Bradley Roby is coming back.
The Ohio State redshirt sophomore cornerback is returning to Columbus for his junior season after flirting with the possibility of declaring for the 2013 NFL Draft, according to multiple reports.
Roby, who was named an Associated Press second-team All-American and consensus All-Big Ten selection, played a considerable role on the defensive side of the ball during the Buckeyes’ undefeated 2012 season.
Under the director of coach Urban Meyer, OSU finished the year 12-0 and is currently ranked No. 3 in the AP’s top-25 poll.
Roby, who secured 63 tackles in addition to 17 pass breakups and two interceptions, will return to a defense that loses its starting defensive line, two of its starting linebackers, and fellow cornerback Travis Howard.
Roby’s teammate, junior defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, opted to forgo his senior year and enter the draft instead.
While Roby arguably played as consistently as any Buckeye throughout the season, perhaps his most notable game was against Nebraska on Oct. 6 when he recorded two interceptions, one of which he returned for a first-quarter touchdown to open the scoring. OSU went on to win, 63-38.
At practice the next week, OSU cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs told reporters that Roby would be a “first-round pick down the road.”
“A kid like Bradley, whose film study is extraordinary, hours and hours of film study, he’ll know his opponent. He understands the route that’s coming, he’s prepared for the ball when it comes and then you go to finish those plays,” Coombs said Oct. 8.
“He’s the guy that wants to make plays, that needs to make plays for our team to be successful.”
Roby’s decision will likely help solidify Meyer’s Buckeyes as one of the early favorites for the 2014 BCS National Championship.