MUS QB Brunetti commits to West Virginia
By Jason Smith (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Monday, June 15, 2009
If Barry Brunetti had made that recruiting trip to Penn State as he originally planned to do last Friday before Mother Nature intervened, his recruitment might still be open.
But after spending the rest of the weekend visiting fellow pursuer West Virginia, Brunetti, Memphis University School's standout rising senior quarterback prospect, was apparently sold on becoming a Mountaineer.
"It was the weather that killed us from going to Penn State, and it maybe was a blessing from the sky," Brunetti said Monday of his verbal commitment to West Virginia.
"It must have been a blessing, telling me to go to West Virginia. I spent the weekend there and I had a great time. I loved it. I mean, the thing that really got me was that I spent two days there and I could find nothing negative about it."
Rivals.com's No. 1-ranked dual-threat quarterback prospect in the Class of 2010, Brunetti picked the Mountaineers over scholarship offers from Chattanooga, Duke, Marshall, Mississippi State, Penn State, Purdue, Tulsa and the University of Memphis.
Brunetti had also made unofficial trips to Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee, but had yet to receive offers from those schools.
"I just felt like (West Virginia) was the place where I can come in, compete early and play early. That's the main question I asked: 'Can I come in and compete with the position open?' and they said, 'Yes,' they'll give me a shot," said Brunetti, The Commercial Appeal's 2008-09 offensive player of the year. "I got that straight from the head coach, coach (Bill) Stewart, that I can compete."