Cougars’ Bledsoe: It’s Time to Move On : College football: Washington State quarterback gives up his senior season for the NFL draft, where he is expected to go quickly.

Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe has decided to go out on top.

Monday, less than a week after he passed for a school-record 476 yards while leading the Cougars to a 31-28 victory over Utah in the Copper Bowl, Bledsoe said he will forgo his senior season in Pullman and make himself available for the NFL draft in April.

He will join Florida State linebacker Marvin Jones and Ohio State sophomore tailback Robert Smith.

Among those expected to join them by Wednesday’s deadline are Georgia running back Garrison Hearst and California receiver Sean Dawkins.

Bledsoe completed 241 of 432 passes for 3,246 yards this season, all Washington State records. He passed for 20 touchdowns with 15 interceptions and was selected the Pacific 10 Conference offensive player of the year.

“I just feel like I need a new challenge for my skills,” Bledsoe said. “I want to . . . see what I can do playing football at the highest level.”

He is expected to be one of the top picks in the April 25-26 draft. New England has first pick, and the Seattle Seahawks are second.

Bledsoe sought counsel from Washington State Coach Mike Price and friends and family around his hometown of Walla Walla, Wash.

“Our whole football team . . . is excited for Drew and supports him in this decision 100%,” Price said.

Jones, a junior at Florida State, won the Butkus and Lombardi awards and finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

“The only incentive I would have for coming back next year is winning the national championship and winning the Heisman,” he said. “And that’s not promised to me.”

Smith set an Ohio State rushing record for freshmen with 1,126 yards in 1990. He sat out 1991, when he said assistant coach Elliot Uzelac ordered him to miss classes to attend practice. Last season, Smith rushed for a team-leading 819 yards and 10 touchdowns, despite missing games because of a broken rib and sprained ankle.