All-American wide receiver Mike Williams has officially decided
to leave the USC after his sophomore year and apply for entry into
the NFL Draft.
Wednesday’s decision ends weeklong speculation, where many
newspapers had sources who indicated Williams could go either
way.
“I believe this is the right time for me to go to the
NFL,” Williams said in a statement.
“Nothing is guaranteed in life and opportunities like this
don’t always come. I see this as my opportunity, and I want
to make the most of it.”
The NFL had a rule that players could only enter the draft pool
if they had been three years removed from high school. Ohio State
running back Maurice Clarett challenged this policy in court, and a
federal judge ruled in his favor, opening the door for
underclassmen to be eligible for the NFL Draft.
Williams is the first sophomore to apply for entry into
April’s NFL Draft since the day of the court decision, when
Clarett and Pittsburgh All-American wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald
also applied for entry.
“Mike has made the decision that he wants to go to the
NFL,” USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement.
“We’re disappointed to see him go, but we wish him
the best of luck and will be rooting for him. Mike had a
terrific two years with us, and we’re anxious to watch him in
the NFL,” said Carroll.
Williams leaves behind a USC team that won The Associated Press
National Championship in January. In his two-year career,
Williams had 176 receptions for 2,579 yards and a USC-record 30
touchdowns. He had 12 100-yard receiving games in his career,
including a 181-yard performance against UCLA in November of
2003.
Many NFL Draft projections have Williams as a top-10 pick.