Ohio State's Wells, 6 Teammates Pondering NFL

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Standout tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells has a tough decision to make.

If his coach were making the call on whether he should stick around for his senior season at Ohio State or jump to the NFL a year early, Wells would take the money and run.

"If it were me, it wouldn't be tough," coach Jim Tressel said of Wells' impending decision. "In my opinion, he ought to be one of the first five guys picked."

Wells wasn't available for the Buckeyes' Fiesta Bowl media day on Tuesday. There were reports that he drove a brother - he has 10 siblings - to the doctor's office.

Tressel confirmed that Wells is contemplating whether to come back for one more season at Ohio State. The coach said Tuesday that he told Wells to not even bother filling out the evaluation forms for the NFL, since the league knows what it will be getting based on the 2,700 yards Wells has gained the past two seasons with the Buckeyes.

Wells, who has 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns in 7½ games this season, is one of seven Ohio State juniors who are considering making the early jump into the NFL draft. The other six have all filed requests with the NFL to check where they might be taken in the draft.

The others are wide receiver Brian Hartline, defensive backs Kurt Coleman, Anderson Russell and Donald Washington, tight end Jake Ballard and offensive lineman Jim Cordle.

"There's a curiosity," Coleman said. "I feel like I've been along with such great people that they helped me raise my game to the next level. I just want to see what the next level thinks about me."

A year ago, 13 Buckeyes sent paperwork to the NFL requesting an assessment of the player's draft prospects. All 13 stayed except for defensive lineman Vernon Gholston, who was taken in the first round by the New York Jets.

Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, one of the returning players, said the easiest decision is to come back and play another year with your friends. But he conceded that finances and health could change things for Wells and the rest.

"If this was a pressure-free world and no one was pushing millions in his (Wells') face, then it would be a no-brainer for him to stay here," he said. "Unfortunately, it's not that easy."

For his part, Russell said he was in no hurry to make up his mind.

"I talked with my parents about it," he said. "They just told me they were going to support me no matter what happens, but I haven't thought about it at all."

Both players professed that they were focused only on the Fiesta Bowl game against Texas on Jan. 5 in Glendale, Ariz. Yet in the wake of lopsided losses in Bowl Championship Series title games the last two years, several players later said that Ohio State's juniors each year were distracted by the impending decision and that it hurt the Buckeyes on the field.

Wells has been asked several times this season about whether he intends to return for his senior season, and each time he has said he hasn't given it much thought.

He injured a foot in the Buckeyes' opener against Youngstown State and then missed the second half of that game and the next three games.

Wearing a special, heavier shoe for added reinforcement, he has come back to average 123 yards per game while scoring a total of eight touchdowns. As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,609 yards and 15 scores.

Tressel said Wells is about 85 percent healthy now and hopes to be 100 percent by the bowl game.

Wells did have to deal with one minor problem on Monday as the Buckeyes got into their first full week of bowl preparation. He and starting fullback Brandon Smith apparently did not have clearance from Ohio State for their appearance on "Fox & Friends."

"I guess we didn't properly fill out some paperwork or such, didn't talk to the right people," said Smith.

The players appeared on the program to talk about the religious-themed bracelets the Buckeyes wear.

As a penalty, Smith and Wells faced team sanctions that included running throughout a lengthy workout on Monday.

"It was a lot. It was a whole practice worth," Smith said with a grin. "We got a lot of sympathy from our teammates."

And from their coach. Tressel added, "Beanie looked a little sore this morning in practice."

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