Hey guys, just wanted to post a few news and notes here on the board before we get too far into the weekend of visitors for Georgia Tech and things like that. I have updates, news, and notes on seven prospects from the state of Ohio that should be notable for the next few weeks, including three four-star prospects and some other major priorities for Pitt. I know we spoke earlier in the week about the "Ohio to Pennsylvania movement" or #OH2PA on Twitter and what that would mean for recruiting, but I have some more info on that front as things move forward.
Making Predictions
Other than the Mysterious Case of the Missing Whitehead, the identity of Pitt's silent commit (first revealed to be in existence by Pat Narduzzi on September 11th) has been perhaps the biggest story line in Pitt circles as of late. Speculation has abounded and a few dozen players have been brought up and crossed off of the list at different points in time, but one guy has remained a constant: Steubenville (Ohio) tight end Charles Reeves. Reeves told me he's working to visit Pitt's campus this weekend and has not yet confirmed anything (it's likely he makes it), but it's done little to dampen expectations. I believe that Reeves is going to announce his commitment to Pitt publicly in the near future, perhaps tomorrow at Saturday's game.
Now, I know that prediction wasn't my most ground-breaking piece of information there and you guys are expecting that one, so I don't want to short change you. I've kind of waffled on this in the past, but I now believe I've heard enough to make my prediction that Thayer Munford will be IN this recruiting class and will eventually commit to Pitt. Pitt has unquestionably done a better job recruiting Munford and the people close to him than any other school in this cycle and his ties to Pitt have grown close. The biggest threat here was Ohio State offering the big offensive tackle. It's still a possibility, but one that I feel has dwindled due to some of the other prospects that Ohio State is set to land. One way or another, I feel that Munford will play for the Panthers.
Four-stars getting close to an offer?
There are a pair of Ohio four-stars that have been linked to Pitt now for quite a few months that don't currently hold an offer from the Panthers. It's been a bit of a source of frustration for some segments of the Pitt fan base who hope to see the overall athletic profile of the team upgraded by a bit, but Pitt has had their reasons for not offering each of them.
Jarell White was reported to be visiting Pitt this weekend by Rivals.com Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt and that visit still holds. The four-star athlete camped with the Panthers in June and he looked impressive. He's always been a nice athlete and an explosive kid, but the question has been where he fits into Pitt's scheme. White could play running back, safety, or linebacker depending on the scheme, but his offer from Pitt is likely contingent on whether or not his high school film shows that he can play defensive back at the next level. I've been worried about his hips and coverage skills and I agree with Josh that he's a more natural running back, but I feel that he's a player who's proven himself to be worthy of an "offer now and figure it out later" mindset as an athlete.
The other candidate for an offer is a player who I feel is the most explosive pure athlete in the state of Ohio for the 2017 class. Warren (Ohio) Harding's Lynn Bowden has, in my eyes, increased his standing in the state pecking order more in the 2016 calendar year than any other prospect in Ohio. Bowden does EVERYTHING for Harding and he has been tremendous this year, single-handedly willing that team to a few victories. With the ball in his hands, Bowden has always been incredibly elusive and nearly impossible to put your hands on. His blend of agility and speed is just deadly in the open field and rare to see. But this season, the Youngstown-area standout has also added around 10-15 pounds of good weight and solid muscle and his physicality has made him even more difficult to bring down. Bowden plays quarterback for his high school team, but he'll fit in as some manner of an H-back or slot receiver in the future who can take the football out of the backfield or catch it as a receiver. For somebody who's never played wide receiver, the body control, ability to separate from a DB, and natural catching ability he displayed in camps this offseason was a stunner. He looked like a natural catching the football. Here are his junior highlights, which are simply freaky:
So why hasn't Pitt offered if this kid truly is all of that? There have been some questions on whether or not Bowden would be a cultural fit with Pitt and Pat Narduzzi's program. Bowden has never had any off-of-the-field incidents and he's always been a great kid in my dealings with him from an interview perspective, but Warren (Ohio) isn't the best community in the world and there are some questions there about the area he comes from and all of that. The more I've seen Bowden and gotten to know him, the more I've become convinced that it would be worthwhile for Pitt to offer the explosive four-star. Michigan State's Mark Dantonio and Penn State's James Franklin have both offered Bowden scholarships, among many others, and are likely the two front-runners. I feel, however, that Pitt could land Bowden if they were to offer. He wants to stay close to him and Pitt represents the best chance to do so. I've come around and now believe that the talent and what Bowden has to offer significantly outweigh any risk Pitt would take by offering a kid from the Warren community.
