On Sunday, head coach Bobby Bowden said he thought that Ponder is "leaning on staying no matter what."
According to Ponder, though, that may be far from the case.
Ponder was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel as saying he will consider moving on from Tallahassee and the college game after the season, but has in no way made up his mind one way or the other.
"Obviously after the season, I'll take an evaluation (from the NFL) and see what happens and make a decision after that," he said. "I see myself playing here next year, but we'll see what they say and what happens. There's a chance of either way."
The evaluation Ponder refers to is the NFL's Draft Advisory Board. The group, mainly made up of NFL executives along with other scouting entities, considers any draft-eligible player who submits a request for an evaluation, then issues a verdict on where they may fall in the next NFL draft.
Needless to say, what these evaluations tell Ponder will go a long way in determining what the quarterback will do with his football future. If he's projected as a first rounder, given what's happened to Sam Bradford this season, there seems to be a very good chance that he could make the jump.
And the odds of Ponder being projected in the first round increase exponentially each time he steps on the field and tosses up the numbers he has in 2009.
