A Heisman Trophy and a college football national championship --both were in Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler's grasp, until yesterday.

The junior from Bryson City, N.C., decided to skip his senior season as a member of the Tennessee Volunteers and declared himself eligible for the NFL draft at a news conference yesterday in Knoxville, Tenn.

A little more than a week after he said his impending decision had two right choices and no wrongs, Shuler made his announcement yesterday saying that it had always been a dream of his to play in the NFL, and no matter how things work out for him, he believes he made the right decision.

It was the same positive attitude which he displayed after Tennessee's 31-13 loss to Penn State in the CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl Jan. 1. That game was supposed to be Shuler's showcase, where he would direct a Volunteer onslaught from which Penn State would not recover.

But on this New Year's Day, it was Penn State's grind-it-out offense that won out over the flashier Tennessee attack.

In fact, it was probably the worst defeat he had ever suffered in an orange-and-white uniform. For Heath Shuler, it wasn't supposed to happen like this.

He was the boy as all-American as apple pie, with movie-star good looks and the charm to melt the hearts of sixth-grade girls -- the Tennessee quarterback could seemingly do no wrong.

He fit right in among all the sights and attractions in Orlando -- Walt Disney World, EPCOT Center, Sea World. He was even born on New Year's Eve -- what could be more fitting, in the shadow of the Magic Kingdom, than that?

The Citrus Bowl was just a stop along the way to a lucrative professional contract; Orlando just another city to captivate with his personality, not to mention athletic ability.

But a funny thing happened on his way to the NFL.

Shuler had a bad day.

But how was that possible? Superstars don't have bad days, right? Especially not with five professional scouts in attendance.

His response to the critics: "I think that was probably one of the best games I've had all season long, as far as being on top and feeling good about throwing the ball."

OK, maybe he is perfect. For him to be able to see the positive aspect in an 18-point drubbing definitely requires the outlook of an eternal optimist.

He may be an eternal optimist, but he is human -- therefore, he is not perfect. At least he wasn't on this day. But it wasn't all his fault, the Penn State defense had a hand in that.

The Lion defense had the Heisman Trophy runner-up flustered all day long, and even dropped him for sacks on three occasions.

With all of the dropped passes and other offensive breakdowns the Vols were suffering, it would have been easy for a lesser man to blame his teammates for his own subpar performance -- but Shuler is not that man.

"I don't think I should ever get down," he said diplomatically. "I never got down on my players."

After the game, he never buried his head in the sand or ducked the media. He couldn't even take a seat in the media room after the game, the crowd of reporters forced him to stand on a chair in order to be seen or heard. He answered every question methodically, but with the eloquence that has become expected of him.

Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer said he admired Shuler's determination to not let the attention affect him on or off the field. That day, Fulmer probably had the best assessment of his star player's impending decision.

"Tennessee's football program will go on," Fulmer said, "one way or the other."

Unfortunately for Fulmer, it will go on without the charismatic yet conservative No. 21 guiding Tennessee's fortunes.

Some experts have predicted Shuler to go in the top five of the NFL draft in April, which suits him just fine. However, he insisted yesterday that money was never an issue -- further proof of his genuinely likeable nature. How can you not be behind a guy like this? He's just a down-home, good-natured kid who wants to live out his dream.

There's no doubt that the 22-year-old Shuler will go on to play for some NFL city, and captivate it with the same charm and vibrance as he did Orlando -- where, at times, it seemed as if the only person more beloved than Heath Shuler, was a mouse.