Andre Ellington Staying at Clemson: Can He Convince Dwayne Allen to Stay, Too?

The Clemson Tigers had a successful season, starting off the year with eight straight wins.

And then it went all down hill.

Clemson lost four of their last six games and were destroyed by West Virginia in the Orange Bowl.

The good news is that this team is still extremely young and will have plenty of chances to build on last year's success.

The better news is that running back Andre Ellington will put the NFL draft on hold and return for his senior season.

Ellington rushed for over 1,000 yards last season and had 11 rushing touchdowns. He gave the Tigers a balanced attack, as they were mainly a passing team with quarterback Tajh Boyd and a plethora of speedy receivers.

Now that they have their star running back returning, can that convince tight end Dwayne Allen to do the same?

Allen would be considered the top tight end in the 2012 NFL draft and would likely be a first round pick.

He had his best season at Clemson in 2011 with 50 receptions for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. It appears his stock is as high as it's going to get.

And, with talented Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert returning to school, Allen's value in this year's draft improves.

Sources say that Allen has already made his decision and will enter the draft. It's probably the safest choice for him, considering he will be risking injury and hurting his draft projection if he does return for his senior year.

But there would be benefits in returning, as this Clemson team is extremely talented and could do even bigger things next season.

Allen does have something to think about now that Ellington is returning to school.

Regardless of what decision Allen officially makes, you have to believe that this Clemson team will be even better than they were last season.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]