Ben Sasse reportedly resigning from the US Senate

A report said Thursday that Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska is resigning his seat in order to pursue a career in higher education.

Politico reported that Sasse was to likely to accept the presidency of the University of Florida, according to two sources.

Very soon after that report, the University of Florida announced that Sasse was the lone finalist in its search for a president. He confirmed that report in a retweet from his official account with a statement.

"The University of Florida is uniquely positioned to lead this country through an era of disruption," read the tweet in part. "I'm delighted to be in conversation with the leadership of this special community about how we might together build a vision for UF to be the nation's most-dynamic, bold, future-oriented university."

In an interview with National Review on Thursday afternoon, Sasse said the deal had not been finalized.

“Nebraskans have well understood that I didn’t expect to be in politics as a lifelong calling. I need to get back to building stuff,” Sasse explained. “The best picture in the dome of the U.S. Capitol is Washington surrendering power.”

If Sasse resigns his seat, then the governor of Nebraska would appoint a replacement.

Sasse has been among the most vocal of Republican critics against former President Donald Trump. He was one of only seven Republicans in the Senate to vote to impeach Trump for the charge of inciting a riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The university's presidential search committee spoke to more than 700 leaders, whittled down that list to about “a dozen highly qualified diverse candidates," and then settled on Sasse.

Sasse is in his second term in the U.S. Senate and is 50 years old. Sasse would not have been up for reelection until 2026.

He spoke about the university in an interview Thursday.

“Along the way I came to see the University of Florida as the most interesting university in the country,” Sasse said. “It’s the most important institution in the state with the most dynamic economy in the union.”

He has earned the ire of Trump and his supporters, many of whom celebrated the news that he was leaving the Senate.

Here's more about Ben Sasse:

Nebraska GOP Senator Ben Sasse on U.S. Capitol attackwww.youtube.com

[Ed. Note: This article has been updated with additional information.]