Dayton Trio
Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar has been a storied program in western Ohio for years and years, but mostly for their basketball programs. As of late, the Dayton powerhouse has produced significant football talent as well, including a trio of 2018 prospects that Pitt has their eye on early.
2018 four-star Rivals250 wide receiver Joseph Scates, one of the top 10 prospects in Ohio and one of the top 25 wide receivers in America by Rivals.com, has already received an offer from Pitt. His coach described him to me as a player who could do everything you need athletically with the hands, route-running, athleticism, explosion, and agility to be a wide receiver or defensive back. He's a freaky athlete that actually reminds me a lot of a more pure wide receiver version of Paris Ford. Scates is taking his time with recruiting, but hopes to make a decision around August 2017 and his coach says he'll absolutely visit Pitt before that point. He's visited Louisville and Ohio State so far this season.
2018 three-star linebacker Antwuan Johnson, a former Michigan commit, has tentative plans to visit Pitt this weekend, depending on whether or not things will work out with his parents' work schedule to get him to campus. He hopes to come see the game against Georgia Tech and meet with the coaches and he's a prime offer candidate. That offer, I've been told, likely won't come this weekend but could very well come at the conclusion of the season. Johnson is a pretty thick kid at 229 pounds and 6-foot-1 who's been an absolute machine, averaging 13 tackles per game as a middle linebacker. He's the captain of that defense and in his first year at the school, his coaches informed me that his intellect and knowledge on the field has been invaluable. They allow him to call the defense and run audibles at times, which blew my mind for a high school junior in his first year in a system, and also frequently makes sure to adjust his teammates' positioning and assignments as needed. Pitt wants to see him a little bit lighter than 229 to see how he covers sideline-to-sideline and moves laterally.
Finally, an under-the-radar guy who's going to emerge soon is 2018 running back Tavion Thomas. He's a 6-foot-2, 220-pound beast of a kid who's been huge this year for Dunbar. He has nearly 1,000 yards through six games and that's with barely playing in the second half. He's a physical kid and a lot shiftier than you would expect for somebody his size. Pitt is playing very close attention to Thomas, as are a few dozen schools, and this is something I would keep an eye out on if he can take a visit and maybe camp. Here are his highlights:
Making Predictions
Other than the Mysterious Case of the Missing Whitehead, the identity of Pitt's silent commit (first revealed to be in existence by Pat Narduzzi on September 11th) has been perhaps the biggest story line in Pitt circles as of late. Speculation has abounded and a few dozen players have been brought up and crossed off of the list at different points in time, but one guy has remained a constant: Steubenville (Ohio) tight end Charles Reeves. Reeves told me he's working to visit Pitt's campus this weekend and has not yet confirmed anything (it's likely he makes it), but it's done little to dampen expectations. I believe that Reeves is going to announce his commitment to Pitt publicly in the near future, perhaps tomorrow at Saturday's game.
Now, I know that prediction wasn't my most ground-breaking piece of information there and you guys are expecting that one, so I don't want to short change you. I've kind of waffled on this in the past, but I now believe I've heard enough to make my prediction that Thayer Munford will be IN this recruiting class and will eventually commit to Pitt. Pitt has unquestionably done a better job recruiting Munford and the people close to him than any other school in this cycle and his ties to Pitt have grown close. The biggest threat here was Ohio State offering the big offensive tackle. It's still a possibility, but one that I feel has dwindled due to some of the other prospects that Ohio State is set to land. One way or another, I feel that Munford will play for the Panthers.
Four-stars getting close to an offer?
There are a pair of Ohio four-stars that have been linked to Pitt now for quite a few months that don't currently hold an offer from the Panthers. It's been a bit of a source of frustration for some segments of the Pitt fan base who hope to see the overall athletic profile of the team upgraded by a bit, but Pitt has had their reasons for not offering each of them.
Jarell White was reported to be visiting Pitt this weekend by Rivals.com Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt and that visit still holds. The four-star athlete camped with the Panthers in June and he looked impressive. He's always been a nice athlete and an explosive kid, but the question has been where he fits into Pitt's scheme. White could play running back, safety, or linebacker depending on the scheme, but his offer from Pitt is likely contingent on whether or not his high school film shows that he can play defensive back at the next level. I've been worried about his hips and coverage skills and I agree with Josh that he's a more natural running back, but I feel that he's a player who's proven himself to be worthy of an "offer now and figure it out later" mindset as an athlete.
