Not that it is healthy for anyone to have the decision of a high school senior on which college to attend (unless it’s your kid) affect your day, but that was the second-worst thing of my Friday. The first was slamming into a guardrail amidst gusting wind and ice/slush road conditions.
I really do wish Robert Foster the best at Alabama. It’s his decision, and by all accounts he went back-and-forth on it. At one point earlier in the week, letting his parents know he was probably choosing Pitt. But, then on Friday, he changed his mind once more.
Cynically, the fact that he had such a tough decision suggests it isn’t completely over until signing day.
[Pitt wide receivers Coach Bobby] Engram‘s phone call to [Robert Foster’s mother, Sherrice] Clements — only 45 minutes after the announcement — indicates Pitt will keep an eye on Foster through letter of intent signing day Feb. 6.
“This is a verbal,” said Central Valley coach Mark Lyons, who said Foster “probably” changed his mind multiple times Friday morning. “That‘s why I don‘t know if this is always the best thing to do it this early. But for him, it was the right thing to do.
“I‘m never going to say anything is over, but right now, he is comfortable with this.”
After all, if Saban gets lured to the Cleveland Browns, everything changes.
The fact that his high school coach is calling his decision, less than 2 months to signing day, “early,” is another factor saying that Pitt really can’t give up on Foster yet.
It also means that the attention turns even more strongly to getting Tyler Boyd. Like Foster, it seems Boyd has strong family ties that will encourage him to stay closer to home. Unlike Foster, Boyd has several teams, besides Pitt, that are reasonably close to home.
But football is most definitely Boyd’s No. 1 sport. He already has made a visit to Pitt and has January visits scheduled for Penn State, West Virginia, Rutgers and Michigan State. Schools are recruiting him as a receiver. Boyd was originally going to announce his college choice at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio Jan. 5. But he might wait to pick a school.
“The recruiting really is getting to be a pain,” Boyd said. “Schools want me to come visit. That’s why I’m not really sure what I want to do.”
Just a hunch, but I think Boyd is going to be a signing day decision. He may be sick of recruiting, but it sure doesn’t seem that he is any closer to a decision.
Emel & Justinian make the case completely. Larry Fitz is quoted as saying he came to Pitt because he wanted to make a difference and be someone who helped create.
If there is a more consummate pro than Larry Fitz, I have not seen him.
With Emel as Pres and Justinian as CEO I will gladly take the COO position in the ” Give me your leaders” association.
The last time I spoke to Foster, after a game in which he scored two second-half touchdowns to push CV to a victory, he told me that it meant a lot to him to perform so well in front of Engram.
How is this kid not going to Pitt?
I’m hearing your intent however. Correct me if I’m off base but IMO, I hear you saying that Foster took the “secure” path. Am I right? And I suspect that he probably did so because he is apprehensive about the uncertainties surrounding Pitt’s current football program and feels that Bama gives him a sure bet for his success.
This is pure speculation, but when those kind of decisions are made, it often tends to imply that the individual needs that security to counterbalance other factors that produce insecurity in his own mind.
New coach, new conference, recent history of underachievement that has naturally created a national media impression of an “also ran” football program is hardly a “sure bet” decision if you are going to play for the University of Pittsburgh come 2013.
And IMO, that is why Foster’s decision is Bama. Now to state as fact that he has poor leadership qualities because he decided that he preferred not to accept that risk is also unfair to this kid. You might be right, and he might not want to be “the guy” coming into Pitt being the featured player with high expectations to live up to right out of the gate come Fall camp. Maybe he feels more comfortable blending in with a whole herd of 4 & 5 star players, that will give him the opportunity to blend into the mix gradually without sticking out in the crowd, who knows?
What I do know, for sure, however, is that if he HAD made the decision to come to Pitt, then he would have confirmed, at least in my mind, that he was a risk taker and was up the the challenge of creating something, by his own efforts, that was not there before his arrival on the scene.
That is what Shell did last year and he stated as much. He said he decided to come to Pitt to make a huge difference with his presence. That’s a confident statement, made by a guy who is saying in as many words, “who’s with me”? That is just the kind of kids that we need at Pitt at this juncture in the program.
My continued concern, however, is if Coach Chryst has the required personality to be able to sell that same vision to the recruits that we need to come here to make that vision a reality. When we see guys like Foster go elsewhere, I feel that a lot of the Pitt fan base sees that as an indication that maybe PC isn’t doing a good enough job in that department. And when we don’t get those local blue chippers to stay at home and play for Pitt it does insidiously, negatively effect the entire recruiting process.
Right now, I’m pretty optimistic about where Pitt’s program is headed but getting a guy like Foster on board could have really helped in swinging that recruting momentum in Pitt’s favor going forward. A lot of the angst that I’m hearing on this blog is all about that lost opportunity. Not so much ill will towards Foster, but rather the feeling that we missed out on a game changer that we could have really utilized. Rejection is a hard pill to swallow, isn’t it?
I just hope that Chryst and company left it with Foster that there is no shame with changing your mind, AGAIN, and that he will remain welcomed if he decides that staying home is ultimely the right decision for him after all. God knows that we could use a whole stable of recruits with such great potential to get Pitt back in the mix of a top level program again.
Hail to Pitt.
when the other choice is pretty much the #1 team the last 5 years or so, puts tons of people in the pros (yes, Pitt has it’s share too), plays pretty much in the national championship game every year, plays in front of 90K and has games against Florida, LSU, and Georgia every week,
Paul Chryst losing him doesn’t faze me a bit.
If we would have lost out to Kansas State or Oregon St or Texas Tech, ya, I be questioning.
Losing out to Alabama, have moved on allready.
cat steped om key bord that is why the first post says what it does
he will never go back to the pros
We can hope. If he beats ND, what is left to prove.
CB from orlando fl
his outher offers were from cincinati and iowa state welcome to pitt.
just me but here goes.
pitt will sign 27 players this year the have
21 commits now, they will save one for boyd.
That means they have 5 to give they are done
playing games i think they offer and move on
to the next man.
i think if you want to come to pitt you need to
say yes soon i think the commit start to come a
a lot faster now.
i think the only way that they go past 27 is if some one really special wants to come at the last second like foster or a relly good line men.
Looks like Chryst is picking recruits based on his system and needs – smart.
Long way to signing day.
Anybody blaming Chryst for losing Foster is being ridiculous. If anything, Chryst deserves credit for battling with Alabama to the very end in spite of Foster’s father pushing Alabama the whole time.
The only consideration,and I don’t mean illegal, is that as a student-athlete Foster may find the going at Alabama a lot easier than at PITT, but I’m guessing at that.
As I said before – everyone seems to be looking at true FR Challingsworth but he won’t get PT over rsFR Chris Wuestner. He catches anything remotely near him and has decent speed. At 6’2″ and 210 he is the right size for a WR. Honestly I wouldn’t doubt that Wuestner either gets a ton of PT or even might start in Shanahan’s absence.
bank it!
Even a more absurd concept, is he takes the Alabama route so he can do what?? How about compete with a whole lot of talented WRs that are all just as good as Challingsworth, if not better.
Note to punxy Panther, remember not to post anymore on Panther Blather immediately after smoking my stoner brother’s Christmas present. LOL!
