The news many Badger football fans anticipated for weeks was confirmed Thursday when junior tailback Brian Calhoun announced he would forego his final season at UW-Madison and enter the NFL draft in April.
Calhoun, joined by soon-to-be head coach Bret Bielema, his father and a group of former Badger teammates, made his decision official at a news conference held at the Kohl Center.
'I tried to seek out as much information as possible about the decision,' Calhoun said. 'I think it was the right choice, and it was time for me to make that jump.'
Though he acknowledged his first thoughts of leaving school early occurred in October, his performance in the Badger's 24-10 upset victory over Auburn in the Capital One Bowl triggered his decision to test the NFLs waters.
'It's been a pretty good here,' said Calhoun, who ran for 213 yards in 30 attempts and a touchdown en route to garnering the game's MVP honors. 'I think after the bowl game, to play the way we did ... that was kind of the nail in the coffin.'
The former Oak Creek High School standout is projected as a late-first or early-second-round pick in the draft that is scheduled for April 29-30.
After sitting out last season as a redshirt for the Badgers, Calhoun erupted in 2005, leading the Big Ten this season in scoring (11.1 points per game) and all-purpose yardage (169.8 yards er game).
He finished his final season with 348 rushing attempts (UW singleseason record), 1,636 rushing yards (fifth-most in UW history) and 22 rushing touchdowns (UW record) while being selected as a second-team All-American choice and consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection.
Still, Calhoun said the decision to leave boiled down to what was best for him and his family.
'The decision to leave with one year of eligibility remaining to play football was a difficult one, but was done with a lot of forethought, research, counsel, prayer and with the help of my family,' Calhoun said.
With his departure, the Badgers will turn to sophomore Jamil Walker and junior Dywon Rowan, who are the only other UW running backs with game experience. Also, three current freshmen'??P.J. Hill, Dion Foster and Jerry Butler'redshirted this past season. The status of Calhoun's primary back-up this season, junior Booker Stanley, remains uncertain after his latest arrest.
Cooks added to staff
Kerry Cooks, the defensive backs coach at the University of Minnesota last season, was named as assistant coach at Wisconsin, Bielema announced Thursday.
'I have known Kerry for many years now, and I'm very excited to have him join us at Wisconsin,' Bielema said. 'He exemplifies everything I want our staff to be about. He works hard, he's a great recruiter and coach and he's a fantastic person on and off the field. I'm very happy he is a Badger.'
