Woodson to Enter NFL Draft

Charles Woodson, the multi-purpose Heisman Trophy winner from Michigan, announced Friday that he will give up his final year of college eligibility to enter the NFL draft.

“I was thinking of this before the Rose Bowl,” Woodson said at a news conference on campus. “But I just wanted to stay focused. Also, I wanted my teammates to stay focused, not worrying about Charles.”

Woodson helped the Wolverines win a share of the national football championship with a 21-16 Rose Bowl victory over Washington State on New Year’s Day.

Michigan (12-0) won the Associated Press title on a vote of writers and broadcasters, while Nebraska (13-0) was No. 1 in the coaches’ poll.

Michigan’s All-American cornerback-wide receiver-return specialist joined more than a dozen underclassmen who already have declared themselves available for the April 18-19 draft.

Projected as a top three draft pick, along with quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf, Woodson intercepted eight passes, including one in the Wolverines’ Rose Bowl win, and scored four touchdowns.

On Thursday, Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss said he’s on his way to the NFL, and so did linebackers Anthony Simmons of Clemson and Takeo Spikes of Auburn and North Carolina cornerback Robert Williams. Texas’ Ricky Williams, the 1997 rushing leader, surprisingly decided to stay in school for his senior season.

Underclassmen opting earlier for the draft included Leaf (Washington State); running backs Curtis Enis (Penn State), Ahman Green (Nebraska) and Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala (Utah); offensive linemen Eric Bateman (Brigham Young), Mo Collins (Florida), Olin Kreutz and Benji Olson (Washington), and wide receiver-defensive back R.W. McQuarters of Oklahoma State.

At least three players said Friday they would stay in school for another season: running backs Kevin Faulk of Louisiana State and Amos Zereoue of West Virginia and quarterback Donovan McNabb of Syracuse.

Faulk’s teammate, offensive lineman Alan Faneca, said he was passing up his final year for the draft.

Woodson said the most difficult part of his decision to leave was telling his mother, Georgia, who made him promise to complete his degree in sports communications. He is a little more than half way there.

“I know I haven’t been the greatest student, but I do intend to get my degree,” Woodson said. “Otherwise, my mother will kill me.”

Georgia Woodson, at his side during the news conference, said, “It’s great for me to have him doing something he wants to do, so I have no regrets about it.”

Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr, approving of Woodson’s decision, said, “Whoever gets him is getting much more than a football player, he’s getting a great human being.”