Just got back after Pitt’s final 2017 prospect camp, and I have to say, the Pitt coaches saved the best for last, as Sunday’s camp was pretty strong with talent - maybe as strong a Pitt camp as I’ve seen in recent memory and certainly the best camp they had this year.
Here’s a rundown of some of the standout players. I’ll have interviews with a bunch of them as well, but here’s an overview.
- I spent most of my time outside watching the skill players because there were so many talented kids, but from what I’ve heard, there were a whole lot of really good linemen working out in the indoor facility. The group was led by a trio of recruits with Pitt offers, including two commits: Thomas Jefferson defensive end Noah Palmer, DeMatha defensive end John Morgan and Central Catholic defensive tackle David Green.
For Morgan, Sunday’s camp was his second at Pitt; he was also there last Sunday, and from what I heard, he looked just as good, if not better, this week. He’s not the biggest guy, but he is quick and tough to block. Similarly, I heard Palmer and Green were very good. I hope to speak with Green shortly about his experience on Sunday, but I think Pitt is in good shape with him.
- There were a few other linemen I’m working on tracking for more info; I’ll post on them later as I find out more about them.
- Outside, there were a lot of really good skill players. I’ll start with the quarterbacks, where Pitt had a lot of underclassmen for Shawn Watson to evaluate. In fact, of the dozen or so signal-callers in attendance, I think only one was from the 2018 class.
But the sophomores and juniors on Sunday were definitely rising stars to watch, and two guys that stood out to me were Gavin Screws and Roman Purcell.
Screws is a 2019 prospect from Florida. Watson visited his school this spring, liked what he saw and invited Screws to Sunday’s camp, so Screws and his father made the trip. Screws isn’t the biggest guy - he checked in at 6’0” and 184 pounds - but he’s got a live arm and very good mechanics; Watson apparently told Screws that his “arm talent” was some of the best he has seen.
Screws has two offers so far, but he has been busy on the camp scene this month, and I think he’ll have a bunch more by the end of the summer. He’s camping at Louisville on Monday and Tuesday, and that visit could lead to an offer. We’ll be keeping an eye on him as the summer and fall progress - and Watson will be, too.
- Purcell is also an underclassman, but he’s even younger: he’s a 2020 prospect at St. Peter’s Prep in New Jersey, and he’s got a ton of potential. In fact, I heard a few people throw around the term “stud” when discussing him, and while he’s young, it’s not hard to see why there is hype.
- At running back, one name everyone was buzzing about was William Knight. He’s not the biggest guy - he’s measured 5’8” on Sunday - but he can move. I heard his 40 time on Sunday was sub-4.5, and given the reaction of Qadree Ollison, who was charting 40 times while Andre Powell ran the stopwatch, I’d say the rumors of a 4.4 40 are accurate.
Knight is the bowling ball cliché with speed, and he turned it into all-state honors and Mr. Delaware Football honors this past season. His height is causing college coaches to be hesitant, but once they see what he can do, their opinions change quickly. That was the case with the Pitt coaches, who are going to watch Knight’s film this week and make a decision about an offer.
I think he opened a lot of eyes on Sunday, and wherever he ends up, he’s going to make plays.
- The other notable running back was Jahmyl Jeter. He’s a three-star prospect at Brennan High School in San Antonio, Texas, and he’s committed to SMU. So what’s an SMU commit from San Antonio doing at a Pitt camp?
Well, he’s from Aliquippa (the last name does evoke Beaver County ties) and he moved to Texas when his mother got a job in the Lone Star State. . Unlike Knight, he’s got P5 size at 6’0” and he can get out and run. He stood out from the crowd at running back today with his stature and his ability. And as you can see below, he benefits from playing in pads, where his physicality can be an asset (or, in the case of some of those runs, a weapon).
- With both Knight and Jeter, it remains to be seen if an offer is coming. We’ve noticed that the Pitt coaches have been pretty selective when it comes to offering running backs in this class since it’s not a huge need position, and they seem to have a goal of offering just one back from the prospect camps. So while Knight and Jeter looked good, this may not be the year for them to end up at Pitt. We’ll keep their names in mind, though.
- There was another player of interest at running back, but he’s a lot different from Knight and Jeter. That would be Pitt commit Jay Symonds. Since he committed, we’ve written about how the Pitt coaches recruited him to be in the H-back/fullback role that George Aston has been playing, and that’s why the coaches put Symonds at running back today.
