Jaydon Hibbert was a triple jump talent like no other last year, setting NCAA records both indoors and outdoors, winning two national championships and becoming the first true freshman in history to win the coveted end-of-season individual prize -- the Heisman of the NCAA. 

The 18-year-old from Kingston College in Jamaica was a revelation for the University of Arkansas, hitting an NCAA record indoors with his 17.54 meter leap in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in March before moving on to another outdoors in Austin, Texas, in June, marking 17.56m. 

Hibbert -- who recently turned 19 on January 17 -- went on to claim a Jamaican National Championship in July with a leap of 17.68m and finished his year with a PR of 17.70m in August at the World Championships -- though an injury injured his final attempts. 

Hibbert, who in 2022 also became a World U20 champion in the triple jump, was on the roster to start the indoor season at Arkansas. That didn't last.  

He decided on Thursday that his time in the NCAA was up and he announced his decision to turn professional seven months out from the Olympics in Paris. 

Hibbert did not announce a sponsor, but he signed an NIL with Puma in July of last year. 

"University of Arkansas," Hibbert wrote, "You have been more to a school to me, you've been a family! To all my coaches, teammates and professors, you've shaped me into the athlete and person I am today! You've instilled in me the Razorback spirit, which I'll carry with me on my professional journey!" 

Hibbert's lone season with Arkansas was one for the ages. He went undefeated across even competitions. In April, he also veered back to Jamaica, winning a CARIFTA Games title. 

Hibbert's only loss came in July before the World Championships, with him finishing second in the triple jump at a meet in Monaco. 

"Thank you, University of Arkansas," he wrote, "for the memories, the lessons and shaping a kid with a dream into becoming a pro athlete."