UA Sports

UA cornerback Cason will return for senior season

For Antoine Cason, the opportunity of a lifetime can wait. Cason, Arizona’s all-conference cornerback, announced Thursday that he will return for his senior season rather than enter the NFL Draft. Cason filed paperwork with the league last month to gauge teams’ interest, but has decided to go no further. Underclassmen must declare for the draft by Monday. Cason is coming off the best season of his career. As a junior, the Los Angeles native registered 62 tackles and grabbed three inceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown. Cason broke up seven passes, a team high. Cason filed preliminary paperwork with NFL following the season to gauge his spot in April’s draft but otherwise did not comment on his status. He called the NFL “the opportunity of a lifetime” in November, but hinted in the same interview that the pros could wait until after his senior season. UA coach Mike Stoops echoed that sentiment in the days following Arizona’s season. He said Cason could improve his earning potential - and climb into the first round - by staying for his senior year. “With Antoine, as great as he is, I think he can always play better and position himself better,” Stoops said. “I want to position him so he’s a first-rounder or second-rounder.” Not every UA player has taken the coach’s advice. Tailback Chris Henry decided last month to bypass his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. Henry was a backup for half of the 2006 season, but finished with strong showings against Washington State and Oregon. Henry said he was still upset with the coaching staff for benching him earlier in the season. Cason’s decision comes a day after Rob Gronkowski, the nation’s No. 4 tight end recruit, verbally committed to Arizona over Ohio State, Clemson and Syracuse. Gronkowski is expected to be the centerpiece of Arizona’s 2007 recruiting class. Read more about this story in Friday's Arizona Daily Star.