Williams Goes Out Window

In an aftershock from a recent federal court ruling, USC All-American receiver Mike Williams said Wednesday he would make himself available for the NFL draft, skipping his final two years of college and dealing a blow to the Trojans’ hopes of repeating as national champions.

After several days of decision making, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Williams chose to enter professional football, where some experts said he would be an early first-round selection, rather than return for a junior season in which he would be a leading candidate to win the Heisman Trophy.

A New York federal judge this month threw out the NFL’s long-standing ban on players who had not been out of high school for three years, ruling in favor of suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett. Although Clarett became the first player to take advantage of the ruling, Williams is widely seen as a better pro prospect -- one who could reap a contract worth millions of dollars.

In two seasons, Williams, 20, established himself as one of the greatest playmakers ever at the school, helping quarterback Carson Palmer win the Heisman Trophy in 2002, and last season leading the Trojans to a share of their first national title in 25 years.

“I just felt like I was going to take my opportunity through a door that was opened by someone else,” Williams said Wednesday from Tampa, Fla., in a conference call with reporters. He said he made his decision Monday but waited two days to hear every argument to stay that USC coaches could offer.

“I’m disappointed that’s his decision, because I think there’s a lot of information that says [leaving early] is not going to help him out as much as he thinks,” said USC Coach Pete Carroll, who coached two NFL teams before going to USC in 2001.

Most NFL experts believe that, barring injury, Williams would be a certain top-five pick in 2005 if he were to play another season of college football. But there is no guarantee that he will be chosen that quickly in this year’s draft, which takes place April 24-25, in part because receiver prospects Larry Fitzgerald of Pittsburgh, Roy Williams of Texas and Reggie Williams of Washington are also available.

The decision to turn pro now is a gamble for Williams because of the enormous difference in pay between players drafted early and late in the first round. Although the top three players selected in last year’s draft signed contracts worth, on average, more than $6 million per season, those taken near the end of the first round received closer to $1 million per season. Carroll suggested that Mike Williams might not be drafted as early as he believes.

“We gave Mike all the information we could to help him make this decision,” the coach said. “We believe he might be missing out on a tremendous financial opportunity by not staying another year. But he wants to go play in the NFL now.”

Some NFL scouts see Williams as a top-five pick this year -- a player who has great size, good speed and a phenomenal ability to reel in difficult catches. The Oakland Raiders, who have the second pick in this year’s draft, are expected to look closely at USC’s Williams as well as the other top receivers. Scouts said they have spent little time studying Williams, because until recently most assumed he would be in college for another year.

“I don’t even need to watch him on film,” said an NFL scout, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “He’s one of those guys that your eyes just get drawn to him, no matter who they’re playing. The key thing is going to be his speed. Can he run? It looks like it.”

Monday is the deadline for underclassmen to submit petitions to the NFL to make themselves available for the draft, and those players have 72 hours to withdraw those petitions if they have a change of heart.

Williams said he had not hired an agent -- a move that would make him instantly ineligible by NCAA rules -- but said he plans to do so in the coming days. If Williams were to hire an agent, and the NFL were to win a legal stay while it appeals the Clarett ruling, Williams conceivably could be caught in the middle, temporarily shut out of college and pro football.

“That’s one of the things that had to be taken into consideration,” Williams said. “That’s one of the things that made the decision really difficult.”

Williams will leave USC with a long list of accomplishments in his two seasons. Along with several national, Pacific 10 Conference and school receiving records, he helped pave the way for the Trojans’ recent national recruiting success.

His off-the-field story was equally compelling. Kathy and Jack McCurdy took the troubled Williams into their Tampa home when he was 16 and attending an alternative high school. Williams now refers to the McCurdys as his parents.

Williams signed a letter of intent with USC in February 2002 after starring in football and basketball at Plant High in Tampa. His decision to choose a California school over state powers Miami, Florida State and Florida was regarded as a major coup for Carroll and USC.

Williams started only two of the Trojans’ 13 games in 2002, but caught a team-best 81 passes for 1,265 yards and 14 touchdowns as USC won a share of its first conference title since 1995, and defeated Iowa in the Orange Bowl to finish 11-2.

Last season, Williams helped sophomore Matt Leinart develop into one of the nation’s top quarterbacks as USC won a share of its first national title since 1978.

Williams caught 95 passes for 1,314 yards and 16 touchdowns. USC won the Pac-10 championship and finished the regular season atop the Associated Press media and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls. But the Trojans wound up third in the bowl championship series standings and were denied a chance to play for the BCS championship in the Sugar Bowl.

Instead, they played No. 4 Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Williams punctuated the season by throwing a touchdown pass to Leinart in the Trojans’ 28-14 victory over the Wolverines on New Year’s Day. USC finished 12-1 and No. 1 in the AP poll to win a share of the national championship.

Leinart finished sixth, Williams eighth in balloting for the Heisman Trophy. Williams also was a consensus All-American.

With Williams, Leinart and many other experienced players returning, USC was expected to be ranked No. 1 in 2004 preseason polls. Williams and Leinart also were regarded as front-runners for the Heisman.

After U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin’s ruling, USC coaches and fans were encouraged when Williams seemed to suggest he would remain in school.

“Good for Maurice Clarett. It was something he went after, and he was successful. Who knows? Maybe it will open the door for others who think they can succeed,” Williams said then. “But I always thought the rule was fine the way it was. So this ruling has nothing to do with me.”

But less than two weeks later, Williams said, a lifelong friend asked him why he was not exploring the possibility of pursuing his childhood dream of playing pro football. Williams began making inquiries and, sources said, decided Friday to turn pro.

He vacillated over the weekend after Carroll launched an intense lobbying effort that included calls from former USC players and information passed along from NFL general managers who thought Williams should play another season of college football.

Williams said Wednesday that his mind was made up two days before. That same day, an article appeared in the campus newspaper that included critical comments about USC teammates that were attributed to Williams. Trojan players were angered by the remarks, and a team leadership committee met to discuss the story. After a lengthy meeting with Carroll, Williams said his published comments might have been taken out of context.

On Tuesday, Carroll called a team meeting to address Williams’ situation and the Clarett ruling. Williams did not attend.

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Prospecting

The top 10 college prospects for the NFL draft, regardless of position, according to Times NFL writer Sam Farmer. Not necessarily a predicted order of selection, however, because teams draft according to need:

*--* PLAYER POS. YR. SCHOOL Robert Gallery T Sr. Iowa Eli Manning QB Sr. Mississippi Larry Fitzgerald WR So. Pittsburgh Mike Williams WR So. USC Roy Williams WR Sr. Texas Tommie Harris DT Jr. Oklahoma Sean Taylor S Jr. Miami Ben Roethlisberger QB Jr. Miami (Ohio) Kellen Winslow Jr. TE Jr. Miami Chris Gamble CB Jr. Ohio State

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