We Hardly Knew Ye: This time, Jermaine Gresham’s taking the money while it’s on the table

(No Ratings Yet)

Loading ...

September 29, 2009

Yes, it is a little early for this department — usually, the send-offs for early draft entrants don’t fire up in earnest until the early December lull. But then, few player are enough of a sure thing that they can announce they’re passing up their final year in the middle of a season-long hiatus due to injury. Oklahoma Jermaine Gresham is certainly one of those few, and OU coach Bob Stoops confirmed today that his star tight end is outta here, wonky knee and all:

"Jermaine’s going to go into the draft,” Stoops said of Jermaine Gresham, the Oklahoma tight end who is out for the season with a knee injury.
[...]
He was widely considered a first-round draft prospect after his All-American junior season, but chose to return to OU. Despite injuring his knee the week of the Sooners’ season-opener against BYU, he is listed as the No. 20 overall pro prospect by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper.

Gresham was one of the best players on the field in the Sooners’ championship loss to Florida last January, where he scored both OU touchdowns, and is going to be a major missing link even when Sam Bradford is finally back in the lineup this week or next. Gresham is a senior, but could have used this season on the bench as a standard redshirt year and come back — along with Bradford, a fourth-year junior with another year if he wants it — in 2010. But if the first round projection and money is still there, it’s too good to pass up twice.

Stoops certainly isn’t going to try to talk him out of it this time, after being blasted by CBS’ Gary Danielson earlier this month for convincing Bradford to pass up a shot at going No. 1 to the Lions last April for another crack at the national championship, only to watch his second Heisman-winning quarterback wind up with a busted shoulder in a loss to BYU. Why couldn’t you see the improbably disastrous future looming on the horizon, Stoops?

Share and Enjoy: