Audio: Listen to Sam Bradford announce his decision to stay at OU.

Sittler blog: Sam Bradford made a gutsy decision.

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NORMAN — Sam Bradford is part quarterback, part finance major and all Sooner.

The University of Oklahoma quarterback on Wednesday answered the question all OU fans have asked for three months: will he be back next year?

Absolutely, Bradford said, and with a certain degree of satisfaction.

"Looking at it, I've dreamed about playing at Oklahoma since I was little," Bradford said during a press conference at Memorial Stadium. "And my three years here have been probably three of the best years of my life, and I really feel that there's no need to cut this experience short. And I'm really looking forward to coming back and competing for a fourth straight Big 12 championship and another opportunity at a national championship."

As reported Wednesday on tulsaworld.com, Bradford turns down the opportunity to enter the NFL Draft, where it's likely he would have been a first-round pick. Draft analysts have suggested he could have gone as high as the No. 1 overall pick or at worst the first quarterback chosen. Matt Ryan, the first quarterback taken last year (No. 3 to Atlanta), signed a $72 million deal, with $34 million guaranteed.

But Bradford's perceived predraft stock seemed to dip in the week since OU's loss to Florida in the BCS national championship game. One report had him going between the 10th and 20th picks. Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco was the 18th pick last year and got a $30 million deal, with $8.75 million guaranteed.

Also, the entries of juniors Matthew Stafford of Georgia (last week) and Mark Sanchez of USC (Wednesday night) may push Bradford further down.

So Bradford, who carries a 3.95 GPA in finance, figured there could be far more money on the table next year if he returned to OU, played well, continued to mature and added some muscle to his slender frame.

That, plus he just adores being a Sooner.

"I just think knowing that if I left, I'd be leaving a lot of teammates, a lot of guys that I've become really close to," he said. "I think the ability for me to spend another year with them is really behind coming back."

Bradford also revealed that two of his offensive teammates, tight end Jermaine Gresham and tackle Trent Williams, are returning for their senior season. (Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said Monday he was coming back.) The deadline for underclassmen to announce is Thursday night at midnight.

"With them coming back I feel like we are going to be very solid on offense again," Bradford said. "I think that's one of the strong points of this program, that we're able to replace players every year."

After Bradford's time at the podium, head coach Bob Stoops, back from the American Football Coaches Association convention in Nashville, was visibly cheerful.

"Obviously it makes our team stronger, with that experience and that kind of talent back for another year," Stoops said. "But I think also it sends, hopefully, a clear message to other young guys out there that these guys value their experience in college. They value their education."

Stoops talked about three juniors who left early last season — Malcolm Kelly, Curtis Lofton and Reggie Smith — and were all drafted lower than they were projected. He also talked again about the case of Jammal Brown, who returned from a 2004 second-round projection as a junior and, as a senior, became the first lineman drafted in 2005. Stoops said Brown made nine times more money — and won the Outland Trophy — by playing his senior year at OU.

"You can speculate all you want," Stoops said. "Sometimes there's some obvious guys that you can be correct about. But overall, I think rarely does the TV monitor have it like it happens."

Bradford's father, Kent, said he expected the family would purchase an insurance policy in the event his son sustains a major injury next season, although he admitted it hadn't been discussed yet.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Kent Bradford said.

Sam Bradford acknowledged a large degree of uncertainty with the whole thing. For instance, last week he was ranked No. 1 on Scouts Inc.'s Top 32, while this week he was No. 9. Who knows what his position would be when the draft unfolds April 25-26?

"Nothing's for certain," he said. "Everything you hear today is just speculation. "

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper told the World on Tuesday that his concerns about Bradford — that his success was largely a product of the talent around him, and that he didn't know how good Bradford truly was under a heavy pass rush — were played out in the Sooners' national championship game loss to Florida.

"When he got harassed in the pocket, he wasn't quite as good as he had been. He looked a little bit like a deer in the headlights at times," Kiper said. "He had two losses when they pressured him. He lost two games when they got some heat on the quarterback. He lost to Texas and he lost to Florida."

Bradford said the loss to Florida played "a little bit" in his decision, but he tried to take emotion out of it. "It's frustrating to end on a loss," he said. "I want to come back and finish my career the right way, on a win."

Bradford said he made up his mind on Tuesday night.

"I did go back and forth," he said. "I really didn't put much thought into it before the national championship game, so there was a lot of information to comprehend, especially in a short amount of time. There were a lot of things that I thought about, and I did go back and forth several times. I feel like this is where my heart is. This is where I want to be."Major OU records held by Sam Bradford

Single game

Single season

Career

Efficiency expert

SAM I AM

Major OU records held by Sam Bradford

Single game

Touchdowns: 5 (tied, multiple times)

Completion percentage: .913 (21-of-23, North Texas, 2007)

Single season

Touchdowns: 50 (2008)

Completion percentage: .695 (2007)

Career

Touchdowns: 86

Completion percentage: .679

THEY’RE BACK

A look at the four underclassmen who have announced they’re returning to play at Oklahoma next season:

QB Sam Bradford: After winning the Heisman this season, Bradford was a first-round lock. Instead, he’ll return to direct college football’s most prolific offense and own the rest of Josh Heupel and Jason White’s records.

TE Jermaine Gresham: Gresham was on several All-American lists and was a finalist for the Mackey Award. He’d have likely gone in the first round. Now he’ll chase Mark Clayton’s career record for TD catches.

DT Gerald McCoy: As an All-American and arguably the Sooners’ best defensive player, McCoy played his way into the first round. Instead, he’ll be the cornerstone of an OU defense that returns nine starters.

OT Trent Williams: The most athletic of OU’s powerful offensive line this season, and the most efficient blocker up front, Williams might have climbed into the first round. Next year, he’ll anchor a rebuilt O-line as the only returning starter.