Illini running back Rashard Mendenhall to skip senior season and enter NFL draft

1/10/2008 2:48 PM

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

SKOKIE, Ill. (AP) -Rashard Mendenhall will skip his senior year at Illinois and enter the NFL draft after rushing for a school-record 1,681 yards while leading the Illini to the Rose Bowl.

``I am blessed in the fact that I was able to have the kind of year that I had, and my team was able to have the kind of year it had,'' Mendenhall said at news conference Thursday at Niles West High School, where he played before joining the Illini.

After five straight losing seasons, Illinois went 9-4 and upset No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus late in the season on the way to its first Rose Bowl appearance in 24 years. Although the season ended with a 49-17 loss to Southern California, Mendenhall went out in style.

He broke off a 79-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter and turned a screen pass into a 55-yard gain a few minutes later. He finished with 155 yards on 17 carries and caught five passes for 59 yards.

Besides setting the school's single-season rushing mark, the 5-foot-11 Mendenhall also set records for rushing touchdowns (17), total touchdowns (19), 100-yard games (eight), all-purpose yards (1,999) and scoring (114 points) in his first season as the Illini's featured back.

Mendenhall is confident he'll be drafted in the first round after getting feedback from the NFL, and some draft experts expect him to go that high.

The list of running backs already includes Texas' Jamaal Charles, Michigan's Mike Hart, Tulane's Mike Forte and Rutgers' Ray Rice. And it could get longer if West Virginia's Steve Slaton and Arkansas' Darren McFadden, a two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up, skip their senior seasons.

``I'm just confident in my abilities and where I'll go in the draft,'' Mendenhall said.

Mendenhall probably would have been a candidate for the Heisman Trophy had he returned, and Illinois would have been a favorite in the Big Ten. The Illini still could contend with quarterback Juice Williams leading the offense.

``Rashard had an amazing season,'' coach Ron Zook, who is in Hawaii for the Hula Bowl, said in a statement. ``His performance this year showed that he will be a very talented back at the next level. I am excited for Rashard as he enters this next phase of his football career. I can't thank him enough for his dedication to the Illinois football program and wish him nothing but the best in the NFL.''