McCutcheon Says He Will Return for Senior Season

Cornerback Daylon McCutcheon has told the Trojans he will return for his senior season.

“He’s coming back,” assistant coach Dennis Thurman said. “We had a nice conversation and he’s comfortable. We talked about it. He was wavering before, but deep in his heart he wanted to come back, and he knew it was the right thing and best thing for him to do.”

McCutcheon couldn’t be reached for comment but said after the season he believes he has the potential to be a first-round NFL draft pick and “it would be stupid if I left this year and was going to be a third- or fourth-round pick.”

After being projected as a preseason All-American, McCutcheon failed to make the All-Pacific 10 team this season after a disappointing year in which he had only two interceptions and broke up only seven passes.

However, he made a splash on offense late in the season, scoring on an 18-yard touchdown run against Stanford and finishing the season with three catches for 41 yards and three carries for 26 yards.

“We’ll set out to see if we can make him the next Charles Woodson,” Thurman said, referring to Michigan’s Heisman Trophy winner. “He has similar-type talents and the ability to do a lot of things. We got a taste of it this year.”