LAWRENCE — Kansas football defensive lineman Austin Booker announced Thursday in a post on Instagram that he is declaring for the 2024 NFL draft.

The news doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given Booker spent the 2023 season with the Jayhawks but did not play in the bowl game. A transfer from Minnesota who joined earlier that year, the redshirt sophomore became a breakout player for head coach Lance Leipold and company. And it means the state of Indiana native needed just one season with Kansas to propel himself to a chance at a professional career.

“First, I want to thank who I do it for, The All Knowing, for all of the blessings and to the path that He has guided me on,” Booker said in the social media post, in part. “I also want to thank Coach Moore and the Center Grove Football staff for believing in me and preparing me to be great. Lastly, I want to thank Coach Panagos for the opportunity, Coach Leipold for believing in me, and everyone that supported me at The University of Kansas, it felt like family and I will be forever grateful for the platform to showcase my skills.”

Despite not playing in Kansas’ Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory, Booker finished as the fourth-leading tackler for the Jayhawks. He also led the team with 12 tackles for loss and eight sacks.

The Big 12 Conference also announced in late November of 2023 that Booker was the league’s defensive newcomer of the year. He was also one of three All-Big 12 first team honorees, along with junior cornerback Cobee Bryant and redshirt senior offensive lineman Dominick Puni. Booker departs as one of the most successful transfers that Leipold’s staff has brought in since it took over the program and started its rebuild in 2021.

“Booker becomes the first Jayhawk named Defensive Newcomer of the Year since Isaiah Johnson in 2013,” a KU release stated in late November of 2023, “and he’s KU’s first defensive lineman named All-Big 12 First Team since Daniel Wise in 2018.”

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas football defensive lineman Austin Booker declares for NFL draft