Mississippi State DL Montez Sweat had a huge junior year, leading the SEC with 11 sacks (tied with Texas A&M’s Landis Durham).

However, even as his NFL stock rises, he’s bucking the trend of players declaring for the 2018 NFL Draft a year early.

Sweat announced on Saturday that he would return to Starkville for his senior year, as you can see below in the Twitter post from the Mississippi State football account:

https://twitter.com/HailStateFB/status/949687749950525442

“In just one year, I’ve seen that Starkville and Mississippi State are extremely special to me and so many people,” Sweat’s announcement reads. “It’s been a blessing in so many ways and while we accomplished a lot in 2017, I know 2018 can be something special. With that being said, I am excited to announce I am returning to Mississippi State for my senior season in 2018. Can’t wait to get back to work with my brothers! Hail State!”

That’s a big boost for new coach Joe Moorhead’s defense, and Sweat looks primed to make an even bigger name for himself in 2018.