LeSean McCoy

How LeSean McCoy ended up at Pitt thanks to a mistake by USC

Published Nov. 15, 2016 3:25 p.m. ET

Aaron Torres

Everyone loves a good recruiting story, and in the early 2000s no one had more good ones than Pete Carroll at USC. The Trojans were an NFL factory at the time, signing everyone from Reggie Bush to Brian Cushing to Mark Sanchez to a handful of other players who would go on to be All-Americans and future first-round draft picks.

However, there's one that got away from Carroll and the Trojans: current Buffalo Bills Pro Bowler LeSean McCoy.

McCoy’s old college coach at Pitt, Dave Wannstedt, was on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" and very briefly told the story of why one of the nation’s best players ended up at Pitt, after initially believing he'd play for Carroll at USC.

“LeSean McCoy was on the cover of Parade Magazine, he was the No. 1 player in the country, and he wouldn’t even talk to Pitt or Penn State. He was going to USC.

"He broke his leg his senior year in high school, and somebody stayed with him all the way.”

A quick Google search shows that not only is Wannstedt’s story accurate, but maybe even a bit scarier than many realize. According to an interview McCoy did a few years ago, the injury was so bad that he actually thought his career was over. It left McCoy -- who, as Wannstedt mentions, was one of the top players in the country -- scrambling for a scholarship offer.

Safe to say it worked out well for Wannstedt and the Panthers. McCoy combined for over 2,800 yards rushing during the 2007-08 seasons on his way to becoming an eventual second-round pick of the Eagles.

McCoy has made four Pro Bowls since entering the NFL and is having another stellar season in 2016, with 447 yards rushing in just five games.

However, it all started back when McCoy was a high school senior and Wannstedt took a chance on him.

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LeSean McCoy

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