Montee Ball remembers vividly the first time he dreamed of playing in the NFL. Just 8 years old, he  walked in on his father watching a Broncos game. Ball saw Broncos RB Terrell Davis score a touchdown, after which he said to his dad, “So all the person with the ball has to do is carry it past the line? That is easy.”

During his junior season at the University of Wisconsin, Ball often made it look easy. As part of an offense that included Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Bengals OG Kevin Zeitler and Falcons OG Peter Konz, Ball produced one of the most prolific rushing seasons in college football history. He tied Barry Sanders’ single-season FBS TD record (39), in addition to piling up an NCAA-best 1,923 rushing yards as well as a number of esteemed awards, including consensus first-team All American and Graham-George Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He also was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award and Heisman Trophy.

Ball and the Badgers finished the 2011 season 11-3 and co-champions in the Big Ten, but they wound up losing their second consecutive Rose Bowl, 38-35 to Oregon. After receiving a third-round draft assessment from the advisory committee, Ball was faced with the biggest decision of his life up until that point.

“I was completely on the fence,” Ball said. “If I stayed, I would be able to get another year under my belt — get bigger, faster, stronger and really mentally prepare myself for the NFL, while also coming back to try to win another championship with my teammates.

“Obviously, with leaving, I had the opportunity to fulfill my dream ... so it was really tough,” he said.