Texas Longhorn's star will return for senior season

The leading Heisman Trophy candidate in most people's minds has already decided that he will be uniform next year as a collegiate player, and not a professional.

Junior Quarterback Colt McCoy, who has led Texas to a 7-0 record this season, with big wins over Oklahoma and Missouri, told reporters he would be back for a senior season. His stellar play has led to Texas topping the first BCS Poll this season.

McCoy has thrown for 1895 yards, 19 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions, while having an unbelievable completion percentage of 81.2%.

In the eyes of many professional scouts and college fans, McCoy is college football's best quarterback prospect for the 2009 NFL Draft.

While I love the idea that McCoy plans on coming back for a senior season, I do not agree with the timing of the statement. Avoiding the question may have led people on to believe that McCoy would be declaring for the draft, but it would not be set in stone. By coming out and saying, mid-season, that he would be back for his senior year puts a strong feeling in many peoples minds.

He has not factored in the off-season pressures of money and fame by NFL Coaches and Scouts and possibly family and friends. Over the past decade, more athletes and coaches are going against their word and jumping ship.

We saw it when forward Luol Deng told media before his freshman year that he would be at Duke for all four years. By the end of his freshman campaign, Deng had declared for the draft. We saw it in the NFL when former-head coach of the Miami Dolphins Nick Saban repeatedly told reporters that he would not be accepting the job offer from University of Alabama. Weeks later, Saban was being introduced at Tuscaloosa bearing the crimson and white.

Former-Arkansas and current-Oakland Raider running back Darren McFadden told media last year that he was probably going to declare at the end of the season, around the same time that McCoy came out with his decision. Arkansas struggled in SEC competition the rest of the season, and if it wasn't for an upset of LSU, they probably would have had a very sub-par season.

All I am saying is that Colt McCoy should have waited until the end of the season to make a very important decision. His team is fighting for a National Championship, and he is a major part of it. The professional leagues will be there, and I absolutely agree with his decision to stay at school to get a degree. Lets just hope he keeps his word.