DeSean: NFL decision today

EDIT 1:40 PM: DeSean Jackson has declared for the NFL. Listen to an audio recording of his Q&A with the media here (from Scout.com). Read ESPN’s article about his decision here. Good luck in the league, DeSean.

EDIT 12:15 PM: 45 minutes until Jackson’s announcement. In the meantime, here is a clip from the Chronicle:

It’s widely suggested that a player being assured a first-round selection should not risk injury with a return to college. …

“I don’t even get with that,” Bill Jackson said. “He could be like Brady Quinn, sitting there all day. Education is the most important thing to our family.”

Bill Jackson said he was under the impression that his message had resonated with his son.

“I really think he was leaning toward coming back to school,” he said. “If he was going to go (to the) draft, he would have to be working out. He’s been relaxed and hanging out with his partners.

“Of course, he blew my mind with his last decision. I thought he was going to SC.”

DeSean Jackson ranks third all-time at Cal in receiving yards (2,423) and receiving touchdowns (22) and sixth in receptions (162). He has 28 touchdowns in 36 games, including a school- and conference-record six punt returns for scores.

He has 52 career plays of 20 yards or more – 23 percent of his 226 touches – including a 40-yard touchdown reception in the Armed Forces Bowl. DeSean Jackson came off the bench from an undisclosed rules violation to catch five passes for 81 yards from backup Kevin Riley in Cal’s 42-36 comeback win over Air Force.

“With Riley’s performance, it’s going to be a really hard decision,” Jackson said after the Dec. 31 game. “I could come back and get like 100 catches. The way he played gives me something to think about.

At 1pm today, WR/PR DeSean Jackson will announce whether he intends to stay his senior year at Cal or declare as a junior for the draft. Throughout this past season, Jackson has been pegged as a definite first-round pick.

Today is the deadline for underclassmen like Jackson to make their decision — he has waited to literally the last minute to make his decision. Given this drawn-out delay, there might be some slight hope that Jackson will return. We’ll see in a few hours.