The other candidate for an offer is a player who I feel is the most explosive pure athlete in the state of Ohio for the 2017 class. Warren (Ohio) Harding's Lynn Bowden has, in my eyes, increased his standing in the state pecking order more in the 2016 calendar year than any other prospect in Ohio. Bowden does EVERYTHING for Harding and he has been tremendous this year, single-handedly willing that team to a few victories. With the ball in his hands, Bowden has always been incredibly elusive and nearly impossible to put your hands on. His blend of agility and speed is just deadly in the open field and rare to see. But this season, the Youngstown-area standout has also added around 10-15 pounds of good weight and solid muscle and his physicality has made him even more difficult to bring down. Bowden plays quarterback for his high school team, but he'll fit in as some manner of an H-back or slot receiver in the future who can take the football out of the backfield or catch it as a receiver. For somebody who's never played wide receiver, the body control, ability to separate from a DB, and natural catching ability he displayed in camps this offseason was a stunner. He looked like a natural catching the football. Here are his junior highlights, which are simply freaky:
So why hasn't Pitt offered if this kid truly is all of that? There have been some questions on whether or not Bowden would be a cultural fit with Pitt and Pat Narduzzi's program. Bowden has never had any off-of-the-field incidents and he's always been a great kid in my dealings with him from an interview perspective, but Warren (Ohio) isn't the best community in the world and there are some questions there about the area he comes from and all of that. The more I've seen Bowden and gotten to know him, the more I've become convinced that it would be worthwhile for Pitt to offer the explosive four-star. Michigan State's Mark Dantonio and Penn State's James Franklin have both offered Bowden scholarships, among many others, and are likely the two front-runners. I feel, however, that Pitt could land Bowden if they were to offer. He wants to stay close to him and Pitt represents the best chance to do so. I've come around and now believe that the talent and what Bowden has to offer significantly outweigh any risk Pitt would take by offering a kid from the Warren community.
Dayton Trio
Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar has been a storied program in western Ohio for years and years, but mostly for their basketball programs. As of late, the Dayton powerhouse has produced significant football talent as well, including a trio of 2018 prospects that Pitt has their eye on early.
2018 four-star Rivals250 wide receiver Joseph Scates, one of the top 10 prospects in Ohio and one of the top 25 wide receivers in America by Rivals.com, has already received an offer from Pitt. His coach described him to me as a player who could do everything you need athletically with the hands, route-running, athleticism, explosion, and agility to be a wide receiver or defensive back. He's a freaky athlete that actually reminds me a lot of a more pure wide receiver version of Paris Ford. Scates is taking his time with recruiting, but hopes to make a decision around August 2017 and his coach says he'll absolutely visit Pitt before that point. He's visited Louisville and Ohio State so far this season.
2018 three-star linebacker Antwuan Johnson, a former Michigan commit, has tentative plans to visit Pitt this weekend, depending on whether or not things will work out with his parents' work schedule to get him to campus. He hopes to come see the game against Georgia Tech and meet with the coaches and he's a prime offer candidate. That offer, I've been told, likely won't come this weekend but could very well come at the conclusion of the season. Johnson is a pretty thick kid at 229 pounds and 6-foot-1 who's been an absolute machine, averaging 13 tackles per game as a middle linebacker. He's the captain of that defense and in his first year at the school, his coaches informed me that his intellect and knowledge on the field has been invaluable. They allow him to call the defense and run audibles at times, which blew my mind for a high school junior in his first year in a system, and also frequently makes sure to adjust his teammates' positioning and assignments as needed. Pitt wants to see him a little bit lighter than 229 to see how he covers sideline-to-sideline and moves laterally.
Finally, an under-the-radar guy who's going to emerge soon is 2018 running back Tavion Thomas. He's a 6-foot-2, 220-pound beast of a kid who's been huge this year for Dunbar. He has nearly 1,000 yards through six games and that's with barely playing in the second half. He's a physical kid and a lot shiftier than you would expect for somebody his size. Pitt is playing very close attention to Thomas, as are a few dozen schools, and this is something I would keep an eye out on if he can take a visit and maybe camp. Here are his highlights:
