It looks like it will be at least until Monday before there is an official word.
McCoy’s parents, Ron and Daphne, and brother, LeRon, accompanied him to the meeting at Pitt’s Duratz Athletic Complex on the South Side. Afterward, LeRon McCoy said his brother was overwhelmed by the gravity of the decision and will wait until next week to make up his mind.
“We had a great meeting, and coach Wannstedt put the options on the table,” said LeRon McCoy, who has spent three seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver. “LeSean is going to take some time to think about what he wants to do. It’s a very hard decision.”
…
“Coach Wannstedt is very supportive of LeSean in everything he does,” LeRon McCoy said. “It’s more about what he thinks is the best option for him. LeSean wants to make sure his decision is the right one.
“He’s going to use the time available to do that.”
It’s good that McCoy is taking his time. He does have that choice, but it really seems that he is still leaving.
McCoy still is expected to declare for the NFL draft. But the meeting gave Wannstedt the opportunity to sit with him, and the two were able to hear each other’s thoughts.
And while Wannstedt is hoping for McCoy to have a change of heart and return, it is clear those within the program already have begun moving forward as if McCoy, who has two years of eligibility remaining, is not going to be back. The most telling sign is that McCoy has not been on campus all week despite the fact classes began Monday.
Wannstedt spent the week recruiting in New York and New Jersey and said yesterday was the first time he and McCoy and his family had a good chance to have an open discussion about the subject. This weekend is a big weekend for recruiting, and the team is playing host to 14 recruits on their official visits.
“We had a lengthy meeting and tried to talk through the pros and cons of staying and leaving, and I tried to present him with some facts and truth, more than anything else,” Wannstedt said. “He is going to go home and sleep on it over the weekend, and I think he’ll have a definite decision the first of next week.”
[Emphasis added.]
Missing the first week of class to think about it isn’t a killer, but it doesn’t help.
It’s no surprise that Coach Wannstedt was completely neutral on the issue other than to be supportive of whatever he does. There’s no other way to handle it. All you can do is present the facts and back the player.
“My role as the head coach is that I make a commitment to these kids that I want to see everyone of them graduate and I want to see everyone of them get in the NFL if they have the ability. That is the commitment I made to him, and I stand by it.”
Wannstedt said he hopes that McCoy comes back, but he is not going to let McCoy’s decision change the way the Panthers prepare for next season.
“To continue on here, our focus is to win a Big East championship,” Wannstedt said. “I made that very clear. I told him ‘I love you and as much as I want you back, we’re moving forward, and [if you decide to stay], you better be ready to go to work.’ It is about the team.”
Not that anyone was or is questioning McCoy’s work ethic. It’s not just about how many underclassmen are coming out, and how deep the draft is at running back. It’s about what McCoy wants to do. Is he ready to make football the full-time job? Does he want to go play in the NFL now? Or does he want to stay at Pitt for a little longer, playing college football and still have a little time for a life?
Panthers fans who do anything in response but appreciate his two magical seasons at Heinz Field and wish him well in the NFL are missing the point. So are those who fear that the program has been suddenly torpedoed by McCoy’s likely departure.
The No. 1 issue at Pitt remains the quarterback position, as it would have even had McCoy returned and set his sights on a Heisman Trophy.
That’s the biggest riddle Wannstedt and his embattled offensive coordinator, Matt Cavanaugh, must solve.
If they do, the Panthers will have a chance to lean on a player who might well turn out to be their next No. 1 pick after McCoy, wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin.
While studying McCoy, NFL scouts couldn’t help but notice the 6-foot-5, 220-pound true freshman and drool. Baldwin has that much of an upside. Imagine how he’ll be perceived if Pitt can figure out a way to consistently get him the ball, especially deep.
The offensive line ought to be much improved, which should afford more time for whoever ends up throwing it and enough cracks for whoever’s running it that the dropoff from McCoy’s 1,403 rushing yards need not be that drastic. In Chris Jacobson, John Malecki, Lucas Nix, Jason Pinkston and Joe Thomas, Wannstedt has five of the highly touted, much-sought-after program builders he’s been trying to collect with which to work.
