October 28, 2011
It’s time for another edition of In the Pitt, Panther-Lair.com’s rundown of everything going on in Pitt recruiting.
As of this writing, Pitt has 18 names on the verbal commitment list for the class of 2012. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for remaining targets. As we’ve said before, the working target number is 20 or 21, but anyone who has followed recruiting for any length of time knows that the coaching staff probably won’t settle for two or three more recruits.
In fact, this edition of In the Pitt will list a bunch of recruits Pitt is targeting. They won’t get all of them, of course, but they’ll probably get more than two. I’m still hearing Pitt won’t sign a full class of 25, though, so maybe the number ends up around 23. That still doesn’t leave much, but it would at least allow Pitt to sign five more recruits. And that sounds about right (although I, like everyone else, wouldn’t be surprised if they’re closer to 25 when it’s all said and done).
First, though, let’s address a position that most likely won’t be included in that final group.
Quarterback
Having read the board for the past month or two, quarterback probably isn’t the position most hoped to see after that lead-in (“a position that most likely won’t be included in those final five”). I was told before the season started that Pitt wouldn’t recruit another quarterback beyond Chad Voytik, but like everyone else, I watched the Pitt’s quarterbacks play in the first half of the season and couldn’t help believing that there would be a reinvestment in scouting the position.
But the more I ask around and the more people I talk to, it becomes clear that those plans haven’t changed. Voytik is the guy; he became the number-one target in the spring and still holds that distinction. As such, there aren’t currently plans to recruit another quarterback.
I know the talk - hope? - has been that Pitt might seek out a junior college quarterback who could enroll in January, learn the offense in the spring and compete for the starting job in training camp. That player could then help bridge the gap between the Sunseri Era and the Voytik Era.
And to be honest, that makes a lot of sense. But that doesn’t seem to be the plan, and here are two examples to back up that claim.
Andrew McDonald
- McDonald is a 6’3” 215-pound quarterback at Santa Ana Community College in California, and his name appeared on the message board a couple weeks ago. So I researched him and tracked him down and interviewed him. McDonald finished at Santa Ana last spring, but the colleges that were recruiting him at that point wanted him to be able to enroll in January, so he is basically sitting back waiting until this winter to pick a college and enroll for the spring semester.
McDonald isn’t completely out of left field, though. He actually had contact with the Pitt coaching staff in the spring after Anthony Gonzalez had his issues with the law. The coaching staff was uncertain about Gonzalez’s future - there was a possibility he might not return to the team - so they went scrambling for a quarterback who could fill out the depth chart with Tino Sunseri and Mark Myers. The coaches told McDonald that if Gonzalez had to leave the team, they would offer him a scholarship to enroll in the summer with the other freshmen.
As we all know, Gonzalez’s punishment was just a two-game suspension, so the coaches never offered McDonald (never mind that Gonzalez would eventually be moved away from quarterback, or that quarterbacks coach Todd Dodge would bring a walk-on from Texas to Pittsburgh).
- