Brunetti commits to WVU again

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/sports/l...e-decision


Jackson

Boo to you! (Not really, nice pick up. Wish he was a Card.)

(01-25-2010 04:06 PM)Jackson1011 Wrote:  This is really frustrating. Johnson is a great player but WVU really needs depth at the position for next year. If Brunetti wants to stay closer to home fine, but he should have said something in August..not wait to mid January. He has really put West Virginia in a horrible position. Players shouldn't commit untill there committed...its a shame that is lost on a lot of them

You have to remember that these are just kids, and the highly ranked ones have their heads pumped so full of BS from all sides. Other than an NFL career, I doubt many of them have a clue about what they want to do with their lives. I've learned that many kids who waver tend to be head cases, and it's unusual to find one who gets himself squared away in time to realize his dreams...

Somebody on one of the Memphis boards is saying Brunetti recommitted to WVU today, but I can't find it published anywhere.

I posted that before I saw Jackson's link.

It seems that people hoping Brunetti would go elsewhere than Morgantown never had a hope of that happening. WV Illustrated has an exclusive conversation with Brunetti explaining all the recent events...

Enjoy...

WV Illustrated Wrote:Brunetti Accidentally Leaked His Big News
By Geoff Coyle for wvillustrated.com
Posted: January 25, 2010


WVU commit Barry Brunetti says he knew he was a Mountaineer all along.
Courtesy Photo

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Barry Brunetti did not want the news of his decision to stick with the Mountaineers to come out until after his in-home visit from WVU Coach Bill Stewart. When Brunetti and I spoke last Monday, Jan. 18, we talked about his weekend visit to Mississippi State and he said that it was great, but he was still resolute and would be signing with West Virginia come Feb. 3.

I had intended, therefore, to honor his wish to wait until after his visit with Stewart and then write my story about his unwavering commitment to the Mountaineers despite the rumors that ran rampant for well over a week about Brunetti being just another commit who couldn’t understand the meaning of the word.

Monday afternoon, however, he let the news break earlier than he had intended. During an interview with the Fox affiliate down in Memphis, Brunetti says he watched helplessly as he announced what he had hoped to save for Wednesday morning.

“I didn’t want it out today,” he says. “It was going to come out Wednesday morning, but for some reason it was just inside me and I was sick of holding it in, so I said I was going to West Virginia. As he was interviewing me, it just popped out while I was on the news.”

So he knew the cat had jumped out of the bag. What he didn’t anticipate was how quickly the cat would scamper up to the Mountain State and announce its escape to the Mountaineer faithful.

“Can I ask you a question?” Brunetti said to me Monday evening.

Sure, Barry, go ahead.

“How did everybody find out in West Virginia?” he asked.

Well, Barry, we’ve got some rabid fans in this area. When these rabid fans typed Barry Brunetti into their Google search bar, they got a wonderful surprise on Monday from that Fox affiliate.

“I was shocked,” Brunetti said of the response he received on his Facebook profile after WVU fans found out the great news. What was most amusing to Brunetti was the fact that so many fans were worried in the first place. As much as everyone else may have thought he was still considering other schools, Brunetti knew he was a Mountaineer all along.

As he had stated many times in the past, his visits were merely to get a chance to see other schools at the request of his mother, who wanted her son to be certain he was making the right choice.

“She didn’t want me to just pick West Virginia off of one visit. She wanted to make sure I could come back after the visits and compare them to West Virginia, but I always knew where my heart was,” says Brunetti.

After returning from his visit to Louisville, Brunetti says his mother finally found her heart drifting off to Morgantown as well.

“My mom felt really comfortable with West Virginia, so she called up Coach [David] Lockwood and told him we’re Mountaineers,” he says. “She’s official and she’s going to get her hat and shirt tomorrow.”

Just in time to rock the new gear in front of the new head coach. Stewart will still be visiting with the Brunettis Tuesday evening, a visit that Barry says is extremely important to him.

“He’s going to be my head coach. You can’t have a good team without a quarterback having a great relationship with his head coach and the offensive coordinator. It’s big, so it’s going to be really important that he comes down tomorrow.”

Oh, and the comment Brunetti posted to his Facebook account? You know, the one that stated: “I’m so confused..don’t know what to do now…” Remember, the one that got 33 responses from WVU and MSU fans hoping to sway him to their school?

“I wasn’t even talking about football,” Brunetti laughs.

Still, he found it entertaining to see all the posts on his Facebook wall and his mother told him he should enjoy the attention while it lasts.

“I didn’t mind it. That’s what they’re supposed to do,” he says. “If I was a fan, I’d do the same thing. You can’t get mad for being wanted."

“It was crazy and funny at the same time because it showed me how the fans are dedicated and they have so much pride.”

The same pride that WVU fans have in their team is now running through Brunetti’s veins – as it has been for some time – and when he signs with the Mountaineers next week, he’ll finally be able to “officially” put it on display.

For now, he simply has a message for those fans who will soon go from watching highlight reels and recruiting updates to seeing the young man himself passing and running all over Mountaineer Field.

“Thank you for keeping up with me and watching me every minute,” Brunetti says. “That shows me how much you’re dedicated to your program. You’re not just going to get a great quarterback, but a great leader on and off the field.”

It'll be interesting to see the battle for the starting QB job this fall, IMO. Brunetti's a proven winner. If he picks up the offense quickly, and I think he will, Geno could have a battle for the starting spot on his hands, as well as attempting to recover from a second incidence of broken foot (with no mobility and a screw in his foot). Brunetti has an accurate arm, like Smith, but his mobility could give him an edge...

I'm really looking forward to next season. It's a pity it isn't fall all year long...