Wide receiver Keenan Burton will forego this year?s National Football League draft and will remain at the University of Kentucky for his senior season, he announced at a news conference Friday afternoon at Memorial Coliseum.

Burton helped lead the Wildcats to an 8-5 record this season, capped by a win over Clemson in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. Burton enjoyed a stellar campaign, catching 77 passes for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns:

77 receptions ranked second in the Southeastern Conference, 14th in the nation, and was the fourth-highest single-season total in school history;

Burton joined Craig Yeast and James Whalen as the only Wildcats in school history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season;

12 TD receptions tied for the SEC lead and is second in school history for a single-season

Burton also averaged 24.7 yards on kickoff returns, third in the SEC, and included a 100-yard return for a touchdown at Louisville. He totaled 1,845 all-purpose yardage, the third-best single-season mark in UK history, and ranked second in the SEC in that category.

?I thought a lot about the decision that I had to make, and the factors that play into it, and I think that it would be in my best interest to return to the University of Kentucky next year to help build onto something great,? Burton said. ?I think it is going to be special and it will give me a chance to get my degree. I think we have a great running back returning, a great quarterback, and a great coach returning. I think right now is just not my time to go to the NFL and I just need to buckle down and play another season and have fun in whatever we do.?

?We?re thrilled that Keenan has decided to return and this means that almost all of our offensive production from our Music City Bowl season is returning, which bodes well for 2007,? Coach Rich Brooks said. ?Keenan has made a wise choice and will enhance his draft status as he continues to develop physically.?

Burton?s announcement follows the same decision made Wednesday by tailback Rafael Little, who opted to return to UK for his senior year. In addition, three other juniors who earned All-SEC honors in 2006 ? tight end Jacob Tamme, quarterback Andre? Woodson, and linebacker Wesley Woodyard ? chose not to explore their NFL options and come back for their senior seasons.

?We couldn?t have gotten much better news for next season and this shows their commitment to turning Kentucky football around,? Brooks said. ?I appreciate what they have done and are attempting to do to follow up this past season.?

Returning for his senior year also will enable Burton to enhance his position as one of the most outstanding players in Kentucky football history. He is fifth on the UK career list for pass receptions (123), fourth in career receiving yardage (1,635), fourth in career TD receptions (16), and second in career kickoff return average (26.6 yards per return).

The deadline for college juniors to apply for the NFL draft is Mon. Jan. 15.

Lots of Offensive, Defensive Production Returning for 2007: With this week?s decisions by Rafael Little and Keenan Burton to return to Kentucky, the Wildcats will have plenty of offensive and defensive production returning for the 2007 season. Here is the percentage of returning yardage in various categories:

Rushing: 96.3 percent of last year?s yardage is returning for 2007
Passing: 100 percent
Receiving: 99.2 percent
Punt Returns: 100 percent
Kickoff Returns: 100 percent
Scoring: 99.4 percent

Here are the percentages for returning production in some defensive categories

Tackles: 83.4 percent of last year?s tackles are returning for 2007
Tackles for Loss: 83.6 percent
Quarterback Sacks: 88 percent
Interceptions: 92.9 percent
Pass Breakups: 87.5 percent

IntaJuice North-South All-Star Game Set for Saturday: Head coach Rich Brooks, offensive coordinator Joker Phillips, offensive lineman Michael Aitcheson, center Matt McCutchan, and defensive end Durrell White are participating in the inaugural IntaJuice North-South All-Star Classic on Sat. Jan. 13 in Houston.

Brooks and Phillips will guide the offense for the North team and all three Wildcats are on that squad. The game will be televised by ESPN at noon EST. This is Brooks? 10th coaching appearance in an all-star contest, having participated twice in the Hula Bowl, East/West Shrine Game, Blue/Gray Game, and Japan Bowl, along with once in the Senior Bowl. This is Phillips? second all-star coaching appearance, as he was the winning head coach in last year?s Magnolia Classic.

The Wildcats are coming off an 8-5 season, capped by a win over Clemson in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. Aitcheson was a two-year starter in the offensive line and earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as a senior. McCutchan was a three-year regular at center, twice being named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week during his career. White was a four-year starter, totaling 153 tackles as a Wildcat, including 22.5 tackles for loss.

PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES – JAN. 12

Wide Receiver Keenan Burton

Opening statement ?

?First, I would just like to thank everybody for supporting me and helping me through this decision ? my mom, my dad, my brother, and the coaching staff. I thought a lot about the decision that I had to make, and the factors that play into it, and I think that it would be in my best interest to return to the University of Kentucky next year to help build onto something great. I think it is going to be special and it will give me a chance to get my degree. With that being said, I think we have a great running back returning, a great quarterback, and a great coach returning. I think right now is just not my time to go to the NFL and I just need to buckle down and play another season and have fun in whatever we do. I need to help Wes [editors note: junior linebacker Wesley Woodyard accompanied the Burton family to the news conference] to always get on the defense and make them better so they can make the offense better.?

On when he made the decision ?

?This morning. I decided probably about five o?clock this morning what I was going to do. I really didn?t get much sleep but then I decided and I knew I was making the right decision because then I got a lot of sleep.?

On if this was the toughest decision he has ever made ?

