Curran leaves for the NFL

ATHENS — Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said Sunday he’ll enter the NFL draft, the second member of the Bulldogs’ defense to leave school a year early.

The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Curran led the Southeastern Conference with 130 tackles this past season and was named to The Associated Press All-SEC team. He finished his three-year career with 298 tackles.

“This has been a really difficult decision,” said Curran, a native of suburban Atlanta. “I love the Bulldogs and my time at Georgia has been great. But weighing all the factors over the last couple of weeks, I finally reached the decision Saturday that entering the NFL draft this year is the right decision for me at this time.”

He was the first Georgia defender to have back-to-back seasons with at least 100 tackles since Greg Bright in 1996-97.