PSU's Arrington Enters Draft

December 29, 1999 / 12:04 PM EST / AP

Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington said today he is giving up his senior year as expected and making himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Draft experts predict that Arrington will be among the top picks in the draft, with his teammate Courtney Brown and Florida State's Peter Warrick.

"I just think there's nothing left for me to prove at the college level," Arrington said. "I had a state title in high school and I would have loved to have had a national championship in college, but at this point I think it's time for me."

He made his announcement before a crowd of about 300 people at North Hills High School, where he was a prep star. Many of the trophies he won there were displayed, and video clips were played before Arrington made his announcement.

He had hemmed and hawed all season about whether to stay or go, but there seemed little doubt from the beginning that he would go a year early. Adoring fans as well as coach Joe Paterno had hoped he would stay. His departure further depletes a defense losing eight starters to graduation.

Either way, Arrington's parents, Michael and Carolyn, said they wanted him to get his degree in special education.

The 6-foot-3, 233-pound linebacker wows coaches and scouts, opponents and fans with spectacular plays, quickness and range so much so that some have called him the second coming of Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.

He never topped his amazing leap over center to snuff out a fourth-and-1 running play against Illinois in 1998.

But he had great moments in 1999, too: He sacked Purdue's Drew Brees, forcing a fumble, then plucked up the football and dashed in for the touchdown. Against hated Pittsburgh, he blocked the potential game-winning field goal with 4 seconds to play.

Coming out of pre-game taping rooms and leaving the field after games, coach after coach declared him the best defender in the nation.

In Penn State's 24-0 victory over Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl, Arrington had perhaps his most dominating game. He had 14 tackles and a sack, and three times harried Randy McCown into throwing interceptions. It had all the makings of a grand finale.

He finished the season with 72 tackles 20 for losses, nine of them sacks. He won first-team All-America honors for the second straight season, won the Butkus Award for the nation's best linebacker and took home the Chuck Bednarik Trophy for the best defensive player.

For all that, his relationship with Paterno never seemed close. He bristled when the coach relegated him to special teams for his freshman year, then, citing his undisciplined play, refused to start him in 1998's opener. Even after his play wowed everyone else, Paterno liked to say Arrington wasn't even the best linebacker at Penn State.

"Oh, I like LaVar," Paterno said Wednesday. "If you don't like LaVar you just don't like people. I've always just tried to calm him down a little bt because he is so emotional. You don't win with emotion alone. When discipline gives way to emotion you get troubles.

"Obviously, I hope he comes back, but I want him to do what's best for him," he said.