ASU's Redmond Will Stay In School

January 5, 1999 / 9:11 PM EST / AP

Arizona State tailback J.R. Redmond will stay in school instead of leaving for the NFL draft.

"I came in a winner in the '96 season and I want to leave a winner," he said Tuesday.

The Sun Devils went 11-0 in 1996 and won their second Pac-10 championship before losing to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Although they lost 15 players who made NFL rosters, Redmond was expected to help them contend again.

Instead, Redmond turned his ankle in the sixth game this year and never completely recovered, and Arizona State skidded to 5-6 in a season capped by a 50-42 loss to Arizona.

Redmond, mentioned as a Heisman Trophy contender before the season, ran for 649 yards of his 883 yards before the injury.

Redmond said he was staying with the Sun Devils in part because his coaches have been loyal to him.

"I didn't pass my SATs in high school and I went to a JC (junior college)," he said. "The coaches stayed with me. I want to get closer to graduating if not graduate."

Redmond, whose 214-yard game against Southern California when he was healthy is the ninth-best in Arizona State history, has been told he could be a second-round draft pick next April. He said he considered the potential loss of salary if he's injured again next year, dropping lower in the 2000 draft.

"The downside is you could get injured, he said. ``But these things happen, and you could get injured anyway."

Besides starting at tailback, Redmond also returns punts and kickoffs. He had 136 return yards against USC, setting a school record with 350 all-purpose yards.

He also hopes to broaden his play on the defensive unit this fall.

Redmond saw spot duty at safety and cornerback last spring and wanted to emulate Deion Sanders of the Dallas Cowboys, who sees duty on both sides of the ball. The experiment was delayed because of his hip and ankle problems this year.