There was little doubt remaining, but Charles Matthews made it official anyway. On Wednesday, Michigan's fourth-year junior forward, and co-captain last season, officially announced his plans to depart U-M and stay in the upcoming NBA draft. Matthews declared for the draft with an agent last week. Now, it's officially official. "Last week, I spoke about my desire to play professional basketball. Reaching that goal has been a driving force as far back as I can remember," Matthews said in a statement. "Now is the time to pursue that opportunity. Now is my chance. Now I make it official that I will be departing the University of Michigan. "Michigan has meant so much to me that words cannot express my gratitude for what it has provided to me. It has helped shape me into a man, and I am so thankful for my time in Ann Arbor." Matthews was one of three U-M players to announce their entry into the NBA draft last week, joining freshman Ignas Brazdeikis and sophomore Jordan Poole. All three players hired agents, though new rules do allow players with agents a chance to return to school. So long as each agent is NCAA-certified, players have until midnight May 29 (10 days after the NBA combine) to sever ties with their agent and return to school with their remaining eligibility. Brazdeikis and Poole have yet to make formal announcements on their plans. Matthews' career at Michigan, as expected, is over. U-M coach John Beilein said as much after the team's Sweet 16 loss to Texas Tech in Anaheim late last month, explaining that the staff expected Matthews to graduate this spring and turn pro. Matthews joined Michigan as a transfer from Kentucky before the 2016-17 season, a year he had to sit due to transfer rules. From there, he became a two-year starter for the Wolverines — helping Michigan push to the national championship game in 2018 before serving as a co-captain on the team's 31-7 campaign this past year. U-M was 63-15 during Matthews' two years on the floor. Matthews, who averaged 12.2 points and five rebounds per game last season, ranks No. 68 on ESPN's top 100 prospects list for the 2019 draft. Contact Nick Baumgardner at nbaumgardn@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner . Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter .