Here's a riddle: When does a college fan base begin to root against one of their own recruit's impressive season-long performances? When those performances are coming in another sport, and impressive scouts so much that he suddenly finds himself with a potential professional future.
That's precisely the scenario facing UCLA linebacker recruit Aaron Porter, one of the top Class of 2012 recruits out of La Habra (Calif.) High. While there was never any previous concern about Porter honoring his commitment to the Bruins -- and the teen followed through on that pledge by signing with the school earlier this spring -- Porter could suddenly find himself with a decision between a lucrative professional baseball career or the glory and tumult that comes with a minimum three-year college football career.
All of these opportunities come as the result of a meteoric rise on the baseball diamond for Porter, who has played both football and baseball for La Habra throughout his career. As noted by the Los Angeles Times, Porter has batted .500 during his senior season, adding five home runs and a whopping 21 RBI to that number, proving that he can both get on base and deliver results with significant power.
As if there was any question of the merit of a .500 batting average, MLB scouts have allegedly been noticed at La Habra games, ostensibly to keep an eye on Porter's progress.
Will those scouts convince an MLB team to use an early draft pick on Porter, thereby guaranteeing him a fat signing bonus and the promise of a lucrative contract in the process? Possibly. Will that be enough to entice Porter away from what he and Bruins fans have long viewed as his future in Westwood? That's anyone's guess.
Only Porter knows what his future holds, and its possible that even he doesn't know what he'd choose if forced to pick between professional baseball and UCLA. Either way, it seems safe to say that he has a bright athletic future ahead of him, in one sport or another.
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