Last week quarterback Clayton Thorson said he would wait until after the Dec. 29 Music City Bowl to decide whether to return to Northwestern for a fifth season or give the NFL a shot.
Things change quickly.
"I want to play another season alongside the guys I've battled with for these last three years, and win a Big Ten championship," Thorson said in a release Tuesday. "That's what I came here to do."
Thorson's 26 wins as the starting quarterback are the most in NU history. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder ranks second in program history in passing yards, completions and total offense.
He had a solid if unspectacular 2017 season, completing 60.6 percent of his passes with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Before Thorson's announcement, an NFL scout told the Tribune he projected Thorson as a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft.
"He continues to take baby steps," the scout said, "but he has not taken the leap people expected him to take. He has an NFL arm and an NFL body. He has the physical skill set to become a high-end NFL player, but he is not there yet. He should continue to play football (at Northwestern) rather than be a No. 2 or 3 (for an NFL team)."
NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said last week he thought Thorson had "a great year."
"There are some throws he'd love to have back, like our team would," Fitzgerald said.
