http://www.jsonline.com/badger/fb/jan06/383662.asp
Good chance Calhoun will go pro
UW tailback plans to decide Monday
By JEFF POTRYKUS
jpotrykus@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 8, 2006
Madison - Although All-American tailback Brian Calhoun still has not ruled out returning to Wisconsin for his senior season, he continues to lean heavily toward entering the 2006 National Football League draft.
Brian Calhoun is leaning heavilly toward turning pro.
"He is probably around 70%," Andrew Calhoun, Brian's father, said by phone Sunday from the family home in Oak Creek. "He just wants to make sure."
According to Andrew Calhoun, Brian plans to reach a decision sometime today after speaking with Bret Bielema, who officially takes over as head coach on Feb. 1.
"It's all on the table," Andrew Calhoun said. "He has been going back and forth."
Brian Calhoun, according to his father, is projected by NFL scouts as a first- or second-round pick if he comes out this year. That is impressive considering that this appears to be a solid draft for running backs, with juniors such as Southern California's Reggie Bush, Minnesota's Laurence Maroney and UCLA's Maurice Drew already having declared for the draft.
Andrew Calhoun acknowledged that the allure of making a run at the Heisman Trophy in 2006 was not a factor.
"It's flattering," Andrew Calhoun said, "but team goals come first."
However, Brian Calhoun is concerned about the risk of injury. That concern was exacerbated in the Capital One Bowl when he watched UW junior offensive tackle Joe Thomas suffer a serious injury to his right knee.
"He is really concerned about what happened to Joe," Andrew Calhoun said. "Is it worth the risk? Especially if you have a unique opportunity to follow your dreams."
Andrew Calhoun also noted that his son had been in college for four years: two at Colorado and two at UW, including 2004 when he redshirted and ran on the scout team against UW's No. 1 defense.
Meanwhile, UW officials confirmed Sunday that Thomas suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the victory over Auburn in the Capital One Bowl.
"I will have surgery and begin the rehabilitation process as soon as possible," Thomas said in a UW release. "I am looking forward to next season and I am anxious for our program to continue where it left off in Orlando.
"I want to thank all of our fans for their support of me and our team."
Although recovery time varies depending on the severity of the tear and the amount of time spent on rehabilitation, players can return from a torn ACL in anywhere from six to nine months after surgery.
That means Thomas could be ready to play by the Sept. 3 opener. However, most players do not immediately return to their customary level of performance.
Bielema sounded optimistic that Thomas would not suffer a drop-off next season.
"Joe Thomas is one of the top players in college football and I am confident he will be back stronger and better than ever in 2006," he said in a UW release. "I know Joe will turn this temporary setback into a positive because that is the type of person he is.
"He will be under the care of our sports medicine and strength and conditioning staffs, which means he will be in very capable hands.
"I look forward to Joe's return to action. We will be counting not only on his playing ability but his leadership qualities as well."
If Calhoun follows his NFL dream this year, UW fans will be able to savor his one season in a UW uniform.
Calhoun capped the season by rushing 30 times for 213 yards and a touchdown in UW's 24-10 upset of No. 7 Auburn in the bowl game. Calhoun thus became just the second player in NCAA Division I-A history to record at least 1,500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in the same season.
In 12 regular-season games, Calhoun had 73.4% of the team's rushing yards (1,423 of 1,939) and 43.1% of the team's total offense (1,986 of 4,607 yards).
Including the bowl game, Calhoun finished with:
• 348 rushing attempts, a UW season record and the No. 7 mark in Big Ten Conference history.
• 1,636 rushing yards, the No. 5 mark in UW history.
• 22 rushing touchdowns, a UW record.
• 53 receptions for 571 yards, both season records for a UW running back.
• 2,207 all-purpose yards, the No. 2 mark in school history.
• 24 touchdowns, tied for the UW record and tied for the No. 6 mark in Big Ten history.
• 144 points, a UW record and the No. 6 mark in Big Ten history.
• Nine games of 100 rushing yards or more, tied for the No. 4 mark in UW history.
Andrew Calhoun did not discount the possibility that his son might return to UW for the 2006 season.
"He might pull a switcheroo on us," Andrew Calhoun said. "We'd live with it. . . . He is the kind of kid that when he bonds, it is hard for him to leave.
"It's like any time you get a friend. He cherishes those relationships."