He is the second Sooner to choose an early entry.

Oklahoma linebacker Curtis Lofton grew up with no father around. His mother was in prison. He was raised on the poor side of Kingfisher by his grandmother, who worked hard to keep food on the table for her three grandsons.

No surprise, then, that Lofton’s first NFL paycheck will go toward a fancy new house for the woman who raised him.

“That’s what he said,” said Lofton’s grandmother, Delora Terrell, after Lofton on Monday announced his intention to skip his senior year at OU and declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft.

Lofton joins wide receiver Malcolm Kelly, who made his announcement last week, as OU’s early exits with the possibility of more before Tuesday’s midnight deadline.

Lofton, a 6-foot, 235-pound middle linebacker who nearly played at Oklahoma State before committing to OU, became known for making big plays. Now he could be known for making big pay. The humble man from humble means could find himself with millions of dollars come late spring.

“I know, but I don’t need any pay,” Terrell said. “I’ve already got my pay, just seeing him do good.”

Lofton was a consensus firstteam All-American as a junior at OU. He made 157 tackles during the 2007 season, the sixth-highest total ever at OU and the most by a Sooner in more than two decades.

He said in December he had submitted paperwork for a draft evaluation to the NFL’s College Advisory Committee, and said he’d likely turn pro if his non-binding evaluation came back showing he might be chosen in the upper half of the first round of April’s draft. Lofton’s grade suggested he has the potential to be drafted in the second round, but such projections are fluid based on NFL scouts’ personal evaluations and Lofton’s performance at the NFL scouting combine next month. So he decided to go.

Underclassmen declaring early have until Friday to withdraw their name as long as they don’t hire an agent or enter into any type of professional agreement.

Lofton was a part-time player during his first two seasons, backing up Zach Latimer and Rufus Alexander, but blossomed into an All-American and the Big 12 defensive player of the year in his first year as a starter.

“Curtis made a lot of big plays during his time here,” OU coach Bob Stoops said in a statement.

“We wish him all the best in the NFL.”

Lofton’s departure leaves a significant hole in the middle of the Sooner defense. Lofton last spring won the middle linebacker job by beating out junior college All- American Mike Reed, who fell behind in two-a-days and never played. Lamont Robinson, who will be a junior, was Lofton’s backup the latter part of 2007.

Redshirt freshman Austin Box, a high school All-American at Enid, is a potential candidate. Junior Ryan Reynolds, who played weak side linebacker this season and will be a junior in 2008, could slide over if his knees are fully recovered from past surgeries.

Lofton said in a statement released by OU, “I’ll definitely miss my coaches and teammates. I came in with my class three years ago and those guys are like brothers to me. And I’ll miss playing in front of those 85,000 fans.

The OU experience, he said, “starts with great coaches and a system that from day one develops you as a person and player. Once you get the opportunity to play, you’re ready. It’s one of the best coaching staffs in the nation.”

Terrell said she didn’t think Lofton “was surprised at all” by his sudden success. She said his decision to leave early didn’t appear a difficult one for him.

“I don’t think it was as hard as it was when he was deciding to go to OSU or OU,” she said.

Lofton could not be reached for comment Monday night. But his grandmother said “he was very excited” when he told her the news “about a week ago” when he decided to go pro.

“I think he’d been thinking about it,” she said. “He told me, ‘Grandma, you be praying for me to make sure I make the right decision.’ I said, ‘OK, I sure will.’

“That’s really something,” she said. “Unbelievable.”

One thing Terrell said Lofton is excited about: helping rebuild God’s Covenant Church in Kingfisher, which was ruined by last summer’s flooding and had to be closed. She said wealth won’t change her or her grandson.

“I’ll still be the same,” she said.

“I think he will, too.”

John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com