He certainly looked different from the tailbacks at the camp, but he also looked good doing what he does and it was clear why the Pitt coaches recruited him: he’s right in between what a tight end and a running back would look like, and he can move well enough to get the ball in a variety of ways.
(Continued)
Here’s a rundown of some of the standout players. I’ll have interviews with a bunch of them as well, but here’s an overview.
- I spent most of my time outside watching the skill players because there were so many talented kids, but from what I’ve heard, there were a whole lot of really good linemen working out in the indoor facility. The group was led by a trio of recruits with Pitt offers, including two commits: Thomas Jefferson defensive end Noah Palmer, DeMatha defensive end John Morgan and Central Catholic defensive tackle David Green.
For Morgan, Sunday’s camp was his second at Pitt; he was also there last Sunday, and from what I heard, he looked just as good, if not better, this week. He’s not the biggest guy, but he is quick and tough to block. Similarly, I heard Palmer and Green were very good. I hope to speak with Green shortly about his experience on Sunday, but I think Pitt is in good shape with him.
- There were a few other linemen I’m working on tracking for more info; I’ll post on them later as I find out more about them.
- Outside, there were a lot of really good skill players. I’ll start with the quarterbacks, where Pitt had a lot of underclassmen for Shawn Watson to evaluate. In fact, of the dozen or so signal-callers in attendance, I think only one was from the 2018 class.
But the sophomores and juniors on Sunday were definitely rising stars to watch, and two guys that stood out to me were Gavin Screws and Roman Purcell.
Screws is a 2019 prospect from Florida. Watson visited his school this spring, liked what he saw and invited Screws to Sunday’s camp, so Screws and his father made the trip. Screws isn’t the biggest guy - he checked in at 6’0” and 184 pounds - but he’s got a live arm and very good mechanics; Watson apparently told Screws that his “arm talent” was some of the best he has seen.
Screws has two offers so far, but he has been busy on the camp scene this month, and I think he’ll have a bunch more by the end of the summer. He’s camping at Louisville on Monday and Tuesday, and that visit could lead to an offer. We’ll be keeping an eye on him as the summer and fall progress - and Watson will be, too.
- Purcell is also an underclassman, but he’s even younger: he’s a 2020 prospect at St. Peter’s Prep in New Jersey, and he’s got a ton of potential. In fact, I heard a few people throw around the term “stud” when discussing him, and while he’s young, it’s not hard to see why there is hype.
- At running back, one name everyone was buzzing about was William Knight. He’s not the biggest guy - he’s measured 5’8” on Sunday - but he can move. I heard his 40 time on Sunday was sub-4.5, and given the reaction of Qadree Ollison, who was charting 40 times while Andre Powell ran the stopwatch, I’d say the rumors of a 4.4 40 are accurate.
Knight is the bowling ball cliché with speed, and he turned it into all-state honors and Mr. Delaware Football honors this past season. His height is causing college coaches to be hesitant, but once they see what he can do, their opinions change quickly. That was the case with the Pitt coaches, who are going to watch Knight’s film this week and make a decision about an offer.
I think he opened a lot of eyes on Sunday, and wherever he ends up, he’s going to make plays.
- The other notable running back was Jahmyl Jeter. He’s a three-star prospect at Brennan High School in San Antonio, Texas, and he’s committed to SMU. So what’s an SMU commit from San Antonio doing at a Pitt camp?
Well, he’s from Aliquippa (the last name does evoke Beaver County ties) and he moved to Texas when his mother got a job in the Lone Star State. . Unlike Knight, he’s got P5 size at 6’0” and he can get out and run. He stood out from the crowd at running back today with his stature and his ability. And as you can see below, he benefits from playing in pads, where his physicality can be an asset (or, in the case of some of those runs, a weapon).
- With both Knight and Jeter, it remains to be seen if an offer is coming. We’ve noticed that the Pitt coaches have been pretty selective when it comes to offering running backs in this class since it’s not a huge need position, and they seem to have a goal of offering just one back from the prospect camps. So while Knight and Jeter looked good, this may not be the year for them to end up at Pitt. We’ll keep their names in mind, though.
- There was another player of interest at running back, but he’s a lot different from Knight and Jeter. That would be Pitt commit Jay Symonds. Since he committed, we’ve written about how the Pitt coaches recruited him to be in the H-back/fullback role that George Aston has been playing, and that’s why the coaches put Symonds at running back today.
He certainly looked different from the tailbacks at the camp, but he also looked good doing what he does and it was clear why the Pitt coaches recruited him: he’s right in between what a tight end and a running back would look like, and he can move well enough to get the ball in a variety of ways.
(Continued)
