Baylor quarterback Nick Florence stepped in for Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III and led the Big 12 in passing yards and finished second nationally in total offense while leading the Bears to an eight-win season as a senior.
After all that, though, he's not going to pursue a future in the NFL. His career is over, he told the Waco Tribune-Herald.
"I’ve decided to hang up my cleats and finish my master’s in December," Florence told the paper. "My wife and I have spent the last 1 1/2 months talking about it, and it all came down to what we wanted in life, and it didn’t include playing football."
Florence, a native of Garland, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, threw for 4,309 yards, 33 touchdowns and ran for 568 yards with 10 scores for the Bears this past season, breaking Griffin's school record for passing yards.
He says he wants to do something in sports and business after finishing up his degree with a pair of 13-hour semesters through December.
"Oh yeah, I’m going to miss it," Florence said. "I’ve been doing it my whole life. I don’t know whether I would have been drafted, but I have no doubt that I could have made a team. But I’ll look back and have a lot of great memories."
