Florida's Harvey sacks senior season, heads to NFL

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey will skip his senior season to enter this spring's NFL Draft.

"Derrick has informed the coaching staff of his decision to enter the NFL Draft," Gators coach Urban Meyer said in a statement Thursday. "We appreciate his effort and dedication to the Gator program and we wish him the best of luck."

As a redshirt sophomore, Harvey was named the defensive MVP of last year's BCS national championship game after recording a career-high three sacks and recovering a fumble in the Gators' 41-14 victory over Ohio State.

The 6-foot-4, 262-pound Harvey recorded 11 sacks and 35 tackles despite starting only four games last season. Harvey became a full-time starter as a junior and recorded 6.5 sacks and 34 tackles. He finishes his college career with 18.5 sacks and 76 tackles.