Tennessee State's Ward to declare for NFL Draft

Tennessee State junior running back Trabis Ward is declaring himself eligibility for the 2013 NFL Draft.

Ward notified coach Rod Reed on Tuesday, and will skip his senior season with the Tigers. He rushed for 1,422 yards this season and 15 touchdowns.

"Trabis did a lot of good things for this program and was a significant part of us having the (8-3) record that we had this year," Reed told The Tennessean. "We needed him back and I thought that he needed another year. But I'm sure he'll catch somebody's eye in the NFL and hopefully he can catch on somewhere."

Ward rushed for 2,582 yards in his three seasons, which ranks fourth on the school's career-rushing list.