National signing day is still three weeks away, but Oklahoma locked up something much bigger than a five-star recruit’s letter of intent Wednesday. Quarterback Sam Bradford announced he will return for his junior season.
Whether he would opt to enter the NFL draft or return for his junior season had become a 24-hour-a-day obsession to Sooners in the days since the BCS national championship game.
In the end, Bradford, a third-year sophomore this past season, found another year in college more tempting than an NFL roster.
“Looking at it, I dreamed about playing at Oklahoma since I was little and my three years here have been three of the best years of my life. I really feel there’s no need to cut this experience short,” he said during a news conference at Owen Field. “I’m really looking forward to coming back and competing for a fourth straight Big 12 championship and another opportunity at a national championship.”
Bradford’s choice was monumental for the Sooners’ prospects for next season. When tight end Jermaine Gresham and offensive tackle Trent Williams also decided they would come back for next season, a potential rebuilding season changed to a ready-made run at a national championship.
Their decisions served as the world’s best hangover remedy after the Sooners’ tumbled to Florida in the BCS national championship game less than a week ago.
Bradford, who claimed the program’s fifth Heisman Trophy this past season, was projected as a first-round pick and possibly the first quarterback taken in April’s NFL draft. He was the national leader in passing efficiency for each of the last two seasons. This past year, as a third-year sophomore, he threw for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns.
His decision to stay wasn’t solidified until Tuesday night. He went back and forth on it several times before making it public.
“I just think that if I left, I would be leaving a lot of teammates that I’ve become really close to,” he said. “I think that being able to spend another year with them is really what I want to come back for.”
Neither Gresham, who caught 14 touchdown passes this past season or Williams, who has been a starter the past three seasons, attended the news conference. Both said through released statements improving their draft stock and moving closer to their degrees tipped the scales toward stay in college.
“This is the best decision for me right now and I look forward to what we can accomplish next season,” Gresham’s statement read. “It also means a lot to me to graduate or be close to my degree when I finish my college career.”
After the BCS title game, Gresham said he’d received a first-round grade by the NFL draft advisory board. Williams said he was projected as a second-round pick.
“I feel like I can improve my draft status by staying one more year,” Williams said in a statement. “I am also going to move a lot farther along with my degree and I feel like we can compete for more championships.”
The Sooners’ chances of playing for one significantly improved Wednesday.
For the first time since 2005, no underclassmen will leave school early. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who was projected by some draft analysts as a first-round pick, said Monday he would stay for another season. OU coach Bob Stoops also said running back Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray will return next season.
“Obviously it makes our team stronger with that experience and that kind of talent back for another year, but also it sends a clear message to young guys out there that these guys value their experience in college,” he said.
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