Maurice Evans said he doesn't have any rifts with coach Joe Paterno, he enjoyed his college years, his academics were in order and financial considerations weren't a factor in his decision to enter April's NFL draft.
His reasoning was more simplistic.
Evans thinks he's ready for the next phase of his career.
"I wish I could have stayed at Penn State," Evans said outside Holuba Hall after competing in Penn State's Pro Day, which saw representatives from every team and Carolina Panthers coach John Fox visit. "I love Penn State. But I felt I'm ready to play in the league. I know I'm ready to play in the league, so I had to take that next step."
Evans' departure left questions linger. No conference call discussing his decision was arranged, and confirmation of Evans' choice came only when he didn't withdraw his name from the NFL draft before the deadline.
His comments Wednesday represented the first time Evans offered much insight into his rationale.
"I'm happy with the decision I made to leave," Evans said. "I know I'm ready. If I want to get better, I've got to move on to the next level, which is the NFL. I took the leap."
He took the leap after an unexpectedly substandard season. He finished with 34 tackles and three sacks after 21.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks as a sophomore, and off-the-field issues contributed to the decline.
Police said they found Evans and defensive tackle Abe Koroma in possession of a small amount of marijuana, and Paterno suspended Evans for three games.
Evans was placed on Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Feb. 2, and though he didn't discuss much about what happened in his apartment that night, Evans said he used the situation to watch the company he keeps.
"I just needed to be a little more smarter about the things I see and the situation I put myself in," Evans said. "I just watch things a little more and observe things a little more."
His stock dropped further with a poor showing at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. The player who the advisory board recommended would be a second- or third-round pick was seen as a likely undrafted free agent after a 40-yard dash time that was 24th out of 28 defensive ends and 17 repetitions on the bench press, at least four fewer than any other end.
Evans improved substantially in the 40 with a time in the high 4.6 to low 4.7 range -- the same time ranked among the three fastest ends at the combine -- and he broke 20 on the repetitions of the bench press with 22.
He trained in Lancaster before the combine but shifted to Nashville afterward for more speed training, and Evans smiled widely after his showing Wednesday.
But he also seemed to recognize the reality of where he could be drafted.
"If I'm not drafted as high and I have to work for that second contract," Evans said, "that's just going to make me a better football player. That's going to be my motivation."
Aaron Maybin, whose path to an All-American season was cleared by Evans' suspension, trained with Evans in Lancaster.
He spoke with almost as much enthusiasm about Evans' performance as his former teammate.
"You're always happy to see teammates do well, especially someone like Maurice, who's been through so much," Maybin said. "For him to come in and have the type of workout he had today, I'm really proud of him. I'm really excited for him."
