One day after announcing he would enter the 2009 NFL Draft, the value of Ball State University junior quarterback Nate Davis might have risen Wednesday.
University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford announced Wednesday he will return to Oklahoma next season, passing on a chance to be a high NFL draft pick.
"I've dreamed about playing at Oklahoma since I was little, and my three years here have been probably three of the best years of my life, and I really feel that there's no need to cut this experience short," Bradford said Wednesday at a news conference.
"I'm really looking forward to coming back and competing for a fourth straight Big 12 championship and another opportunity at a national championship."
Many draft analysts rated Bradford as one of the top quarterbacks, higher than Davis, for the 2009 NFL Draft. Scouts Inc., which is affiliated with ESPN, rated Bradford as the top quarterback eligible for the draft.
Todd McShay of Scouts, Inc. rated Davis as the fourth best quarterback eligible for this year's draft behind Bradford, Mark Sanchez of the University of Southern California and Matthew Stafford from the University of Georgia.
Stafford already declared for the draft. Sanchez is expected to announce he will enter the draft Thursday, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Wednesday.
Scout.com NFL Draft Analyst Chris Steuber said Tuesday Davis is likely to be a late first or early second round pick. He said Bradford, Stafford and Sanchez would likely be picked before Davis.
Bradford led the nation with 50 touchdown passes and a quarterback rating of 180.8. He likely would have been one of the first players taken in April's draft.
Instead, Bradford will take another run at a national championship with Oklahoma. The record-breaking quarterback led the Sooners to the BCS Championship Game this season, but they lost 24-14 to the University of Florida.
"Obviously it's frustrating to end with a loss and I want to come back and finish my career the right way: on a win," Bradford said. "I would say it had a little bit of an influence on my decision, but I really tried to keep that out of my mind because that could have limited myself to making the best decision for me."
For the first time, the top-three vote-getters for the Heisman Trophy will return to college football. Florida quarterback Tim Tebow announced his intentions Sunday, and University of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy said he'd be back for his senior season long before the Longhorns won the Fiesta Bowl.
When asked what he liked about college football, Bradford answered: "Everything."
"You come out here and get to play in front of 85,000 people everyday. This state is a football state. Everyone knows about Oklahoma football. I've grown up watching it," Bradford said. "Just having this experience and being able to live my dream."
Bradford also let it slip that tight end Jermaine Gresham and offensive lineman Trent Williams also decided not to enter the draft early. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy has also said he'll be back for another season with the Sooners.
Each of the others will also play key roles in Bradford's success next year. Gresham caught 14 touchdown passes, including two in the BCS title game, to rank second on the team, and Williams could be the one protecting Bradford's blind side.
"I always feel, 'Why not have your cake and eat it, too?' Why not have all you want here, and still he's only going to get bigger and stronger in everything that he does," Stoops said.
"I think he only can improve his position a year from now."
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