Rashard Mendenhall

Well the Illini season is over. What a tremendous season it was as well. If you go back and look at the preseason magazines, not much was thought of this years' Illini.

Athlon, one of the nation's most read magazines had Illinois 67th in the preseason.

Obviously, one of the driving forces behind the Illini's success was running back Rashard Mendenhall. Remember back when he was recruited he was listed as the #9 RB in the country. This season, his first as a starter was a breakthrough season in every sense of the word.

After totaling just over 850 yards in his first two seasons, Mendenhall ran for almost 1700 yards in 2007. He also added 34 catches and another 300+ yards receiving. Surely his performance on an improving football team has brought him renewed attention.

After finishing the season with a 9.1 yards-per-carry, 155 yard effort against USC in the Rose Bowl the talk of the NFL Draft has exploded.

In a SJ-R article before the Rose Bowl, Mendenhall stated awards and accolades would not be reason enough to stay in college.

Last month, a Scout.com writer used these words to describe Mendenhall: Aggressive. Determined. Elusive. Focused. Physical.

With a January 15th deadline quickly approaching the pressure to make a decision grows daily. It's readily evident that Rashard has the skill set necessary to play on Sundays.

Really, it will come down to a personal decision. What is best for him and his family. I always hope in situations like this that the fans respect the final decision of a young player. So many times you see chat rooms and newspapers rip on a kid for a decision. My thought as always been different. To me, unless you walk that mile in their shoes, you can never know all the pressure, thoughts, etc. that go into a decision as big as that.

Personally, if you are an Illini fan, you probably want to see another season in an Illini uniform. On the other hand, you would probably also like to get the paycheck he could demand at the next level too.

I wish Rashard the best in whatever he decides.

Look for an announcement within the next few days.