Oklahoma's Mixon to declare for NFL draft
Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon will declare for the 2017 NFL Draft, he confirmed Thursday on Twitter.
Mixon rushed for 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns this season and finished second in the FBS in all-purpose yards, but he's perhaps still best known for his trouble-filled history off the field.
Mixon was arrested in 2014 after he punched a female student in the face during an altercation at a campus restaurant. Surveillance video of the incident was released to the public in December 2016.
"It's never OK to be in the situation I was in or to ever hit a woman," Mixon told ESPN's Jake Trotter. "I'm going to tell (NFL teams) the complete truth. And I'm looking for them to get to know the actual me."
Thank you, Sooner Nation!! pic.twitter.com/TTw7z4gPox
— ⚡PRIMETIME!!!⚡ (@Joe_MainMixon) January 6, 2017
The redshirt sophomore was also involved in an incident with a parking attendant earlier this season, but wasn't arrested.
Mixon joins a draft class already loaded at the running back position, as Florida State's Dalvin Cook, LSU's Leonard Fournette, Texas' D'Onta Foreman, and Stanford's Christian McCaffrey are among those that have already declared.
The class also boasts Mixon's Oklahoma teammate Samaje Perine, who finished his collegiate career as the program's all-time leading rusher. The pair combined to post over 2,200 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground in 2016, and helped the Sooners capture victory in the Sugar Bowl.