Friday, Jan. 09, 2009

Morris: Caution the best choice for draftees

MAYBE IT IS just me, but it sure seems like a lot of South Carolina football players aimlessly jump to the NFL a year too soon. It appeared a week ago that four underclassmen would forego their final year of college eligibility for a crack at pro football.

Now, with linebacker Eric Norwood changing his mind and deciding to come back for his senior season, USC counts tight end Jared Cook, safety Emanuel Cook and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn among those departing early. Of the three, only Jared Cook has the blessing of Steve Spurrier and his USC coaching staff.

The smell of the situation is that players do not want to stick around the USC program. They seem most inclined to jump at the first opportunity to get out of Dodge. Maybe if USC won a few more bowl games and occasionally challenged for SEC championships, they would be more inclined to stick it out.

Still, it is difficult to pin the poor decision of a 21-year-old on an entire football program or its athletics department. Spurrier and Eric Hyman, USC’s brain trust on the matter, say they go to all lengths to help the athlete make an informed decision.

Hyman presents a power-point show to all incoming freshmen and informs them they are “more likely to get struck by lightning than to play pro football.” He breaks out the numbers to show that there were approximately 3,000 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision players eligible for pro football in 2008. Of those, 252 were drafted into the NFL. Of those drafted, about 60 made NFL rosters. Beyond that, only a quarter of the first-year players play 3.3 seasons, the average length of an NFL career.

“We try our best to explain it to them, but some of them are just focused on what they want to achieve,” Hyman said. “I try to tell them that it’s OK to have Plan A if that’s what you want to be, a professional athlete. But you better prepare for Plan B, and that’s your education. I try to tell them their physical tools will only take them so far, but your mind has to take you the rest of the time.”

In the past year, Hyman brought in Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans, to address the USC team. Hyman also brought in former S.C. State and NFL star Donnie Shell, as well as a representative from the NFL front office.

“They all say the agent has nothing to do with where you’re drafted,” Hyman said. “Unfortunately, agents get in their ears and tell them they are big time.”

Spurrier said he speaks to the team periodically about whether it is worthwhile to leave early for the NFL. Occasionally, like with former star Sidney Rice and most recently with Norwood, Spurrier has had one-on-one discussions.

That apparently differs from some college coaches, most notably Dabo Swinney of Clemson. He met for two hours Tuesday with junior running back C.J. Spiller, who is expected to announce soon whether he will leave for the NFL.

Whatever the occasion, Spurrier said his philosophy about leaving early is simple.

“The facts prove that if you’re not projected to be first-round pick, you should stay and play another year,” Spurrier said. “But if you’re a first-round pick, then as coaches we understand coming on out and going into the draft.

“That’s what (Southern California coach) Pete Carroll and (Oklahoma coach) Bobby Stoops, that’s what coaches just about all over the country tell their guys. Of course, that doesn’t mean they all listen to you.”

In cases at USC, it appears players tend to listen more to their agents than their college coaches and athletic administrators. This year, agents are more inclined to push their potential clients to the NFL. With the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association about to expire, it appears that a new agreement will call for lower bonuses and pay for rookies.

According to many agents, this might be the last year for college players to go for the big bucks. When it comes to pro football, going for the big money is all about the NFL draft. Since most contracts in the NFL are not guaranteed, players must get what they can in signing bonuses.

USC has an interesting history with its early entries under Spurrier. He recommended that Rice, then a sophomore, remain for his junior season. Rice was a second-round pick in the 2007 draft by the Minnesota Vikings, the 44th selection overall.

Initially it appeared Rice made a sound decision when he signed four-year contract worth $2.98 million, all of which was contingent on him making the team. His signing bonus of $1.3 million was guaranteed and paid over a three-year period.

Spurrier was convinced that another year at USC would have made Rice a first-round selection, and that appears to be the case. A year later, not a single receiver was taken in the first round. The first receiver taken — Donnie Avery of Houston to the Rams —received a $2.775 million signing bonus, a good sign that Rice left a bundle of money on the table by leaving early.

Both defensive backs Ko Simpson and Johnathan Joseph left early following the 2006 season. Although Spurrier recommended both return for their senior seasons, Simpson was projected as the better of the two NFL prospects. Then Joseph wowed scouts in tryouts and at the NFL Combine.

Simpson was a fourth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills, the 105th selection overall. He signed a four-year, $2.13 million contract, none of which was guaranteed. He also received a $465,000 signing bonus, and he remains a member of the Bills. No question, he would have benefited financially from another season at USC.

Joseph, going against the recommendation of almost everyone at USC, hit the jackpot. He was the 24th pick in the draft, going in the first round to the Cincinnati Bengals, who signed him to a four-year, $23.61 million contract. More importantly, his $8.72 million signing bonus is being paid in equal amounts over four years.

Joseph’s tale is the exception, yet the one that agents no doubt plant in the heads of such players as Munnerlyn, who stands a good chance of going undrafted. The Munnerlyns and Emanuel Cooks of college football are the ones who have coaches and athletics administrators scratching their heads.

“I don’t think it is (a smart decision),” Spurrier said of Munnerlyn. “But somewhere about the 10th game, he decided he was going pro. I don’t think it mattered where he was projected. That’s what he was convinced he should do. That’s part of it. E. Cook, the same way.”

One can only hope Munnerlyn and Emanuel Cook are smart enough to come back some day and earn their college degrees.

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