BOSTON -- William Green, the nation's leading rusher, has decided to leave Boston College after this season and enter the NFL draft, the Boston Globe reported on Saturday.

Green, a junior, had been expected to be one of the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy next season. But it now looks like Green will be wearing an NFL uniform next year, and could be a high first-round pick in the draft. Green has rushed for 1,164 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Eagles, who are 6-2 this season.

Green has had a stormy relationship with Eagles head coach Tom O'Brien. On Tuesday, Green was suspended by O'Brien for leaving campus without permission -- one official told the Globe that Green had driven to his hometown of Atlantic City without informing any of his coaches. As a result, the talented running back will miss today's matchup with top-ranked Miami. He is eligible to return to the Eagles on Sunday.

Two school officials told the Globe that Green, who had been leaning toward turning pro anyway, had become increasingly frustrated with O'Brien's philosophy of discipline. Apparently this latest incident has convinced him to turn pro.

'We've tried to reason with him, to tell him he should play his senior year, that he could win the Heisman, but he says he wants to go," a senior Eagles official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Globe.

Last year, Green was not allowed to travel with the Eagles to the Aloha Bowl in Honolulu because of an unspecified violation of team rules.

"William's a good kid, but Tom's a Marine and he's not going to tolerate insubordination from anybody, including the nation's leading rusher," one Eagles official told the Globe. "If you break the rules, you're gonna pay."