Dorance Armstrong Jr., declares for 2018 NFL Draft
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas football’s Dorance Armstrong Jr., took to social media Thursday to announce his intentions to forego his senior season and declare for the 2018 National Football League (NFL) Draft. Armstrong is the first Jayhawk to leave school early for the NFL Draft since wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe declared early following the 2009 season.
“First off I want to thank God for putting me in position to make this happen,” said Armstrong. “Second I want to thank Coach Beaty and Coach Bowen, and the rest of the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play at the University of Kansas.
After weeks of praying and consideration with my family, I have decided to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft.”
Armstrong, a native of Houston, Texas, concludes his Jayhawk career ranked sixth on the KU all-time chart for tackles-for-loss with 34.0, while he sits tied for ninth with 15.0 career sacks. His 20.0 TFLs in 2016 rank fifth on KU’s single-season chart, and his 10.0 sacks that same season rank fifth in Kansas single-season history.
“I am incredibly proud of Dorance and how much he has grown as both a player and a man during his time with us,” said Kansas head coach David Beaty. “I am excited to see what his future holds.”
In 2017, Armstrong finished his third season in the Crimson and Blue with 63 total tackles, including 9.0 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. Additionally, he hurried the quarterback seven times, had four pass breakups, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Armstrong was also tabbed Second Team All-Big 12 by the conference coaches.
Armstrong was voted the Big 12 Conference’s 2017 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and was the lone unanimous selection on the defensive side of the ball for the 2017 Preseason All-Big 12 First Team. He was the first Kansas player to be named a preseason individual award winner during its time playing in the Big 12 Conference. He was also the first Jayhawk to be voted a unanimous selection for the Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team.
Armstrong was a dominating defender during the 2016 campaign. He exploded onto the national radar after a breakthrough season in which he became Kansas football’s first unanimous All-Big 12 Conference First Team member. Injured in the preseason, Armstrong did not reach 100 percent until the third week of the season, when he began becoming a player opposing offenses game-planned around. In the remaining nine games Armstrong was among the best defensive players in the country, and finished 2016 ranked fifth in tackles-for-loss and 18th in sacks.
Armstrong tallied more sacks from his defensive end position than any Jayhawk has posted in the last 15 years with an even 10.0 – all in the final nine games. Showing versatility, Armstrong wreaked havoc in the backfield on a weekly basis by disrupting 20.0 plays before the opponent could reach the line-of-scrimmage in 2016. An incredibly quick rusher off of the edge, he brought the quarterback down in seven games, while recording six-straight contests with a sack.
“I also want to give thanks to our administration, academic program, fans, and last but not least my teammates,” added Armstrong. “In the past 3 years I have took so many great things from the university, the lifelong friendships and unforgettable memories will never be forgotten.
“I’m excited to start this new journey & I hope and pray that my KU family will continue to support me as I go on to live my dreams. Once a Jayhawk, Always a Jayhawk…Rock Chalk!”
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