UPDATED: Monday, May 16 at 2:10 p.m.

Malachi Richardson’s college career is officially over as he has signed with an agent and will keep his name in the NBA Draft, according to multiple reports. The reports come nine days before the deadline for underclassmen that declared early to either stay in the draft or return to school.

Richardson didn’t participate in the 5-on-5 scrimmages at the NBA Draft Combine because of a tweak in his back, he told ESPN’s Andy Katz on the combine’s ESPN2 broadcast last Thursday. During the interview, he emphasized making the best choice for both him and his family, and that he was 50-50 on staying in school and leaving.

Richardson wanted a guarantee that he’d be taken in the first round in order to keep his name in the draft, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman also reported last Thursday.

Richardson ranked second on Syracuse as a freshman with 13.4 points per game. He chipped in 4.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest as the Orange tore through the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament to the Final Four. The surprise run was kept alive in large part by Richardson, who scored 21 second-half points against top-seeded Virginia to erase a 16-point deficit in the Elite Eight.

With his departure, SU will have eight scholarship players on its roster next year: Seniors Dajuan Coleman, Tyler Roberson and John Gillon, sophomores Paschal Chukwu, Tyler Lydon and Frank Howard and freshmen Tyus Battle and Matthew Moyer.

It also opens up a spot in the starting lineup, likely at shooting guard, which is where Jim Boeheim said Richardson would see more time in 2016-17 rather than his wing position he played alongside Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney in 2015-16.