Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, whose bold moves and leadership on the field brought the Ducks to the brink of a national championship before falling short, is leaving Oregon early for the NFL.

Mariota announced his long-awaited decision to forgo his senior season on Oregon’s website. The team said he filed paperwork on Wednesday, a day before the NFL deadline.

“I will miss being with my teammates,” he said in a statement. “Being a part of this team was something special that I will always treasure.”

Mariota has been the humble leader of Oregon’s high-flying offense for three seasons. This season, the Ducks (13-2) defeated Florida State at the Rose Bowl in college football’s first playoffs, but fell 42-20 to Ohio State in Monday night’s national championship game.

The 6-foot-4 dual threat from Hawaii won every major award he qualified for, starting with the Heisman, as well as AP Player of the Year, the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. He set a conference record for most touchdowns in a single season with 58; 42 via pass, 15 on the run and a touchdown catch.

His passing touchdowns set a Pac-12 single-season record. He also set the conference’s mark for career touchdowns with 136.

He threw at least one touchdown pass in all 41 college games he played in at Oregon, starting in every one of his appearances. And he’s one of just four quarterbacks in FBS history to pass for more than 10,000 yards and run for more than 2,000.