?Yes, that and figuring out which color blazer I was going to wear to the press conference (laughter from the audience). It is the toughest decision that I have ever had to make, it was pretty hard because nobody would help me, give me an answer or help me one way or another. I am just blessed to be in the situation that I am in. Like Coach Sanders (quarterbacks coach Randy Sanders) always told me, it really isn?t a bad situation to be in I just had to follow my heart and do what is in my heart. Whatever decision that I made it wasn?t going to be a bad decision, it was going to be a good decision.?

On if he was ever leaning one way or another ?

?I?ll be honest with you, I thought that I might come out every day leading up to today. I really feel adamant about pursuing a professional career but at the same time if you look at some different things, like the receivers coming out (junior receivers entering the draft), and you have to look at what you have coming back next year. We did something special last year but at this point in time, I feel like we can do something special again this year. My biggest issue is being a team player and understanding that I have helped start something and it is time to finish it. I also had to understand that at this point in time it wasn?t about us, it was about me and I am just not that type of player who thinks like that. I think that was the biggest issue (trying to make an individual decision instead of a team decision).?

On if having an experienced team returning influenced his decision ?

?It was. Andre? (quarterback Andre? Woodson) and I have talked a lot. He has been there for me the whole time, through the whole process and made me really feel like he needed me and we could be something special here. It is easy, especially when you have the same coaches coming back and when you have a running back like Rafael (Little) coming back, it makes the process a whole lot easier.?

On how his friend Louisville running back Michael Bush, influenced his decision ?

?I talked to him almost every day about the situation. A lot of people were speculating and saying things like, ?I am going to leave because he leaves?, or ?I was going to do this because he did it? and one thing that he told me what that I am a different person then he is. My reasons for leaving or staying are totally different from his reasons. I was there in-person and saw what happened to him when he hurt his leg. When he came back (for his senior year), it didn?t really turn out to be a good thing, and that doesn?t necessarily mean that is going to happen to me. God has a different way of dealing with people and I am different from every body else. Him leaving (Bush not coming back for a fifth year) kind of tempted me because we came in to high school together, we came into college together. But I don?t play for Louisville, I play for Kentucky and what he is doing is not what I need to be doing. It is what I want to do and what I feel like is best for me.?

On how the NFL committee projected him as a draft selection ?

?My grade was third round. I felt at the time that I was happy with that. I was happy getting (projected to be) drafted on the first day. My whole thing was sliding, I didn?t want to slide. Nothing is guaranteed, it is not even guaranteed that I will be drafted next year but at the same time I feel like the best business decision that I could have made was to come back to school. I feel like I have a better opportunity to become a higher draft pick, if I return to school. Playing football is what I love doing. I am pretty sure I could have left and made a lot of money this year but I just want to play football, that is the only thing I have ever done and that is the only thing I ever want to do, I just love playing football. I got to say I love going to school, because my mother is sitting right here (laughter from audience). This is just what I do, it is in my blood and that is all I ever want to do, to do it in college, and to do it in the NFL. I am happy to play football and I know for a fact that this was just the best decision that I could made.?

Kentucky Quarterbacks Coach Randy Sanders

Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks is coaching the IntaJuice North-South All-Star Game in Houston and could not be at the news conference. However, UK quarterbacks coach Randy Sanders was in attendance at the news conference and here are his quotes.

On having 99.2 percent of UK?s receiving yards and 100 percent of UK?s passing yards return for 2007 ?

?Obviously, it gives you a good place to start. It give you a guy coming back who had 77 catches and having one guy out there that can do what Keenan can do makes all the other receivers much better. Andre? is probably the happiest guy in Lexington right now and my wife is probably the second happiest because she had been wearing me out about what Keenan was going to do. It gives you a chance. Last year we had a good year, a really good year, but last year is over, we have to start building for this year and that is always one of the challenges — to put a good year behind you and go on to the next one.?

On Keenan?s return from a leadership perspective ?

?To me, as much as Keenan does on the field, it is the things that he does on the practice field and off the field that probably make him more valuable. He is very, very team-oriented and I think if you listen to his comments you can hear that. He is very team-oriented and I think one of the things that made the decision tough was that he had to look at it from a selfish standpoint and he is not that way at all.?

On if Keenan was leaning one way or another during the process ?

?I am sure there were times that he was leaning that way [towards leaving]. But I thought he was coming back the whole time. The one thing that I told Keenan was that you have to do what is in your heart, there is no way of knowing with a draft grade, you just don?t know. I have dealt with enough people that had been drafted that were supposedly a third rounder that went in the first round and first-round picks who went in the third or fourth round. So, there is no way of knowing what is going to happen because there are so many variables that go into the draft. But just knowing Keenan and being around him, I thought he really enjoyed – obviously he wants to play in the NFL – but I think he really enjoyed what was going on here. I think he enjoys college football and this is the last opportunity he will ever have to play college football.?

On how the younger generation is affecting the NFL ?

?You know each team is probably going to carry five wide receivers, there?s 32 teams, so what you have to be one of the best 160 wide receivers in the world to make it in the NFL. I don?t have any doubt that Keenan can do that but it is a pretty competitive situation. When you get five, six, seven-year veterans and he comes in trying to take their job, they are not always very helpful. It is very much a business there and I know just from talking with Peyton (Manning) when he made his decision, part of it was just college football and having one more chance to play in what truly is a team game and not so much a business, and just enjoy that atmosphere. I hope Keenan enjoys next year as much as he enjoyed this year.?