South Carolina will be without its leading tackler from the last two seasons next year.

Junior linebacker Ernest Jones, the heart of the Gamecocks defense for the last two years, has decided to declare for the NFL Draft, he announced on Instagram Tuesday.

South Carolina is, of course, amidst a coaching change as the school fired Will Muschamp three weeks ago and hired Shane Beamer on Sunday.

As a sophomore, Jones started all 12 games, making a team-high 97 tackles, 20 more than anyone else on the squad, ranked fourth in the SEC with 8.1 tackles per game.

Jones led the team in tackles again this season, collecting 86 of them with a sack, and started nine of the 10 games before missing the season finale with an ankle injury.