Pitt’s McCoy had nothing left to prove

By Darrell Laurant  |   Wednesday, January 14, 2009  |  Comments( 1 )

College Football
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LeSean McCoy said he prayed a lot before deciding to take his running back skills to the NFL next season. His suddenly ex-coach, Pitt's Dave Wannstedt, may now do a little praying of his own.

Not that anyone was mad at McCoy. He made the most of his two seasons as a Panther, actually gaining more yardage (2,816) and scoring more touchdowns (35) than the great Tony Dorsett amassed over the same period.

Simply put, the 5-foot-11, 210-pounder had nothing left to prove. After a slow start behind a young offensive line, he finished with 1,488 yards and 21 touchdowns and was a major reason Pitt was a contender for the Big East title. He had his two best games in the team's two marquee contests -- 183 yards against West Virginia, 169 against Notre Dame.

As for Wannstedt, he said, "I told LeSean he would always have our support and we wish him only the very, very best."

That's nice. But come spring, Wannstedt will have to rummage through his cupboard for a new running back. The only other Panther to get significant touches in 2008 was former featured back LaRod Stephens-Howling, who gained 312 yards. He was a senior, as was fullback Condredge Collins, the No. 3 rusher.

This leaves the position in the hands and feet of Aundre Wright, Shariff Harris and Kevin Collier, who carried a total of 21 times for 80 yards last season. The hope is that redshirt freshman Chris Burns, who did accept the challenge of coming to Pitt despite the presence of McCoy, might be a rising star.

The current rules on NFL eligibility -- any player three years out of high school can turn pro -- make it tough for coaches like Wannstedt. McCoy was a first-team freshman All-American in 2006, which made recruiting any blue-chip running backs a bit problematic. Would McCoy stay another year, or two or three? No four- or five-star player wants to sit on the bench beyond a year.

Meanwhile, for someone in a high-impact sport, it becomes a little like a game of blackjack. You want to play long enough to establish your worth, but not long enough to get badly hurt.

McCoy was eligible for the draft because he spent a year in prep school after being injured his senior season at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg. Former Panther star Larry Fitzgerald (now a star with the Arizona Cardinals) advised him to take the leap, and he must have gotten some encouragement from the NFL Draft Advisory Board because he is leaping into a draft pool that also includes high-profile junior runng backs Donald Brown (Connecticut), Knowshon Moreno (Georgia), Chris Wells (Ohio State), Shon Greene (Iowa) and P.J. Hill (Wisconsin).

Yet as McCoy pointed out at his emotional exit press conference, a nasty broken leg suffered at Bishop McDevitt as a senior was "a humbling lesson. It taught me how quickly it can all be taken away."

Just ask Dave Wannstedt.
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