California junior wide receiver DeSean Jackson said Tuesday he will enter the NFL draft. Jackson had 762 receiving yards and six touchdowns this season. He also averaged 10.8 yards and scored one touchdown on punt returns. Jackson, 5-feet-11, 172 pounds, has been tabbed at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Jackson had 1,060 receiving yards as a sophomore. He is projected as a first-round pick in the next NFL draft.

Mario Manningham will skip his senior season at Michigan to enter the NFL draft. "It was a hard decision, but after discussing it with my family it was the right one for me to make right now," Manningham said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press while driving home to Ohio. "I've heard I will be drafted in the first round because of the lack of depth at wide receiver." Manningham said he will work out in Cleveland while preparing for the April draft.

Arkansas junior running back Felix Jones plans to declare for the NFL draft at a news conference on Monday, two sources briefed on the decision said Sunday night. Jones and junior teammate Darren McFadden, each of whom topped 1,000 yards rushing this season, could both be taken in the first round of the next NFL draft. Jones listed at 6 feet, 207 pounds, averaged 8.7 yards per carry and scored 11 rushing touchdowns. He is also a proven threat as a returner.

West Virginia junior running back Steve Slaton said Sunday he will enter the NFL draft. "I just told my coaches," an emotional Slaton said. "This is hard for me. But my coaches that knew me best have left. And now it's time for me to leave." Slaton said he was projected by the NFL advisory committee as a second-round pick. "Some guys think I'm a step slow," Slaton said. "So I have to show at the combine that I'm not." Slaton said he wasn't able to consult with former West Virginia and current Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez on the decision, but did speak with his former position coach, Calvin Magee.

Tailback Darren McFadden, the University of Arkansas star runner who finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up in each of the past two seasons, will forego his final season of college eligibility and enter the 2008 NFL draft, ESPN.com has learned. Multiple sources said McFadden's father Graylon McFadden dispatched the appropriate paperwork to the NFL office early this week. The decision by one of the college game's most electrifying performers to leave school a year early and pursue a professional career was hardly unexpected. League and team officials, by policy, are precluded from commenting on underclass players who have petitioned for early draft entry until after the deadline for doing so has passed. The deadline is Jan. 15, and the NFL will release a full list of underclass prospects after that.

If Ohio State is to make a run for a third-straight appearance in the BCS championship game next season, some familiar stars will be there to help the cause. Brian Robiskie, the Buckeyes' top receiver, and star cornerback Malcom Jenkins will both return for their senior seasons. Jenkins' decision to return was reported by ESPN's Joe Schad. However, the Buckeyes will lose defensive end Vernon Gholston, who told Schad he will enter the NFL draft. Additionally, Jenkins said linebacker James Laurinaitis and linebacker Marcus Freeman are torn about returning to Ohio State or entering the NFL draft, Schad reported. Gholston surpassed Mike Vrabel's single-season school record with 14 sacks and was eighth on the team with 37 tackles. He is listed at 264 pounds and could be drafted in the first round.

James Davis, part of Clemson's "Thunder and Lightning" backfield the past two years, has decided to give up his senior season to enter April's NFL draft. "I can't lie to you, it was really hard for me just to leave here," Davis said Wednesday night after meeting with coach Tommy Bowden for about 30 minutes. "I've been thinking about it every day." Davis was projected as a third-round pick by the NFL and Bowden thought it was his player's best interest to remain one more season. "But I'm going to totally support the decision and I'm going to encourage him to come back and get his degree," Bowden said.

Central Florida's Kevin Smith, the nation's leading rusher this season, changed his mind and will turn pro, he confirmed Sunday night. Smith seriously challenged Barry Sanders' NCAA record of 2,628 rushing yards in a season but finished 61 yards short. The running back was hailed as a hero three weeks ago for deciding to stay in school to earn a degree and help build UCF's burgeoning program. "When I had the press conference a few weeks ago, that's how I felt then," Smith told the Orlando Sentinel. "I think people know with decision people know you're gonna go back and forth and change your mind until you realize what you really want to do. Two weeks ago I had every intention of going back and being a knight. My true supporters will understand and realize I'm doing what's best for me." Another season would have put Smith well within reach of former Wisconsin back Ron Dayne's NCAA career record.

Texas junior running back Jamaal Charles, who rushed for 1,619 yards this season, announced Wednesday he will leave the Longhorns to enter the NFL draft. Charles joined Ricky Williams, Earl Campbell and Cedric Benson as the only Longhorns to rush for more than 1,500 yards in a season. He had 161 yards and two touchdowns in Texas' Pacific Life Holiday Bowl win over Arizona State. The Longhorns finished 10-3.