Two-time All-America linebacker James Laurinaitis will stay at Ohio State for his senior year.

"After a long thought process and strategic evaluation of the pros and cons of this decision with my close family and friends, I've decided to stay at Ohio State," Laurinaitis said in a statement issued by the school.

Laurinaitis, a 6-foot-3, 244-pounder from Hamel, Minn., won the 2007 Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and the 2006 Nagurski Award as the top defensive player in college football.

The Big Ten defensive player of the year this past season, he set a BCS championship game record with 18 tackles against LSU in the Buckeyes' 38-24 loss, their second consecutive national title game loss.

Laurinaitis, the son of WWE professional wrestler Animal from the Legion of Doom, led the Buckeyes with 121 tackles for the season.

Most NFL draft projections have pegged Laurinaitis as a high first-round draft pick. During Ohio State's preparations for the game with LSU he had batted away questions about what he would do next season.

"I know I can still improve as a player, and I know there is still much more to me and for the Buckeyes to accomplish," he said. "I want to stay a Buckeye for another season. You only get to do this once, so I want to take full advantage."

The deadline for third-year players to declare their intentions is today.

TENNESSEE

COACH PUNISHES THREE FOR HAVING MARIJUANA

Three Tennessee football players caught with marijuana in their car during a traffic stop will have to perform community service and face more frequent drug testing as part of the discipline coach Phillip Fulmer handed down yesterday.

Wide receivers Gerald Jones and Ahmad Paige were cited Friday for misdemeanor drug possession. No charges were made against backseat passengers, defensive tackle William Brimfield and visiting recruit Jameel Owens from Oklahoma.

But Fulmer decided after meeting with them yesterday to discipline all three 18-year-olds.

TURNING PRO

Oklahoma: Linebacker Curtis Lofton will skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Lofton, the Sooners' leading tackler last season, is the team's second junior to declare for the draft this year, joining receiver Malcolm Kelly. Lofton had 157 tackles in 2007, the sixth-best total in school history.

Michigan: Receiver Mario Manningham confirmed yesterday he will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Manningham said he will work out in Cleveland while preparing for the April draft. Manningham is a potential first-round pick after catching 72 passes for 1,174 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

Florida State: Junior quarterback Xavier Lee has left Florida State and entered the NFL draft. Lee was 2-4 in six starts during his Florida State career. He was suspended during the season for academic reasons and did not accompany the Seminoles to Nashville, Tenn., last month for their Music City Bowl loss to Kentucky.

ELSEWHERE

Oklahoma State: Former Oklahoma State football player Chris Collins was sentenced to 10 years of probation by a Texas judge yesterday for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl. The jury in New Boston, Texas, had recommended five years' probation. The 20-year-old player pleaded guilty Nov. 7 to an aggravated sexual assault charge. He was one of four men charged following an after-prom party in 2004, when he was 17.

Mississippi: Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom received a two-year contract extension yesterday. The extension pushes Croom's contract to four years, the longest allowable under state law, and runs through 2011. Financial terms were not released. After nine wins in three seasons, Croom led the Bulldogs to an 8-5 record this season.

Virginia Tech: Cornerback Victor "Macho" Harris has apparently changed his mind and decided to return to school for his senior season instead of entering the NFL draft. Harris sent a text message yesterday to Virginia Tech defensive backs coach Torrian Gray, informing him about his reversal, Gray told the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch.