Lofton deserves OU's best wishes
Published: 1/14/2008 4:12 PM
Last Modified: 1/14/2008 4:12 PM
Curtis Lofton is always going to be considered a shade too small and a step too slow to thrive in the NFL. Returning to Oklahoma for his senior season wasn't going to change that.
Nor was it going to enhance Lofton's instincts, tenacity and a remarkable nose for the football, proven by his 157 tackles last season. Some underclassmen return to school to be showcased. Well, a middle linebacker can't be showcased more than Lofton in 2007.
Maybe Lofton could have come back and won a Butkus Award, as former Sooners Rocky Calmus and Teddy Lehman once did. But that glamorous piece of hardware didn't vault either predecessor into the NFL draft's first round.
This is about a player who has maxed out both his physical and productive college potential. Who deliberated for days with family members -- which should tell you there is a strike-while-the-iron's-hot need for financial payoff -- and coaches before declaring his intention.
In the end, Lofton decided he had done all he could for the Sooners, and for any NFL personnel types who might have been note-taking along the way. He had his health, remarkable in its own right given his relentless tackling, and was ready to take a stab at some degree of wealth.
Power to him.
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
