Pettigrew Staying For Senior Season

It's a safe bet to say that Zac Robinson is walking around the Oklahoma State campus with a smile on his face today. That's because the Cowboy quarterback knows that 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end Brandon Pettigrew has decided to return to OSU for his senior season after considering bypassing his final year of college to enter the NFL draft.

Pettigrew caught 35 passes for 540 yards and four touchdowns during the 2007 season, including a 39-yard scoring catch and run in the final four minutes of OSU's 41-39 victory over Kansas State.

"I feel like I've improved as a player every year I've been on campus," Pettigrew said in a news release distributed by the OSU Media Relations Office. "I want to continue to get better, and I want to keep working toward my degree in economics. One more year at OSU can only help me."

Pettigrew certainly isn't going to hear any argument from Robinson, Dez Bryant, Kendall Hunter, Keith Toston or any other returning player of the Cowboy offense. Nor, for that matter, Cowboy head coach Mike Gundy.

"Brandon is a great leader for our team -- on and off the field," Gundy said in the news release. "He will be as close as you can get to a 'can't miss' first rounder next year. It's also good to know he will leave here with a degree. It's exciting to know Brandon will be around in 2008."

Pettigrew has caught 70 passes in his collegiate playing career.

"I enjoy the atmosphere of college football and I want to remain a part of what's happening with Oklahoma State," he said in the release. "College years are a unique time in anyone's life and I want to enjoy them while I can.

"Our program is on the brink of reaching another level and I would like to do my part to help us reach that goal. Our coaching staff has done a great job of putting the pieces in place and I think 2008 could be a memorable season."