Michael Porter Jr.’s freshman year at Missouri has been characterized by incessant speculation. Now the guessing is over.

Porter, the No. 1 recruit in the country entering last season, announced Monday on his Instagram account that he will declare for the NBA Draft. While Porter did not say so in the video, he is expected to hire an agent, meaning he would not be eligible to withdraw his name from the draft and return to school. Porter is considered a lock to be a lottery pick, and some mock drafts have projected him to go as high as the top five.

Michael’s younger brother Jontay, who skipped his senior year of high school and reclassified to play with Michael this season, has not yet made known whether he will follow his brother’s lead and enter the draft or return for his sophomore season. However, sources have indicated to PowerMizzou that Jontay will likely enter the draft but will not hire an agent, leaving the door open for a return to college. The deadline for Jontay to enter the draft is April 22, and the deadline to withdraw his name is May 30.

Michael, who originally committed to Washington, reversed his decision after Huskies coach Lorenzo Romar was fired last March. When he committed to Missouri a few weeks later, he immediately injected energy into a program that had won just 27 games over its last three seasons, combined. However, his college career looked to be over after just two minutes. Michael started Missouri’s season-opener against Iowa State but checked out prior to the first media timeout and did not return. On Nov. 21, he flew to Dallas to undergo surgery on his back, and the school announced he would likely miss the rest of the season.

Despite the initial prognosis, Michael periodically dropped hints on social media that he might return, and on Feb. 22, he was cleared to resume basketball activities. After going through pregame shootaround but not donning his uniform for several games, he finally returned to the court on March 7 for Missouri’s first game of the SEC Tournament, a 62-60 loss to Georgia. Michael did not look like the same player who won multiple national player of the year awards as a senior in high school. He scored 12 points but shot just 5 of 17 in 23 minutes. Then, in the Tigers’ first game of the NCAA Tournament, Michael shot 4 of 12. While he did score 16 points, Missouri was easily beaten by Florida State, 67-51.

Following the game, a visibly dejected Michael was non-committal about whether he would go pro or return to Columbia.

“It’s definitely not out of the question,” Michael said of a possible return. “I gotta do what’s best for me. I’ll talk to the people close to me. There’s no decision for a little while.”

That decision has now been made, and Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin must look for someone to fill the scholarship vacated by the elder Porter. The Tigers have been heavily pursuing the state’s No. 1 player, point guard Courtney Ramey, for about a month, but even if they land Ramey, the team will have at least one more open spot to fill. Martin will likely look for a graduate transfer to do so. The Tigers have already been linked to numerous graduate transfers, including Evansville’s Ryan Taylor, who led the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring this season at 21.2 points per game, and Maine’s Aaron Calixte.