HIGH SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT: DEAL, THEN NO DEAL WISCONSIN RESCINDED OFFER TO WRIGHT.

Byline: KEVIN CONNELLY  Special to the Daily News

It was halftime last November at Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium when it hit J.T. Wright that he would one day play football in front of more than 80,000 people.

Or at least that's what he and his family thought at the time.

Wright, a star wide receiver and kicker at Agoura High, had flown to Madison, Wis., with his parents, Andy and Cheryl Wright, to watch coach Barry Alvarez in his final home game with the Badgers.

It would be a great opportunity to see the football stadium in which he planned to play and a chance to pay tribute to the coach who helped recruit him.

Wisconsin, then ranked No.19 in the nation by the Associated Press, scored 10 first-quarter points and led Big Ten Conference rival Iowa 10-3 at the half.

``I was so excited just to be there,'' Wright said. ``I couldn't believe I was only a few steps away from playing for Wisconsin. They're one of the best football programs in the nation.''

Then reality hit like an Ohio State safety blitz.

On the car trip back to the airport, incoming coach Bret Bielema informed the Wright family that Wisconsin had decided to rescind its nonbinding verbal scholarship agreement and offer him a grey-shirt season instead.

At that moment, Wright's football dreams collapsed. He would never play football for the University of Wisconsin.

Wright was a 16-year-old sophomore at Agoura when the recruiting letters from DivisionI football power Wisconsin began to fill his mailbox.

A three-sport standout for the Chargers, Wright was astonished -- yet grateful -- that a university thousands of miles away with three Rose Bowl titles in the 1990s had taken notice.

Quickly realizing a football scholarship was within his grasp, Wright dedicated himself to the sport with new zeal. As a junior, the 6-foot, 185-pounder caught 68 passes for 1,087 yards and eight touchdowns, while going 13 of 16 on field goals and displaying an ability to connect from as far away as 55 yards in practice.

The recruiting letters began coming from Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, Nevada-Reno and Utah State, but in June of 2005 -- the summer preceding his senior season at Agoura -- Wright received what he still refers to as the ``big package.''

Wright opened the package to find a congratulatory letter from Alvarez, who indicated that Wisconsin had made a scholarship available for him.

He responded one week later to make a nonbinding verbal commitment to enroll at Wisconsin in the fall of 2006.

``I was so excited,'' he said.

It is widely understood that the majority of prep athletes who make nonbinding verbal commitments to Div.I colleges later end up at those schools.

But the key word in Wright's case: nonbinding.

A prep football player cannot make his verbal agreement official until he signs a National Letter of Intent with a university from Feb. 7 to April 1 of his senior year in high school.

The NCAA-affiliated National Letter of Intent Web site explains that neither the athlete nor the university that makes a verbal commitment is legally obligated to uphold promises made before a National Letter of Intent is signed. Wright got a crash course in these facts on that November recruiting trip to Madison.

Alvarez, who retained his duties as athletic director at the school after retiring as coach, deferred his scholarship decisions to Bielema, who wanted to sign another offensive lineman, the Wright family said.

Wright simply didn't fit into the new regime's plan.

``I was devastated,'' said Wright, who declined the grey-shirt offer that could have have put him on scholarship at Wisconsin immediately after the 2006 football season. ``My family tried to talk to (Alvarez) and get him to step in on my behalf, but he made it seem like it was entirely out of his control. ... If (Wisconsin) didn't want me, that's fine, but they should have let me know a lot earlier so I could have signed somewhere else. I committed early because I wanted to play it safe, and they repaid me by hanging me out to dry.''

Alvarez and Bielema refused to be interviewed for this story, but Wisconsin sports information director Justin M. Doherty spoke on behalf of the program.

``I have no direct understanding of this particular situation,'' Doherty said. ``But there is nothing legally binding when it comes to verbal commitments. They are really nothing more than a handshake.

``And it works both ways, too. Wisconsin has lost recruits in the past that have backed out from their verbal contracts at the last minute.''

Wright insists the news was an even bigger blow to his parents. ``I'm fighting back tears now just thinking about it,'' Cheryl Wright said. ``I just encourage other families (with DivisionI-caliber athletes) to be wary of what universities promise your children.

``We went from the ultimate high to the ultimate low in a matter of weeks.''

Wright, who caught 72 passes for 1,254 yards and 10 touchdowns and was successful on a 52-yard field goal as a senior, was considered a middle-of-the road Div.I prospect last year by prep recruiting sites.

The two-position standout was given two stars out of five last season by Rivals.com -- a national high school recruiting site. Former Simi Valley High defensive back Lorne Bell, another two-star athlete according to Rivals, is a freshman on football scholarship at Fresno State.

Agoura coach Charlie Wegher insists Wisconsin's failure to notify the family in time ended up costing Wright an offer from another DivisionI school.

``The way Wisconsin treated J.T. is totally unacceptable,'' Wegher said.

Although cases of schools backing out on verbal contracts are considered rare, they are not unprecedented. West Virginia sophomore running back Steve Slaton -- a Heisman candidate with the No.4 Mountaineers -- made a verbal commitment to Maryland as a junior in high school, but the Terrapins later rescinded their offer.

``I think (problems that arise because of verbal commitments) may be a bigger issue,'' Doherty said. ``They may need to be brought up with the NCAA.''

NCAA Associate Director of Media Relations Jennifer Kearns said no action has taken place or is planned by the NCAA.

``If anyone in the (NCAA membership) believes a change in policy is warranted, they could submit a legislative proposal'' indicating what they think needs to be changed, Kearns said.

Although Wright admits the Wisconsin situation still stings, he realizes life must go on.

Unable to find a DivisionI suitor, Wright enrolled this fall at College of the Canyons, a community college in Santa Clarita, where he is a starting slot receiver and a backup kicker.

Canyons, the 2004 J.C. Grid-Wire national champion, is off to a disappointing 1-3 start this season after losses to Chaffey, Grossmont and Moorpark.

Wright, who must defer to No.1 receiver and fellow Division I prospect Terence Scott, has six receptions for 83 yards this season, including an 11-yard touchdown reception Sept. 16 in COC's 54-0 victory against Ventura College.

``I'm stronger and faster than I've ever been,'' said Wright, who plans on transferring to a Division I college after just one season with Canyons. ``There has to come a point when I forget about what happened at Wisconsin and start moving on.

``The coaches here tell me I'm going to get a lot of playing time this year, so I just tell myself that there are many ways to get into a great college.

``Everything happens for a reason, right?''

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(color) Former Agoura receiver/kicker J.T. Wright now plays for College of the Canyons after Wisconsin rescinded its scholarship offer.

Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News