Shai McKenzie, one of the top Pittsburgh area seniors as well as one of the top RBs in the nation, tore his ACL last week. This obviously knocks him out for the rest of the season and I know I speak for everyone when I say no matter where he goes to school, I wish him a speedy recovery.
Not to sound selfish, but this does bode well for Pitt. Obviously Shai’s health is goal #1 and everything else a distant second, however this may push up the timetable for his decision. Shai has a few schools that have floated around his list and the one constant has been Pitt. FSU appeared to be his top target, but then they faded after other RBs were added. VT appeared to jump up to the top but that seems to have cooled lately. Numerous insiders are suggesting that this injury will push Shai to Pitt soon.
Why would this injury lead him to commit early? Simple: so he can focus on rehab. Shai was likely going to wait until after the season to officially decide so he could focus on his senior year. With that off the table, it makes sense to commit. Also, this injury may show him who truly wants him. If VT cools off because he may not be able to play his freshman year, that obviously would knock them down a peg and VT needs an immediate contributor far more than Pitt does. The coaches may see this as an opportunity to close. Show him some love, offer whatever help NCAA regulations permit, and continue to build the relationship.
Don’t underestimate UPMC Sports Medicine either. If Shai gets top notch care on his knee right here in the city, that’ll be a hell of a sales pitch from the coaches. The one caveat I’ll add is that Chryst needs to make it crystal clear that the coaches and doctors determine whether or not he plays as a freshman and that if he isn’t ready, they’ll redshirt him. Rushing back too soon from an ACL injury could derail his entire career. If he takes a redshirt, it’ll give him nearly 2 years between games to recover. There are too many sad stories of players who came back too soon from ACL injuries. Ray Graham is one of them and I feel awful that he’s not an NFL RB right now.
Any word on if he wanted to enroll in January and get the specialized rehab started at a university? Early that would be a carrot that Pitt and others would be throwing out there.
I agree with 22 to some extent. Connor has proven himself and he will be here for a while. With PC building an OL there are likely to be a ton of 1000 yard runner. Would love to have SM as he is a real talent but as we all know PC makes you kiss the ring before he lays it on. He has shown that he recruits kids that want to be at Pitt and not the reverse.
