Pitt standout tailback LeSean McCoy is apparently at least entertaining the possibility of staying in school, though those close to the situation still expect him to forgo his final two seasons of eligibility and enter the upcoming NFL draft.

Time is running out, however, as McCoy has until Thursday to make his decision because that is the deadline for underclassmen to file the necessary paperwork to be included in the 2009 draft.

McCoy had said he was going to announce his decision yesterday but instead he called Panthers coach Dave Wannstedt and told him that he wasn't ready to make a final decision.

He said he needed more time to weigh the pros and cons of staying and leaving before he'd be ready to announce his choice.

Pitt athletic department spokesman E.J. Borghetti sent out the following statement after Wannstedt and McCoy spoke on the phone:

"LeSean McCoy spoke to coach Dave Wannstedt this afternoon and said he is not ready to make a final decision on the NFL draft. Coach Wannstedt encouraged LeSean to take the time he needs to make such an important decision."

It is the second time in four days that McCoy has delayed his decision and that has given the coaching staff at least a glimmer of hope that he is legitimately having second thoughts and might stay in school. According to a source close to the situation, McCoy is struggling with his decision because he is being pulled in a lot of different directions by many different people with conflicting agendas.

The McCoy family was in Pittsburgh Friday to meet with Wannstedt at the UPMC South Side football complex and it was after that meeting that McCoy said he'd need the weekend to think about the decision and that he'd have an answer by yesterday. The meeting was described by Wannstedt as "very emotional" and he said it was clear that McCoy was "conflicted" about his decision.

Still, a source close to the situation said that Pitt's chances of keeping McCoy are "very slim" at best -- if they are even that good -- and that he is not likely to change his mind and return to school.

And those around the program don't expect McCoy to change his mind, either, and have begun to prepare as if he is not going to return.

He has not been on campus since before the Christmas break and he has not been in classes even though Pitt's spring semester began last Monday. He also missed a postseason team meeting Thursday that fueled speculation about his departure.

McCoy had said repeatedly before Christmas that he was definitely going to stay in school because he loved being a college student, he loved being at Pitt and he wasn't ready for the NFL. But he had a change of heart during the week of the Sun Bowl and has been leaning toward leaving ever since the Panthers returned from El Paso, Texas, after their 3-0 loss Dec. 31 to Oregon State.

McCoy has been projected as a late first- to early second-round draft pick by most scouting services and he'd be considered one of the top six running backs in the draft pool should he decide to leave. But he is not a guaranteed first-round draft choice, particularly considering the number of underclassmen running backs who already have entered the draft and there is a major difference in guaranteed money for first-round draft picks and second-round draft picks -- and that is something he's considering as well.