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.
OU Sports
Related Photos
Discussion
Bradford's staying
- OU Sports
-
-
Sooners make winning look easy
As Oklahoma’s players locked arms around the pitching circle, coming together for what passed as a celebration following Saturday’s 7-1 NCAA Super Regional-clinching victory over Arizona, three gloves remained near second base....
-
There are no easy outs in the lineup
Looking for a gameplan to stop Oklahoma? Well, one may or may not be available, but walking two of the first three Sooners you face certainly isn’t part of it. Just ask Arizona’s Kenzie Fowler....
-
Sooners will play for Big 12 championship
OKLAHOMA CITY, — It’s been 16 years since Oklahoma won the Big 12 tournament. It’s closer now than its ever been to ending the streak. The Sooners rolled through Baylor, 7-2, on Saturday at Bricktown Ballpark to advance to the tournament’s ...
-
Sooners send five more to nationals
AUSTIN, Texas — Oklahoma track and field teams had five more individuals qualify for the NCAA Championship on Saturday evening at the NCAA West Preliminary. The men’s 4x100-meter relay team also advanced to the national semifinals....
-
OU sophomore Jao-Javanil wins NCAA golf title
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Oklahoma’s Chirapat Jao-Javanil made Oklahoma golf history Friday, becoming the first Sooner, man or woman, to win an individual NCAA national championship....
-
Pitching staff is exactly where Golloway wants it to be
When the Big 12 tournament began, Oklahoma felt like it had the pitching staff to make a deep run. Dillon Overton, Jordan John, Jonathan Gray and Damien Magnifico gave them four quality starters and a closer — Steven Okert — capable of ...
-
Sooners shut out Wildcats, need one more win for WCWS entry
Oklahoma might have scored more runs, not committed an error and starting pitcher Keilani Ricketts could have been just a little more efficient along the way....
-
Sooners send 4 more to NCAAs
AUSTIN, Texas – Oklahoma’s track and field teams added four individuals to the list of Sooners advancing to the NCAA championship Friday at the NCAA West Preliminary. In addition to the four new qualifiers, Brittany Borman advanced to the ...
-
Big 12, SEC deal breaks the mold
It is unclear what the on-the-field product of the game-for-which-there-is-not-yet-a-name will be. Indeed, all we really know is the Big 12 and SEC plan to play a game on Jan. 1, 2015 (and on every Jan. 1, thereafter) that will include ...
-
Rivalry helped shape program
For coach Patty Gasso, it goes all the way back to 1995, her first year at Oklahoma. That was when her Sooners played Arizona six times throughout the season. Those Sooners were “annihilated” in all six of those contests....
- More OU Sports Headlines
-
Sooners make winning look easy
