SMU quarterback Shane Buechele will forego his final season of eligibility and declare for the 2021 NFL Draft. The Arlington Lamar product took to Twitter to officially announce his decision. 

Buechele leaves as one of the best Texas college quarterbacks of the past decade. He started his career at Texas as a true freshman starter at Texas, completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,958 yards and 21 touchdowns. After Sam Ehlinger won the Texas job, he grad transferred to SMU. 

His second act was one for the history books. Buechele helped lead SMU to its first 10-win season since the Pony Express of the 1980s and took the Mustangs from an also-ran into a state power. SMU posted a 17-6 record, the most wins over a two-year period since Bobby Collins. For his efforts, Buechele graced the 2020 cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football. 

Buechele leaves college football as one of the 50 most productive passers in college football history and No. 9 on the list from Texas colleges with 11,660 passing yards. He also added 87 touchdowns and completed 63 percent of his passes. 

For everything he has done on the field, Buechele has been just as beloved off the field. As the COVID-19 pandemic began, Buechele raised $50,000 for the City of Dallas Emergency Fund to help people in need. His leadership off the field was critical to SMU fighting its way back to relevance. 

“At a point, we were telling kids that you could do this,” wide receiver Reggie Roberson told Texas Football over the summer. “Now having Shane on our team, they’re actually seeing it. We can come to SMU, be good, win games, stay in our city, get a good degree and make it to the NFL if that’s our dream. It’s actually happening.” 

With Buechele off to the NFL, all eyes on the Hilltop turn to incoming freshman Preston Stone, the No. 18 overall recruit in Texas and the biggest fish to land at SMU in the modern recruiting era. SMU could also look to the graduate transfer market.