Draft roundup \ Who’s in, who’s out

January 16, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Ohio State: Defensive back Donald Washington is the latest Ohio State player to give up his final year of eligibility for the NFL. Washington joins tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells and wide receiver Brian Hartline among Ohio State juniors who will make themselves available for the NFL draft in the spring. Washington, from Indianapolis, had 99 tackles in three seasons with the Buckeyes. Washington will graduate in June with a degree in communications. Thursday was the deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft.

USC: Southern California quarterback Mark Sanchez will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Sanchez and Georgia’s Matthew Stafford, another junior coming out early, are considered the top two quarterback prospects in the draft. Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford of Oklahoma decided to return to school. Sanchez is coming off a spectacular Rose Bowl against Penn State. The fourth-year junior went 28-for-35, setting a Rose Bowl record by completing 80 percent of his passes. He threw for 413 yards and four touchdowns, and also ran for a score in the Trojans’ 38-24 victory. “In the end, after sleepless nights and lots of prayers, I’ve decided I’ll forgo my fifth year and declare for the NFL draft,” Sanchez said Thursday at a campus news conference. “It is with a heavy heart I am going to leave this university.”

Florida: Percy Harvin is taking his speed, elusiveness and durability concerns to the NFL. The junior playmaker is leaving school early to turn pro, but Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes will return for his senior season. A 5-foot-11, 195-pound dynamo from Virginia Beach, Va., Harvin led the team in receiving and was second in rushing. He caught 40 passes for 644 yards and seven touchdowns, and ran for 660 yards and 10 scores. He missed five games in three years because of injury and was limited in several more, an issue that could keep him from being a top 10 pick in April. With Spikes returning, the Gators will have their entire starting defense intact for the 2009 season. A 6-3, 245-pound junior from Shelby, N.C., Spikes led Florida with 93 tackles this season. The team captain also had eight sacks and four interceptions, prompting coaches and teammates to call him the heart and soul of the defense.

LSU: Wide receiver Brandon LaFell has decided to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft. LaFell said he was not hiring an agent, leaving open the possibility he could revoke his declaration for the draft and return to LSU if he changes his mind within the next three days. In three years with the Tigers, LaFell caught 118 passes for 1,725 yards and 18 touchdowns. He joins defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois as LSU’s early entries into the 2009 NFL Draft.

Georgia: Having lost three key players to the NFL, the Bulldogs got some good news: safety Reshad Jones is staying another season. The sophomore has two years of eligibility remaining, but seriously considered turning pro. After agonizing over his options the past several days, Jones announced he was returning to the Bulldogs. “I’ve been thinking about staying at Georgia all along,” Jones said. “I sat down and prayed about it, I talked to my family about it, and I just felt comfortable about staying at the University of Georgia and being a Bulldog.” Quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Knowshon Moreno and cornerback Asher Allen had previously announced they would leave Georgia early to enter the draft.

Clemson: Despite a first-round draft projection and the urging of his mother to turn pro, Clemson running back C.J. Spiller showed again why he’s so hard to pin down. Spiller said he would return to the Tigers for his senior season, putting off the NFL draft on the final day eligible underclassmen could declare. Spiller said he was told by the draft advisory board he’d be a likely first-round pick. He also said his mother, Patricia Watkins, had also wanted her son to end his college career. He chose a different path. “I know a lot of people are wondering, ’This guy crazy?”’ Spiller said. “I know everything will work out.”

Associated Press