STANFORD, Calif. — Heisman Trophy runner-up Toby Gerhart announced Friday he will enter the NFL draft instead of staying at Stanford.
Gerhart could have stayed for a fifth season because he played just one game in 2007 because of injuries, but opted for the NFL instead.
After winning just one game his freshman season, Gerhart helped lead a turnaround for the Cardinal that was capped this season by the school’s first bowl bid since 2001. Stanford (8-5) lost the Sun Bowl to Oklahoma.
“We’ve been through a lot of adversity during my time here, but I’m extremely proud to have been part of the class that brought Stanford football back to national prominence,” Gerhart said.
Gerhart ran for a school- record 1,871 yards and a nation-leading 28 touchdowns. He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting to Alabama’s Mark Ingram in the closest vote ever.
Meanwhile, Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski, who missed last season after back surgery, and Alabama safety Kareem Jackson also decided to enter the NFL draft, while UCLA’s Kai Forbath, who won the Lou Groza Award as the nation’s top kicker, said he is returning for his senior season.
Footnotes.
Houston offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen was hired to serve in the same capacity at Oklahoma State.
• Georgia Tech hired former Virginia coach Al Groh as its defensive coordinator.
• South Dakota kicker Sam Sawyer is recovering from a skiing accident that prompted caregivers to put him in a medically induced coma.
