Cowboy Junky said:
Senior year lasts one season. Rookie contracts lasts four. Four years is three years longer than one year. You're more likely to get hurt in the NFL then you are in college. You'll have four years to go without getting injured. You're more likely to fail during that four years and end up a bust.
If you enter the draft in the first or second round you can make 5-30 million. If you enter after the third, you'll make 2 million over four years, and that number is smaller the later you go.
If Hill gets hurt his senior year, he'll still get drafted in the lower rounds. If he succeeds, he can make the top three rounds of the draft and secure his families future for life.
If he goes this year and ends up getting drafted later than the third, then he gets his 2 million, and he has a much higher chance of never getting a 5-30 million dollar contract.
NFL scouts are going to convince him to go now so they can get paid now, but trying to get into the top 3 rounds of the draft is the lowest risk proposition for his family getting rich quick. Getting drafted low this year gets you 2 million, but then you have to survive four years of NFL abuse before you have a chance to get a contract as big as you would if you stayed and got drafted in the first three rounds.
There's risk in every plan, but if I'm Hill, and my name is likely to be in the Heisman converstation, and challenging for a top 10 all-time rushing mark in college football, I take the stats that will likely make me a top 3 round pick, and risk getting injured, which leaves you in the same position you're in right now, even if you do get injured.
I think he's staying this year.
I'm not sure how much you actually know about NFL contracts, particularly rookie contracts. I'd encourage you to look at the info DVDA posted as well as do some light reading on the subject matter. You're kind of using your opinion as fact.
Let's start with some basic facts. The only major difference in being a 3rd round pick vs. a 7th round pick is in the signing bonus. ALL rookie contracts (except first rounders who get a 5th year team option) are non-guaranteed 4 year contracts in the 2.4 mil range. All rookie contracts are basically set-up before they're even signed under the new CBA from 2011. What does that mean? It means that in order for the contract to actually mean something, you have to make the 53 man roster. The team can cut you without a financial liability to you or the team basically at any time. If you don't make the roster the contract means nothing. NFL players salary is paid during the season in "game checks." They get a check every game week being on the roster.
Let's look at another fact. The average NFL player's career last 3 years, for RBs that figure is probably lower. That means most players don't play past their first non-guaranteed rookie contract, as they run 4 years.
I've seen some things saying Brian Hill could maybe be as high as a 4th to as low as 7th round pick. Let's cut the difference and say he's a 5-6th round pick this year. Do we really think he's going to play himself into the top 2 rounds even if he runs for 2000 yards next year? I personally don't think so. If you think he has a chance to crack the top 2 rounds then your argument for staying makes more sense, as that's where guaranteed contracts start, but the NFL now, more than ever places little value on the RB position. I don't see it, if you do then OK then. His true challenge is going to be to make the 53 man roster for that contract to mean anything, AND he's going to have to do that every freaking year. Even if he makes it in year 1, if he doesn't in year 2 it's back to square one. He will still be competing with this years class, and next years, and all other RBs already in the NFL and the ones to come for roster spots.
His name is not "likely" to be in the Heisman conversation. Pumphrey's name was never seriously mentioned in any Heisman conversation, and you say it's because he was shut down the last 3 weeks and Brian Hill won't be? How do you know? He was shut down in the MW title game. We'd need to beat Oregon and Iowa with him going off in both games. If you think that's "likely" well then good for you. I'd consider it maybe "possible" but "likely" is too strong.
The real key in this conversation is you have to steer it away from this "get rich quick, take care of your family for generations" mentality that you're framing the conversation through. For the vast, vast majority of NFL players, playing in the NFL doesn't set them up for life, they maybe get to kick start their adult lives with a couple extra hundred thousand (which is nothing to sneeze at) if they're able to stick around for a year or two. It's about simply taking advantage of that and getting what you can, WHILE YOU CAN. Maximizing your earnings while you can. You cant be assuming so many things about your senior year, (i.e. that you will "likely" be in the Heisman race, that you will set NCAA records, that your team will be as good as this year, that you won't get hurt). None of those things are guaranteed or in some maybe even likely.