FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Darren McFadden isn’t sticking around for another run at the Heisman Trophy.
The All-America running back from Arkansas announced Monday he’ll skip his senior season and enter the 2007 NFL draft.
“When I was growing up, I dreamed of playing for the Razorbacks,” McFadden said. “Now, the time has come for me to pursue another dream of mine — playing in the NFL.”
McFadden was the Heisman runner-up in 2006 and 2007. He ran for 1,830 yards this past season, the second-highest total in Southeastern Conference history. He ranks second on the SEC’s career list with 4,590 yards rushing.
Felix Jones, the Razorbacks’ other talented tailback, said he’ll also enter the draft a year early.
McFadden rushed for over 1,000 yards all three seasons at Arkansas. Jones did it the past two. They were part of a backfield that also included senior fullback Peyton Hillis, another NFL prospect.
McFadden’s decision comes a week after he was involved in a “pretty rowdy scene” at a piano bar in Little Rock, Ark. He was handcuffed by police and then released without charges. In the summer of 2006, he severely injured his toe in a fight outside another club, but recovered in time to play in the season opener.
McFadden, from Little Rock, made an immediate impression in 2005. He ran for 1,113 yards and was chosen SEC freshman of the year. In 2006, he led Arkansas on a 10-game winning streak and was second in the Heisman race to Ohio State’s Troy Smith.
McFadden and Jones join an impressive group of running backs in this year’s draft, including Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois, Central Florida’s Kevin Smith, Michigan’s Mike Hart, Rutgers’ Ray Rice, Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart and West Virginia’s Steve Slaton.
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