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Ingram Staying For Senior Year At UF

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By JENNA MARINA, Tribune correspondent

Published: January 10, 2008

GAINESVILLE - It looks like Gators tight end Cornelius Ingram will be holding onto his orange- and-blue jersey for one more season.
Ingram decided Wednesday afternoon to hold off on the NFL draft and stay for his senior year at the University of Florida, said Greg Bowie, Ingram's brother.
Ingram and teammate Derrick Harvey filed paperwork with the NFL to gauge their draft stock in early December. Harvey already has declared he will be skipping his senior year.

The NFL Draft Advisory Committee projected Ingram as a third-round pick, but Bowie said his brother's decision was not solely influenced by his draft projection.

"He knew he could have gone to the combine and been an early second-rounder," Bowie said. "But there were two things he wanted to do - put on some pounds, you know grow stronger, and get his degree."

Bowie said Ingram had been weighing the decision carefully since the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, and he had even stopped answering his telephone for a few days so he could clear his head.

"Playing in the NFL is a goal that's he's had since coming to Florida," Bowie said. "That's why he came to Florida. He had a good opportunity to play at the next level, but he's staying for one more year."
Ingram finished fourth on the team with 34 catches for 508 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Bowie said Ingram is about six credit hours from graduating.

CLEMSON: Star running back James Davis says he is giving up his final season of eligibility and entering the NFL draft.

MICHIGAN: Ryan Mallett has left the program, and the quarterback might transfer to Tennessee, according to his father Jim.

MISSISSIPPI: Saskatchewan Roughriders coach Kent Austin interviewed for the offensive coordinator's job.

NEW MEXICO STATE: Chase Holbrook, the school's record-setting quarterback, said he will return for his senior season.

NOTRE DAME: Cornerback Munir Prince will transfer; three other players have applied to return for fifth years - former Tampa Bay Tech star Maurice Crum Jr., defensive end Justin Brown and cornerback Terrail Lambert.

TENNESSEE: Linebacker Jerod Mayo will skip his senior year to enter the NFL draft.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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