Rutgers' Rice mulling whether to go pro
By DAVID PORTER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

(Original publication: January 1, 2008)
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Here's the good news for Rutgers' football fans: Ray Rice says he hasn't decided to skip his senior year and declare for the NFL draft.

Here's the not-quite-so-good news: He says he hasn't decided to stay, either.

Truth be told, if the junior running back is leaning either way, he's doing a pretty good job of concealing it as the Scarlet Knights (7-5) prepare to face Ball State (7-5) in the International Bowl in Toronto on Saturday.

"I definitely can't say I've decided at all," Rice said after practice Friday. " ... And since I still have that option of coming back, that doesn't make the game the deciding factor for me."

Whether it is Rice's last game for Rutgers - where the former New Rochelle star is the school's all-time leading rusher and a two-time Associated Press second-team All-American - probably won't be revealed before then.

Once the game is over, though, the clock starts clicking, as all players who want to declare for the draft must do so by Jan. 15.

"First and foremost, it's got to be the best situation for me and my family," Rice said. "There's just a lot going into the thought process. Coach has a lot of evaluations for me, and after he gives me what's best for me and my family, that will be the deciding factor."

It is a discussion Rutgers coach Greg Schiano has had before, first as an assistant at the University of Miami in the late 1990s and more recently at Rutgers with fullback Brian Leonard, who contemplated forgoing his senior season and entering the 2006 draft.

Rice could do worse than follow the trail blazed by Leonard, who stayed and was a major contributor to the Scarlet Knights' best season ever, an 11-2 campaign in 2006 that nearly landed them in a BCS bowl. Projected as a second- or third-round pick after his junior season, Leonard was taken in the second round by St. Louis this year. He started seven games for the Rams, finishing with 303 yards rushing and 30 receptions for 183 yards.

At 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds, Rice is more apt to dazzle defenders than hurdle or bulldoze them. For those who might question whether Rice's size could limit his draft prospects, he has a quick answer.

"I always credit the short backs, and looking at the league now, Maurice Jones-Drew obviously is even shorter than me, and he's doing pretty well," Rice said, referring to the 5-7 Jacksonville Jaguars standout who ran for 768 yards and nine touchdowns this season.