Major Harris gave up his final year of eligibility in order to enter the NFL draft, saying there was little left to accomplish in the college ranks.
"It's not that you just want to turn pro," the West Virginia quarterback said Thursday. "Growing up, you always want to better yourself. . . . To be honest, I thought I was ready to turn pro when I was a freshman."It takes time, you've just got to develop. I just feel at this time the right move to make is to turn professional."
Harris led the Mountaineers to three bowl games and to the school's first unbeaten regular season in 1988. West Virginia lost to top-ranked Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl to end a bid for the national title.
Harris' departure was expected. The quarterback, who scrambled from Pittsburgh's mean streets to stardom, was criticized for what some termed an uninspired effort in a 27-7 loss to Clemson in the Gator Bowl last season.
Speculation that a rift had developed between Harris and Coach Don Nehlen surfaced after the quarterback said at midseason he wanted to throw more passes.
"I don't have any animosity toward Nehlen, and I'm sure he doesn't have any against me," Harris said. "I respect him a lot, and he's a great coach. He's a proven winner. I think the media kind of blew it out of proportion."
Nehlen, who accompanied Harris to the news conference, said several weeks ago that he and his coaches didn't expect Harris back and were preparing to go with backup Greg Jones next season.
Harris said he made his decision "with some sense of regret. I do it because it's a great challenge, a great opportunity, and a great benefit for me and my family," he said.
Harris was third in last year's Heisman balloting and fifth in 1988 and is West Virginia's career total offense leader with 6,868 yards.
Although one of the top quarterbacks in the college game, Harris isn't a classic drop-back passer and therefore isn't regarded as a potential first-round pick in the NFL draft. He has explored the possibility of playing in the Canadian Football League, which has a wide-open style that might be better suited to his scrambling style.