Underclassmen draft declarations

Wednesday and Thursday announcements:

LSU's LaFell NFL bound

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- LSU wide receiver Brandon LaFell has decided to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

LaFell says Thursday 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.

Unlike Stafford, Moreno and Allen, Jones returning to UGA

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.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) -- Having lost three key players to the NFL, the Georgia Bulldogs got some good news as 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 Thursday announced he had chose to return to the Bulldogs.

Spiller returning to Clemson

Quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Knowshon Moreno and cornerback Asher Allen had previously announced they would leave Georgia early to enter the draft.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- Clemson running back C.J. Spiller will return to school for his senior season instead of entering the NFL draft.

Thursday was the deadline for eligible underclassmen to decide on whether to head for the pros.

Spiller said after thinking long and hard about it, he thought the right decision was to come back to school.

Spiller's announcement was met with cheers from the many teammates who crowded into the room where the news conference was held.

Draft projections had the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Spiller as a second-round pick.

Hardy returning to Ole Miss

Spiller led the Tigers with 1,770 all-purpose yards this season. He missed a game with a pulled hamstring.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- Mississippi defensive end Greg Hardy announced Thursday that he will return for his senior season.

The move bolsters what already looks like a promising season for the Rebels, who finished ranked 14th and beat Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.

Hardy averaged more than a sack per game over the last two seasons, but struggled with an injury and a suspension during that time.

The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Millington, Tenn., native had 8.5 sacks this season despite playing in just eight games.

Hardy says he wants to help Ole Miss achieve more success next year.

Hardy likely would have gone high in April's NFL draft. Thursday was the deadline for third year sophomores and juniors to declare for the draft.

Washington latest Buckeye to go pro

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ohio State defensive back Donald Washington is joining the growing list of Buckeyes who will give up their final year of eligibility for a shot at the NFL.

Washington announced his decision Thursday. He joins tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells and wide receiver Brian Hartline among Ohio State juniors who will make themselves available for the draft in the spring.

Washington is an Indianapolis native who had 99 tackles in his three years at Ohio State.

He said the decision was a difficult one. Washington will graduate from Ohio State in June with a degree in communications.

Scott, Black returning to Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- After a disappointing season in which LSU lost five regular season games, running back Charles Scott and offensive lineman Ciron Black each said Wednesday that they would return for their senior seasons to help shore up the team's experience and spark a rebound this fall.

"The team really needs me and Ciron and the other seniors to be leaders on this team," Scott said. "We've been to the mountain top with winning a national championship and then last year was a disappointment. We have to show the young guys what it takes."

Scott ran for 1,174 yards and 18 touchdowns this past season. The rushing yardage was the fifth highest single-season total in Tigers history. The 18 rushing touchdowns was one shy of the school record set by LaBrandon Toefield in 2001.

Black has been the starting left offensive tackle for the past three years. He has started 40 consecutive games for LSU. Black had a team-best 68 knockdowns.

"It's really good for me to come back," Black said. "I'm really close to graduating. I also have a lot more to do in college. I have to be more of a leader. Both of us have a lot we need to do. We want to be real leaders."

LSU coach Les Miles has seen juniors such as LaRon Landry and Glenn Dorsey elect to return for their senior seasons. Both Landry and Dorsey ended up being top-five picks in the NFL draft.

"Historically, the guys who chose to come back all have had greater years," Miles said. "They come back with a purpose. We're thrilled that Ciron and Charles are coming back. That tells me we'll have great leaders. The guys who will be wearing the helmets for LSU have been in the trenches."

The NFL Advisory Board gave Black a higher grade than Scott, but Black said he felt it was better for him to return to school for his final year.

"It was late first or early second round. It's still much more of a gamble. You don't know who's coming out at that time when you get the grade and you don't know what teams need," he said.

Scott was not projected to go on the first day of the NFL draft and that, coupled with his academic status, helped him choose to return to the Tigers program.

"I received a third-round grade," Scott said. "I just have to work on getting better at everything. I also found out that I'm 30 hours away from graduating. That was real big in my decision."

McCoy leaving Pitt for NFL

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy is passing up his final two seasons of eligibility to enter the NFL draft.

McCoy broke several of Tony Dorsett's records at Pitt, and is leaving after two seasons with the Panthers. McCoy led Pitt to a 9-4 record and Sun Bowl appearance this season.

He told coach Dave Wannstedt of his decision in a phone call Wednesday.

Losing McCoy is a major setback to Pitt, which played in its first bowl game and had its first winning record in four seasons largely because of McCoy's running and a strong defense.

NFL scouts project McCoy as a late first round to early second round pick.

Buckeyes' Hartline NFL-bound

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Ohio State wide receiver Brian Hartline says he's giving up his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft.

Hartline said Wednesday he looks forward to testing himself as a professional. The announcement follows last week's decision by tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells to also pass up his senior year for the NFL.

Hartline had 90 catches for 1,449 yards and 13 touchdowns during his Ohio State career. He's expected to graduate in June with a communications degree.

Meanwhile, defensive back Kurt Coleman said he'll remain for his senior year. Coleman said he wants to finish his degree in sport and leisure studies. He had 78 tackles and four interceptions during last year's 10-3 season.

Verner will return to UCLA

LOS ANGELES (AP) -UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner, who led the nation in passes defensed last season, will return to play his senior season for the Bruins.

Verner was credited with two interceptions and 18 passes defensed, an average of 1.67 per game - tops in the country. He was a second-team All-Pac 10 cornerback as chosen by the league's coaches.

Verner had said he was 50-50 before the holidays and had been leaning toward coming back for the last week. He met with his family last weekend and made his final decision Tuesday.

"A part of me felt that I was ready to try the next level,'' Verner said in a statement issued by the school Wednesday. "After talking with people to get some feedback, I realized that I would benefit from getting bigger and more physical.

"I also want to continue to help coach (Rick) Neuheisel build this program. I think we are going to have a great year. I also want to get my degree.''

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