By Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY
For Justin Forsett, February 2004 arrived with no place to sign on the dotted line.
The 5-8 running back assumed he was headed to Notre Dame, but the Irish offered scholarships to two bigger running backs. Which was news to him. It would be easy to say Forsett, now a senior at California, had the last laugh. Notre Dame is 0-4. The school where he landed is 4-0. But holding grudges isn't Forsett's nature. "It was a tremendous blessing for me to end up where I am," he says. "At the time I couldn't see it. I didn't know where I'd be after Notre Dame turned me down, and it definitely hurt. But God works in mysterious ways, and there couldn't be a better place than here." So how did Forsett get from nowhere to here? From castoff to Cal's most valuable player so far as the No. 6 Golden Bears head into Saturday's critical game at No. 12 Oregon? Before signing day in 2004, Notre Dame's running backs coach at the time, Buzz Preston, visited Forsett and his father, Rodney, and mother, Abby, at his high school, Grace Prep in Arlington, Texas. According to the Forsetts, Preston said Notre Dame would have a scholarship for him.
"We left the meeting feeling wonderful because we were on our way to Notre Dame," says Rodney, a minister. About a week before signing day, Justin called Notre Dame, then coached by Tyrone Willingham. "I hadn't heard from them in a while," he says. "They told me they didn't need me anymore." Preston, now at New Mexico, says the Irish never offered Forsett a scholarship. It wasn't for lack of ability; the Irish simply were looking for taller backs. This much was certain: Forsett was blindsided by the news. "Forsett loses lone offer," read the headline on the Rivals.com recruiting site on Jan. 28, 2004. After signing day passed, Forsett's high school coach, Mike Barber, a former NFL player, feverishly sent more highlight tapes to coaches around the country. None of the schools in Texas or Florida, where Forsett played his first two years of high school football, were interested. "Nothing. Nobody. Even Baylor didn't want him," Rodney says. South Carolina State was an option, but Forsett's goal was to play Division I-A. Forsett's highlight tape landed at Cal. "We watched his tape and thought this is too good to be true," coach Jeff Tedford says. "There's got to be something wrong with this kid. There's a skeleton in the closet somewhere. So we thoroughly investigated everything about him and brought him here with his father, and he's the greatest kid you ever want to meet."
For the past three seasons, Forsett fully embraced his backup role to J.J. Arrington and Marshawn Lynch. "Not one complaint," Cal running backs coach Ron Gould says. "All he did was come out and work." To prepare for the leading role this year and the physical punishment that comes with it, Forsett added about 15 pounds of muscle and is now about 200 pounds. When needed the most, Forsett has shined. In Cal's opening win against Tennessee, Forsett ran for 156 yards on 26 carries. Last week against Arizona, Cal's offense stalled when Forsett was nursing ankle and quadriceps soreness. After the Wildcats scored 17 unanswered points, Forsett lobbied to go back in and led the Bears on their final touchdown drive. Forsett is the Pacific-10's second-leading rusher (121.0 yards a game), behind only Oregon's Jonathan Stewart (125.8). He's also tied for the conference lead with seven touchdowns. "He's been a guy who's carried the load for us so far," Tedford says. Other Pac-10 tailbacks have received more attention. The nine at Southern California, for instance.
Others have flashy promotion websites, such as the Heisman Trophy campaign for Cal wide receiver/punt returner DeSean Jackson. But so far for the Bears, No. 20 has also been the one to watch. "Right now we're just as concerned with Justin Forsett (as Jackson)," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti says. "(Forsett's) the guy that makes that offense go because every down he's a factor to deal with."
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