LB Claiborne To Leave USC

USC linebacker Chris Claiborne, the 1998 Butkus Award winner, said Tuesday he will skip his senior season and declare himself eligible for the NFL draft in April.

Claiborne won the Butkus Award as the nation's top college linebacker and was a unanimous All-America choice after leading the Trojans to an 8-5 record and a berth in the Sun Bowl. A three-year starter, Claiborne led USC with 128 tackles in 1998, including seven for losses, and six interceptions.

He said the only thing that has eluded him was playing in the Rose Bowl, but that alone wasn't enough to persuade him to return.

"There's a little bit of unfinished business at SC, but I'm ready for a new challenge," Claiborne said. "I did everything I could for this university. I'm ready to step up to a new level."

Claiborne's announcement came as no surprise. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Pacific-10 Conference defensive player of the year had talked during the season about leaving early.

He said he didn't make a final decision until after an hour-long meeting with USC coach Paul Hackett on Monday.

"We talked over every option, and I mean every option," Claiborne said. "We have a lot of good players coming up here. It's not like I'm leaving USC all alone."

Junior wide receiver R. Jay Soward, Claiborne's teammate and boyhood friend, said he would return for his senior season.

He caught 44 passes for a team-high 679 yards and six touchdowns in 1998, but was hampered by a late-season ankle sprain.

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