The defensive line, the strength of the team besides McCoy in 2008, is also heavily populated with such talent. Build the lines and the rest will follow; that’s the philosophy to which Pitt remains committed.
Had McCoy stayed there would have been more margin for error, and a much more flattering preseason opinion of what the program might be capable of in 2009.
But his leaving hardly dooms Pitt to a plummet from 9-4 to 3-9
Comment by WVU 01.10.09 @ 4:13 pm ”
WVU has given us a little insight on the difference in caliber between a WVU student and a Pitt student.
Would you provide us the link where it implied that DW “begged” Shady for two hours and that Shady is just humoring him? I get a different impression of the character of both DW and Shady.
At the same time, I have read nothing stating that Wannstedt has tried to persuade him to stay. Yet anyone even making a joke that Wanny was begging McCoy to stay was blasted for not having any evidence.
So many have praised McCoy’s maturity and class, well presumably the parents and the way he was raised had something to do with it.
Just seems a bit like people trying to find an outside influence pushing McCoy to leave Pitt rather than accepting that it might be what he wants or feels he should do.
No matter what, this is a decision for Shady and his family, and nobody else. I would have to think that they have done their due diligence in gathering the information and taking their time before a final decision.
AS far as Shady’s alleged immaturity, it should be noted that he has not made a statement in this past week that he was staying or leaving — it all has been just speculation based on (1) what was heard from family members, (2) not attending class, and (3) not attneding class. Sure, he made a statement 2 months ago that he was staying, but so has hundred others before deciding to go pro including Larry Fitz, and no one accused Fitz as being immature (at least while at Pitt.)
Whatever he decides will be what is best for him … and Pitt will be fine next year with him or without him.
steve, you will have to explain your thinking to me on this. I am having difficulty understanding your logic.
He has done a very good job of representing the school and our hometown with class. Pitt fans should be happy to been lucky enough to see this kid run his heart out for the Panthers.
NO ONE should judge him or his family harshly for making a decision that he feels is in his best interest either way.
I would love to see him back but if he goes I wish him all the luck in the world and would thank him for doing his best everytime he took the field for the Panthers.
Hail to Pitt
As far as Shady, every Pitt fan wants him to stay, but the rational Pitt fans would understand if he leaves b/c he is worried about an injury like the one he had in high school. That being said, it sure does sound like mama wants a big house and a new cadillac
I don’t know the young man…but he has done absolutely nothing wrong during his two years at Pitt that I have seen. He has been a terrific player on the field…and a terrific representative of the program off the field. I wish him the best whatever he decides.
Todd, I don’t get the sense that the great majority of posters on this board is whining or calling Shady a mamma’s boy. Virtually every post is thanking Shady for the memories and is hoping that the decision he makes is in his best interest. Some of us, however, are speculating on his mother’s (and probably also his father’s) opinion. I think that it is a good attribute to consider the opinion of one’s parents when making a decision.
<> Be specific. Tell us how Shady’s decision to attend Pitt and be coached by DW was such a bad decision that he should “run away as fast as he can”.
I get the impression Wannstedt is here to stay no matter what. If he doesn’t coach he will work in recruiting or development…If anyone has insights concerning the conversations Pederson has had with Wannstedt they would be very interesting to here. I’m sure Pederson had the same visceral reaction to the putrid Sun Bowl as we all did.
“NFL players typically lack both marketable skills and relevant job experience once their usefulness as a player has run out…
The facts, however, can be startling. I have read a number of published reports during my career suggesting 78 percent of NFL players are divorced, bankrupt or unemployed two years after their careers are over. The NFL provides a good financial head start in life for the players who have saved their money, but it won’t last long, especially if they want to maintain the same lifestyle, unless they are able to achieve gainful employment.”
I get the impression that Shady’s family is matriarcal. No doubt that Shady’s mom means well, but I think that DW is able to see a larger picture. The way agents handle a lot of players’ money, I hope that Shady doesn’t short-change the value of a (marketable) degree. The SI story suggests that a career in the NFL is not necessarily the be all – end all. Shady may have a better insight than Mom.