Update: Montee Ball himself tweeted:
“lots of speculation out there, leaning one way but just not ready to make an announcement yet, appreciate everyone’s patience”
Montee Ball, the Wisconsin Badgers superlative running back who finished fourth in Heisman voting will supposedly skip the 2012 NFL Draft and return to Madison for his senior season, according Badger247. SI also picked up that report.
The junior tailback is expected to make an official statement later today.
This decision is quite surprising to me because he could have left college football on the highest of highs- from an individual standpoint, obviously. Ball’s team lost the Rose Bowl 45-38 to the Oregon Ducks, but he tied Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns scored in a single season. Right now, his NFL draft stock is about as high as it can be.
However, perhaps Ball has bigger team goals to accomplish next year. Wisconsin has lost back to back Rose Bowls and the Badgers haven’t won a BCS game in the Bret Bielema era. Perhaps the biggest loser in this decision is talented sophomore James White, who was expected