UCF junior quarterback Blake Bortles will decide after the Knights' Fiesta Bowl appearance against Baylor whether to return for his senior season, his father told the Orlando Sentinel.
Bortles (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) is from Oviedo, an Orlando suburb, and he has filed paperwork with the NFL Draft Advisory Board seeking input on his draft stock, the Sentinel reported.
"I think Blake likes college," UCF offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe told the Sentinel. "I think he loves it here and don't know if he's ready just yet from a maturity standpoint whether he wants to take that next step."
UCF coach George O'Leary has said he expects Bortles to remain for his senior season. O'Leary met with Bortles and his family Sunday to talk about the decision.
Bortles has thrown for 3,280 yards, 22 TDs and seven interceptions, and he also has rushed for five scores.
If he does return to school, it would be to a UCF team that would return 18 starters off a squad that is 11-1 and headed to its first BCS appearance. If Bortles leaves, UCF's quarterback likely would be Justin Holman, a strong-armed true freshman who has seen mop-up duty in three games this fall, attempting 14 passes.
UCF has had one first-round pick in its football history, which began in 1979. Daunte Culpepper was the was the No. 11 overall pick by Minnesota in the 1999 draft. Among UCF's other NFL alumni are Brandon Marshall, Jah Reid, Asante Samuel and Josh Sitton.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
