Byers not completely firm with the Pack

At least a few North Carolina State commitments are unsure about their future with the recent firing of head coach Chuck Amato. One player that is sticking with the Wolfpack for now is Charlotte (N.C.) Vance cornerback Justin Byers.

"I understood the whole situation when I committed. This has been on my mind for a little while. I can say I still was a bit surprised, but I figured it could happen sooner or later. I look at the situation there as everything happens for a reason," he said. "I like coach Amato, but during the recruiting process my high school coach told me to not choose a school based on the coaches instead select somewhere because of the education. I know the education is solid at NC State.

"I also talked to coach Portee recently. He came to my school to make sure everything is ok and ask if anything has changed. He went on to say that they still really want me there. They've been solid with me the whole time and I'm solid with them too. I've talked to my coach about what a commitment means and I gave them my word and I want to keep it."

Although he's pretty firm to the Wolfpack, Byers isn't closing the door on other schools yet.

"Most other schools have pretty much backed off since I committed," he said. "I do still get mail from Michigan and North Carolina, but if schools come back in I'm not going to say no. I'll look to see if there is something better out there and weigh my options."

One coach that certainly would keep Byers in Raleigh is Bill Cowher.

"My dad and I have talked about if he takes the job," he said. "My dad finds it a little weird that coach Cowher has purchased a house in Raleigh. If they picked him, I would like that a lot. I follow the Steelers and he seems like a good coach. I like his style."

The two-star prospect helped Vance to an 8-4 record this season.

"I finished the year with 98 tackles, four interceptions and nine deflections. I also had two passing and two rushing touchdowns.

"Last summer I went to camp at Virginia Tech and I liked them for a long time, but they questioned my ability to hit and make tackles. That hit me hard and I took it to heart and I tried to improve on that this year to show coaches this is what I can do and what they are missing out on. I felt like I had a good season even while fighting through a separated shoulder for part of the year."