Driving school ended early last night for Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha High School RB Anthony McFarland.
Little did he know it would become one of the longest evening's of his life.
His driving instruction wrapped up an hour early, at 8 p.m., and McFarland walked across the street to a local restaurant where his family and four Maryland coaches, including head coach DJ Durkin, were waiting.
Anthony knew what he had to do.
It wasn't going to be easy, but he wanted to do Terrapin coaches the honor of at least letting them know in person he would be a Miami Hurricane.
Throughout his recruitment the hometown coaches had thrown everything at him. Whenever there was a hint of him favoring the Canes they would call and drive to his school to make sure he knew how much he was wanted ... and needed. At one point McFarland even asked a reporter not to publicly name Miami his leader because he wanted some peace and quiet that evening.
But it was that time. He had his Cane announcement video done, it was set to be released the next day.
"He was definitely going to pick Miami," McFarland's father, Anthony Sr., told CaneSport on Wednesday evening. "But I guess he was never 100 percent sure, because that meeting changed things."
It wasn't long into dinner that McFarland spit out the words at the Maryland coaches: "I'm picking Miami."
Their reaction?
What any good coaches would do. They asked for more time, for him to reconsider. They told McFarland the pros and cons of choosing the hometown school vs. the Canes.
"What Maryland talked about was the uncertainty of going away, going to Miami and feeling comfortable that it's the right choice for him and if things are going to work out for the best there," Anthony Sr. said. "They talked about the advantage to him staying home, certain things. Coaches explained the pros of staying home, the fact that his friends are there, he's up there a lot, spends a lot of time up there now as it is. So why not stay home? Build a legacy there. That got Anthony's wheels turning." Coaches also echoed a common refrain from those in this situation: The idea that home state schools favor kids that come from in state. In other words Miami will favor Miami kids and Maryland will favor Maryland kids when it comes to playing time.
"I hear that so much I get tired of hearing it," Anthony Sr. said. "But all the schools say that schools favor kids in their home state because they have to recruit their home state first. It makes sense."
That's never been Miami's way, of course, but recruiting is recruiting.
"Of course wherever he goes he's going to have to work hard," Anthony Sr. says. "He's going to do that, he's going to ball. That's just him. It's just that underlying feeling within him - do I need to stay home, need to create a legacy or go away and be part of a legacy."
During dinner Anthony was convinced to take more time, although he didn't tell Maryland coaches that at the time. It was after talking with his parents following the meeting he ultimately decided to delay the decision.
Now dad says it's at the point it's 50-50 with both schools.
"The thing is we love Miami but there is a lot of benefit to him staying home, too," Anthony Sr. said. "Anthony wanted to make sure that it's the right decision. What is the right decision, the best move for him? That's why he wanted to pull the video from coming out so he can take another day and go through it and actually think about what's best for him."
The new announcement date is Friday, and dad says they're sticking to that.
"At this point we want it to be over and done with," Anthony Sr. said. "We're targeting Friday."
