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According to Alex Apple of Fox Sports and HornedFrogBlitz.com, TCU junior defensive end Stansly Maponga will enter the NFL Draft.
#TCU defensive end Stansly Maponga will forego his senior season to enter the NFL draft
— Alex Apple (@AlexAppleDFW) January 14, 2013
Maponga is the second junior from TCU to declare for the Draft, joining junior wide receiver Josh Boyce. The difference between Maponga and Boyce however, is that Boyce has already received his degree from the university.
His sophomore year was his breakout season, as he finished with 55 tackles, 13.5 for loss and nine sacks. Meanwhile, he forced five fumbles and recovered two more.
However, Maponga's junior season saw him miss time due to injury, as he missed two full games and half of another with a leg injury.
He finished the year with 26 tackles, including 6.5 for loss to go with four sacks. He also forced two fumbles and recovered two more. His presence on the field called for a double team, allowing Devonte Fields to break loose for a big season as a true freshman.
Maponga's presence will definitely be missed, but TCU has a few ends ready to step up and fill the void, most notably James McFarland.
This is a big loss for TCU, there's no way around it, but Gary Patterson has turned this program into Defensive End University, so I'm excited to see what McFarland, along with Matt Anderson, can do.
Go Frogs.