Montee Ball: Heisman Finalist Reportedly Returning to Wisconsin for Senior Year

Wisconsin running back Montee Ball had one of the best seasons of any player in the country in 2011. Despite receiving a third-round draft grade from our own Matt Miller, reports have surfaced on Sports Illustrated that say Ball will return to school for his senior season. 

The report is not confirmed yet, and Ball still has yet to make an official announcement. Erick Smith of USA Today reported on Tuesday that the 2011 Heisman finalist has made his decision but is waiting to formally say anything. 

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"Basically, I looked myself in the mirror and told myself what I needed to do for me, what I needed to do for my family and for my teammates," Ball said in the USA Today report. "And that's what it came down to."

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If Ball were to enter the draft, no one would blame him. His stock will likely never be higher than it is right now. He ran for 1,923 yards and 39 touchdowns this season, including 164 yards in Monday's Rose Bowl loss to Oregon. 

Ball has heard the speculation himself and addressed it on Twitter, but is still not making his intentions known yet.

He turned a lot of heads with his performance this year after all the problems he had in 2010. His work ethic improved dramatically, and that allowed him to put up the video game numbers he had this season. 

If Ball does return to Wisconsin for his senior season, he will join USC quarterback Matt Barkley at the top of the Heisman favorites list for 2012. In fact, you could argue that he is the head-and-shoulders favorite right now. 

We won't have to wait too much longer to hear Ball's official decision. According to Tammy Madsen of CBS Sports, he is going to announce it at some point Wednesday afternoon.

Badgers' fans might still be reeling from the loss to Oregon earlier this week, but if Ball does confirm these reports and return, they will get their spirits back and start looking ahead to next season. 

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