Harvin leaves; Spikes to stay

GAINESVILLE - Two national championships was enough for Florida's Percy Harvin. Teammate Brandon Spikes wants a third.Harvin on Thursday announced he was forgoing his senior season at Florida to enter the NFL Draft. Spikes said he was coming back, which means Florida's entire starting defense will return for the 2009 season."I will have a lot of great memories from my time at Florida, but the championships we won in 2006 and 2008 will be at the top of my list," Harvin said. "When it is all said and done, I wanted to win. I wanted to be a part of championship teams. We did that at Florida and I had a great group of coaches, teammates and medical and strength staff that helped make that happen."Harvin (5 feet 11, 195 pounds) is one of the most dynamic players in school history. He caught 133 passes for 1,929 yards and 13 touchdowns, and ran 194 times for 1,852 yards and 19 touchdowns. He averaged 11.6 yards per touch and 9.5 yards per carry.Harvin averaged 108.7 all-purpose yards per game and scored a team-high 17 touchdowns this season (10 rushing, seven receiving). His final game was one of his best - 171 all-purpose yards and one touchdown in UF's 24-14 victory over Oklahoma in the BCS national championship game.His 32 touchdowns are the most ever for a UF receiver, and he is the only player in school history to surpass 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game (against Vanderbilt in 2007).In UF's 38-28 victory over Arkansas in the 2006 Southeastern Conference championship game, Harvin had 167 all-purpose yards (105 rushing) and two touchdowns to earn MVP honors."Percy is the most dynamic player I've ever coached and can change the game on any given play," UF coach Urban Meyer said. "He has the best first step I've ever seen and his ability to plant his foot and go is unmatched."Harvin is projected as a first-round draft pick, but there are concerns about his durability. He missed five games in his three seasons because of hamstring and ankle injuries, a stress fracture and migraines, and was limited in several other games because of injuries.Spikes' decision to return was expected by the coaching staff. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound linebacker - who was projected as a second-round pick at best - had said several times that quarterback Tim Tebow's decision would heavily influence his. Tebow on Sunday announced he was going to return.The two first met on a recruiting trip to Alabama and are close friends. Spikes has said the reason he came to Florida was to play with Tebow.Spikes considered leaving early because of his brother, Breyon Middlebrooks, who is serving a life sentence without parole after being convicted of first-degree murder during a drug deal in 2001. Spikes wants to use the money he would receive from his first NFL contract to hire an attorney to help his brother, whom he believes was wrongly convicted."It was a tough decision for me and my family," Spikes said. "I just felt like it was the right choice to come back. I love the coaching staff and my teammates and I look forward to playing another year in front of the best fans in America."Spikes was an All-American and first-team all-SEC selection this season, leading the Gators with 93 tackles. He also had four interceptions, returning two for touchdowns. He has 239 career tackles."He was the heart and soul of our defense this year," Meyer said. "He was the quarterback of our defense and set the tone in many of our victories."Spikes' return means the Gators will return every player on their two-deep depth chart on defense. Florida likely will start next season with a No. 1 ranking.michael.dirocco@jacksonville.com,(904) 359-4500