McCoy bolts to NFL

‘ ‘ ‘ It’s finally official. ‘ ‘ ‘ After more than a week of consideration, Pitt star… ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s finally official. ‘ ‘ ‘ After more than a week of consideration, Pitt star tailback LeSean McCoy decided that he will skip his final two seasons of college football eligibility to enter the 2009 NFL Draft, officially ending McCoy’s time in college football. ‘ ‘ ‘ McCoy, his mother and his older brother met with Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt Friday afternoon to talk about the decision. Wannstedt, who spent 16 seasons coaching in the NFL, told McCoy to take his time when deciding. McCoy then told Wannstedt Monday that he still wasn’t ready to decide. But a statement released by the school yesterday said that McCoy ‘mdash; a sophomore ‘mdash; had decided it was time to jump to the pros. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘When you have exceptionally gifted players, you realize the NFL can be a reality sooner rather than later,’ said Wannstedt in the news release. ‘Certainly that is the case with LeSean, and we worked to make sure he had all the information needed to make the best decision about his pro prospects.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ A major part of the decision for McCoy was the threat of an injury, which could hurt his Draft stock or threaten his career in the future. In his senior year of high school, McCoy lost recruiting interest from several schools after a serious leg injury ended his season. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘As a result of a season-ending injury my senior year, I learned a humbling lesson,’ said McCoy in the news release. ‘Nothing is promised to us, and it can all be taken away in a moment.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Sophomores are regularly not eligible to enter the Draft, but McCoy had a year of prep school before enrolling at Pitt, making him three years removed from high school and therefore NFL Draft-eligibile. ‘ ‘ ‘ Former Pitt receiver Larry Fitzgerald, now of the Arizona Cardinals, also left Pitt following his sophomore year. Fitzgerald was the third overall pick in the 2004 Draft. ‘ ‘ ‘ McCoy said several times in the final weeks of the regular season that he planned to return for his junior year, but his plans changed after Pitt’s 3-0 loss in the Sun Bowl Dec. 31 ‘mdash; Pitt’s first bowl appearance since 2004. ‘ ‘ ‘ The last Pitt player to declare early was Darrelle Revis in 2007. ‘ ‘ ‘ Revis, a junior at the time he declared, was the 14th player chosen in the Draft and currently plays with the New York Jets. ‘ ‘ ‘ McCoy rushed for 2,816 yards and 35 touchdowns in two seasons with Pitt ‘mdash; more than former Pitt Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett had in his first two seasons. ‘ ‘ ‘ McCoy’s name joins a long list of underclassmen tailbacks in the Draft. Iowa’s Shonn Greene, Ohio State’s Chris Wells, Connecticut’s Donald Brown, Wisconsin’s P.J. Hill, Georgia’s Knowshown Moreno and Alabama’s Glenn Coffee have all given up their final seasons of eligibility for the NFL. ‘ ‘ ‘ NFL scouts project McCoy as a late first-round to early second-round pick, but he told ESPN that he thinks he may be the second running back selected, with Moreno being first. ‘ ‘ ‘ If McCoy does drop to the second round, he might expect a contract similar to that of former Rutgers tailback Ray Rice, who signed a four-year contract