Ravens running back Justin Forsett was almost out of football until Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak brought him to Baltimore this summer. Forsett went on to have the best season of his seven-year career, rushing for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns.
Back in 2007, Forsett was a senior at the University of California. Shane Vereen was a freshman on that same team. This week, Vereen called Forsett a role model during that time and the two remain close.
“Me and Justin have been pretty close friends since I got to Cal; he was a senior when I was a freshman. I learned a lot from him,” Vereen said, via the Providence Journal. “I mean, that was the first running back I think I looked up to in the college game. We’ve continued our relationship through there. It’s been cool [and] it’s been fun.
“I think the thing that we take out of just playing at Cal is just, we were taught well. We learned from a very young age how to play the game, how to play the game right and fundamentally how to be sound. I think we’ve just been able to take that to the NFL.”
And Vereen couldn't be happier for Forsett's resurgence this season.
“I’m very happy for him, he deserves it,” he said. “He’s a hard worker, he’s a good runner. He showed it all season long.”
That said, the two haven't talked this week; Forsett is instead focused on the job at hand.
“As a team, you have to have more focus in this time,” he said. “Everything is so much more crucial. You either do it now or you wait until next year to do it.”
