updated 8:27 p.m. ET Jan. 10, 2006

AUSTIN, Texas - Vince Young is headed to the NFL.

The Texas quarterback, who led the Longhorns to their first national championship in 36 years, announced Sunday he would make himself eligible for the April draft.

Young maintained during the season that he would to return for his senior year, but said his Rose Bowl performance put him “over the top.”

“Hard work has paid off a whole lot,” he said.

Young was spectacular in Texas’ 41-38 Rose Bowl win over top-ranked Southern California on Wednesday, and he would have been a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy had he decided to return.

The versatile quarterback accounted for 467 yards against USC — 200 running and 267 passing — and ran 8 yards for the winning touchdown with 19 seconds left.

Young thanked many people, including his family and coach Mack Brown, who was at the American Football Coaches Association Convention and could not attend Sunday’s news conference. He specifically thanked Brown for “helping me become a better man.”

In a statement, Brown said he met with Young and his family Sunday morning and fully supports Young’s decision.

“We love Vince and appreciate all the great things he’s done for the University of Texas on and off the field,” Brown said. “We’ll miss him, but want him to do as well in the NFL as he did in college.”

In his eight seasons at Texas, Brown never before has had a player leave early for the NFL.

Young ends his career at Texas with a 30-2 record — the best in school history.

His Rose Bowl performance increased speculation that he would leave school early and also started a debate about whether he would be the No. 1 pick in April’s draft.

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Young’s hometown Houston Texans have the first pick. Young said it would be wonderful to play in Houston, but realizes he could wind up somewhere else.

One those possibilities is Tennessee, which has the third pick. Young counts Titans quarterback Steve McNair among his close friends. He said McNair told him “go with your heart” in making his decision.

Gil Brandt, longtime Cowboys personnel director and current NFL.com draft analyst, called Young a likely top five pick but said he thought Young should have stayed at Texas another year.

“He is very, very similar to Randall Cunningham,” Brandt said. “Had he waited, he probably would’ve been a better player. All quarterbacks get better with the more experience they get. Going from college football to the NFL is about like going from eighth grade to being a graduate student at MIT.”

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Although Young has been criticized by analysts for his quirky sidearm throwing motion, Brandt said the most important factor is Young’s winning record.

“He has a bottom-line of 30-2. Bobby Layne and Sonny Jurgenson didn’t have perfect deliveries either, but they’re in the Hall of Fame,” Brandt said.

Young said he talked over his decision with his family and said some of his advisers told him to stay at Texas to finish his degree. Considering the deadline for declaring for the draft is Jan. 15, it was clear his mind was already made up. The ultimate decision was his, Young said.

“It took a lot of praying, listening, understanding and knowing that the day was going to come,” said Felicia Young, who attended her son’s news conference. “Everything is all right. This is great.”

Asked how he might spend some of the millions of dollars he’ll earn as an NFL player, Young said, “It all depends on mama.”

Young is Texas’ all-time leader in total offense (9,167 yards), career touchdowns (81) and career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (37).

This season, Young became the only player in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 yards (3,036) and rush for 1,000 (1,050) in one season. His 4,086 total yards set a school single-season record.

Young won the Davey O’Brien Award for the nation’s best quarterback and the Maxwell Award for the top college football player, but came in second behind USC running back Reggie Bush in the Heisman voting.

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“I feel like I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish in college,” Young said.

Though he’s leaving a year early, Young emphasized his bond with Texas, saying, “I’ll forever be a Longhorn.”

Young’s departure leaves a gaping hole in the offense to fill if Texas is to defend its title.

The only other scholarship quarterback on the roster, freshman Colt McCoy, redshirted last season and didn’t take a snap. Texas expects to sign another prep standout, Jevan Snead, who plans to enroll in school this month and participate in spring drills in February.

“We have 15 starters back next year and our expectations today remain the same as before Vince’s decision,” Brown said. “We are defending champions and will move forward.”

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