Should this young man pass up a Rhodes scholarship interview?

Excerpts from a story at the Wall Street Journal:

[Yale quarterback Patrick] Witt, a 22-year-old senior from Wylie, Texas, has a scheduling conflict next Saturday. At about the same time he's expected to lead Yale in his career finale against visiting Harvard in the 128th edition of "The Game," Witt is also supposed to be at Emory University in Atlanta as one of 212 finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship. His interview in front of a selection committee is Saturday morning. Kickoff is at noon. The interview can't be rescheduled...

Witt said some people have been telling him that he should play in the game: It is, after all, one of college football's grandest rivalries, and Witt has made a commitment to his teammates. Others have told him that he'd regret passing up a shot at the most prestigious post-graduate scholarship in the country. Thirty-two winners—two from each of 16 districts around the country—have the opportunity each year to study at Oxford University.

What's been most surprising, Witt said, are the varied sources of these opinions. "I've got people in academics telling me, 'Definitely play in the game,'" he said. "Then I've got guys on the team saying, 'Oh, do the interview.'"..

Witt, who transferred from Nebraska after his freshman season, is Yale's career leader in completions and ranks second in passing yards heading into Saturday's game at Princeton. At 6 feet 4 and 230 pounds, he's drawn the attention of the NFL...

Elliot Gerson, the American secretary of the Rhodes Trust, said conflicts are "sadly inevitable." But making exceptions for a candidate isn't feasible... Patrick Witt is careful to point out that he was aware of the interview date—and the potential conflict—before he applied for the scholarship. But there was no telling what would happen during the season...

Several well-heeled alumni have offered the use of their private planes. An NCAA spokeswoman said that's permitted... Transportation isn't the problem. The real issue is the potential for afternoon "callbacks." The committee sometimes will want a second round of interviews with candidates...

Witt replied that he was worried about letting his teammates down... But tension remains. For a young man who said he would like to pursue public office someday, the experience of studying international relations at Oxford would be invaluable. Indeed, if he were to win the scholarship, Witt said he would defer his NFL hopes.

"I just need to make a decision," he said, "and then live with it."