Auburn’s Fairley will enter draft

Lombardi Award winner Nick Fairley is skipping his senior season at Auburn to enter the NFL draft.

The potential No. 1 overall pick announced his decision Friday at his old high school, saying he didn’t make up his mind until that morning.

Fairley was the defensive MVP in the BCS title game against Oregon when he had a sack, three tackles for losses and forced a fumble. He also led the Southeastern Conference with 24 tackles for a loss and had a school-record 11.5 sacks.

Fairley said he had a long visit with Auburn coach Gene Chizik and defensive line coach Tracy Rocker in Auburn, then came home and talked with his parents.

• As expected, Washington running back Chris Polk will return to the Huskies for his junior season.

Polk is coming off the second-best season in Washington history, running for 1,415 yards. He capped his season with a career-high 284 yards in the Apple Cup against Washington State, then ran for 177 yards in the Huskies’ Holiday Bowl upset of Nebraska.

• John Brantley’s father says the Florida quarterback is staying for his senior season.

Brantley considered transferring after coach Urban Meyer stepped down last month.

Brantley completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,061 yards, with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season.