NFL Draft: UWF running back Jalen Bussey declares for 2024 draft, joins four other Argos
After just one season with the University of West Florida, running back Jalen Bussey has declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Bussey made the announcement on Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter. He becomes the fifth Argo to publicly declare for the 2024 draft.
"These (five) years have been nothing short of unforgettable and I'm thankful for every person that was a part of it," Bussey said in his post.
Bussey played in eight games for UWF this past season, recording 341 yards rushing on 44 attempts. He scored three times during the season, against West Georgia, at North Greenville and at Mississippi College.
Bussey also had a pair of kick returns in the win at North Greenville totaling 50 yards. He had the second-most yards behind Zac Offord's 337 return yards.
Transferring to UWF as a graduate student, Bussey spent four years at Division I North Dakota State University, including his redshirt season in 2019 playing in just one game.
Over the course of those four seasons, Bussey played in 28 games and recorded 927 yards rushing on 112 attempts with nine touchdowns. He also had six receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown, while also being featured on the kick return his freshman and redshirt junior seasons.
Bussey, a Tampa native and alum of Tampa Catholic High School, played three years as a running back and slot receiver in Tampa.
He joins quarterback Peewee Jarrett, wide receivers John Jiles and Caden Leggett, and defensive lineman John McMullen as Argos who have declared for the NFL Draft.
"A special thanks to the coaching staffs at North Dakota State and West Florida," Bussey said, "two schools that believed in me and gave me a platform to display my talents."
Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: UWF's Jalen Bussey declares for NFL Draft after one season with Argos
