was an extremely tough decision,” Litton said. “Marshall has a ton of talent on both sides of the ball coming back for 2018, and there’s no doubt this coming season will be a special one. There will be high expectations for my brothers, and I will be their No. 1 fan.”
Despite his 6-foot-6 size and three years of starting experience, Litton is not considered among the top 10 draft-eligible quarterbacks this year. He’ll have several months to convince scouts he’s worth a draft pick or a free-agent contract.
Litton is among four Marshall quarterbacks to surpass 8,000 passing yards and 70 touchdowns, joining Rakeem Cato, Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich.
Litton, however, never ranked higher than sixth in Conference USA passing efficiency during his career.
“First and foremost, I want to thank my teammates – my brothers,” Litton said. “I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything like this without you. I want to thank Coach Doc Holliday and Marshall University for allowing me to be their quarterback for the past three seasons. My time in this prestigious program has readied me for this challenge and I will carry the ‘M’ around with me forever.”
Holliday released a statement saying, “We thank Chase for his contribution to Marshall football and wish him the best of luck moving forward.”