John Urschel retires from the NFL

Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel is set to retire from the NFL, according to the Ravens’ official Twitter account.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh released the following statement on Urschel:

Urschel is 26, and would have been entering his fourth season in the NFL. The Penn State product figured to be at the heart of the competition for the starting center job. Now, that competition will come down to Matt Skura and Ryan Jensen.

Urschel stated 15 games for the Ravens at the guard and center positions, and played in two playoffs games. That Ravens selected him in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.

Urschel is one of the brightest minds in football, currently a candidate for a Ph.D in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Urschel wrote in the Players Tribune in 2015 that he knows he has a great career in mathematics ahead of him, but he loves the thrill that comes with hitting people. No matter what he does going forward, the Ravens organization, fans and the rest of the NFL world know that Urschel was a model NFL player, and that he has a bright future ahead of him.