SEATTLE — The University of Washington campus was overjoyed this week with the news that star quarterback Jake Locker would be returning for his senior season next fall.
The same could be said for the Ferndale home of Scott Locker, even though his lottery ticket won’t get punched in April.
Jake Locker’s father said Tuesday night that he supports his son’s decision to put off the NFL draft until 2011 — even though it means turning down millions of dollars.
“I do construction for a living, and I look at the economy,” Scott Locker said, “so I say: wow, that’s a big draw. I would be lying if I didn’t consider that. But I don’t see it as an opportunity lost; it’s just delayed. I’m happy for him.”
No one is more ecstatic than Locker’s teammates. Sophomore wide receiver Devin Aguilar said he expected Locker to return, but he was still relieved when the quarterback sent a text to teammates announcing his intentions Monday morning.
“I kind of already sensed it and knew it,” Aguilar said Tuesday when asked about the decision of junior quarterback Jake Locker to return to school next fall. “I just felt like, with one more year under (coach Steve Sarkisian), he’d be a more complete quarterback.
“I wanted him to stay one more year so I could get one more year with him. It was exciting. I really enjoy playing with him.”
Jake Locker has yet to address the media — he is not expected to do so until he returns for the UW winter quarter next month — but his father said that the decision came down to how much Jake has enjoyed the college experience.
“The biggest draw for him is the realization that once you make that leap into the professional world, life as a college student is over,” Scott Locker said in a telephone interview Tuesday night. “College football is fun. And with so many guys coming back (on the UW football team next fall) and the potential team they could have, that was the right decision.”
The risk in Jake Locker’s decision comes with the uncertainty that the future may hold. Projected as a top-10 pick in the April 2010 draft, Locker could find himself losing ground in the minds of NFL scouts with a subpar senior season.
“I’m so confident with him and his ability, that if it happens that way, so be it,” Scott Locker said Tuesday. “I don’t think it will happen. Jake’s such a hard worker. No one’s going to out-work him. He’s going to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
There is also the risk of injury, but the Locker family plans to take out an insurance policy that is standard for pro prospects with college eligibility remaining.
Scott Locker said his son received plenty of input from friends, family and Sarkisian but that Jake Locker made the decision entirely on his own. In fact, when Jake left the Lockers’ home in Ferndale on Sunday night, Scott Locker had no idea which way he was leaning.
The next morning, he called his father to tell him he had decided to return to school.
“With Jake, he’s kind of gotten to the point where you just let him do his thing,” Scott Locker said Tuesday night. “He doesn’t jump into things too hastily.”
While the Locker family might have to wait to cash in on their lottery ticket, they cherish the thought of having their son so close by for another year.
“To be able to have him close and to be able to watch his games, that whole experience has been great,” Scott Locker said. “If he was across the country, we wouldn’t have had that. So it’ll be fun for us to be able to do that for another year. Then we get to see him on Sundays.”
On the UW campus, fans and teammates are just happy to have another fall of Jake Locker Saturdays.
“It’s going to be a good year next year,” said Aguilar, the Huskies’ wide receiver and one of nine returning starters on offense.
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