NORMAN, Okla. - Heisman Trophy winner Jason White has been granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA and will return to Oklahoma next season.
White, whose previous two seasons were cut short by knee injuries, surprised his team with the announcement during a team huddle at the end of practice.
"Anyone who has played college football will understand (my decision)," White said. "I had been leaning this way and just decided today that I am sure this is what I want to do. I really look forward to another year at Oklahoma."
White, listed as a senior, had shrugged off questions all year about whether he would return to Oklahoma for a sixth season or enter the NFL draft.
He repeatedly said he wouldn't reveal his decision until the end of the season, but changed his mind after getting the NCAA's approval Friday and consulting with his parents and coach Bob Stoops over the past two weeks.
"I talked with my parents and coaches and decided this is what I wanted to do," he said.
The No. 3 Sooners face No. 2 LSU Jan. 4 in the Sugar Bowl.
White is hoping to become the third quarterback to win the Heisman and the national title in the same season, joining Florida State's Charlie Ward (1993) and Florida's Danny Wuerffel
Title for Delaware
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Andy Hall led Delaware to its first NCAA Division I-AA championship, throwing two touchdown to David Boler in the Blue Hens' 40-0 victory over Colgate.
Delaware recorded the only shutout and biggest margin of victory in I-AA championship game history.
Hall, a transfer who left Georgia Tech in search of more playing time, was 12-of-20 for 183 yards and ran 12 times for 36 yards.
FLORIDA STATE: Fullback B.J. Dean is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a knee injury and is expected to play when the No. 9 Seminoles face No. 10 Miami in the Orange Bowl. Dean, who started nine games this season, missed the final two against North Carolina State and Florida with a torn knee ligament and broken leg.
GEORGIA: Receiver Michael Johnson and cornerback Kenny Bailey won't play in the Capital One Bowl because they failed to meet postseason eligibility requirements set by the SEC. The Bulldogs play Purdue Jan. 1.
GRAMBLING: Coach Doug Williams did not break rules when he held up a team jersey with suspended Ohio State star Maurice Clarett's number on it, the NCAA said. Williams said he had been expecting questions at the news conference about Clarett because Clarett family adviser and former NFL star Jim Brown had said publicly that he favored a transfer to Grambling for Clarett.
MIAMI: Safety Sean Taylor missed the second day of Orange Bowl practice with what coach Larry Coker called flu-like symptoms. The Big East defensive player of the year and first-team Associated Press All-America free safety led the team with nine interceptions and was third with 73 tackles.
PENN STATE: Joe Paterno, who will turn 77 on Sunday, is spending December in an unusual way - preparing for visits from his grandchildren. He's enjoying himself, yet he has no plans to retire. "I've coached undefeated football teams in the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s," Paterno said during a teleconference, his first comments to the media since Nov. 22, when Penn State finished a 3-9 season with a 41-10 loss at Michigan State. "We had a shot at the national championship in every single one of those decades. I want to do it for five decades."
SAN DIEGO: Former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh was hired as coach of the Division I-AA team.
