These are Jake Bentley’s next steps in weighing NFL decision

During the week before the Akron game, South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley brushed aside questions asking whether he’ll go to the NFL Draft by noting he was just focused on the final regular season game.

After USC won that 28-3, he was asked again, and mentioned a little about the next steps.

“I think we’ll go over it,” Bentley said of discussing it with his family, “see what the best thing to do is.”

The junior was at least acknowledging the question and the possibility, but he said there was one element that would weigh heavily on him.

“There’s a lot of stuff still out there that I haven’t accomplished and I feel like our team hasn’t accomplished yet,” Bentley said. “I think that’s going to be a big factor in it.”

In the middle of the season, it seemed unlikely Bentley would be able to leave after a sluggish start. But he threw for 20 touchdowns and six interceptions in the past seven games, including a record-breaking performance at Clemson.

The deadline to declare is January 14.

He’s currently not in CBSSports’ draft rankings, and earlier in the week, ESPN’s Todd McShay suggested Bentley return for his senior season.

For his career, Bentley has more than 7,000 yards. He’s currently fourth in all-time yards and third in touchdowns.

He’ll have the chance to get feedback from the NFL Draft Advisory Committee, which will return a grade of “first rounder,” “second rounder” or “go back to school.” His, father, Bobby has been in coaching for a long time, so he’ll have a few people to bounce the decision off of.

“Definitely going to see every situation,” Bentley said.

This story was originally published December 1, 2018 at 5:04 PM.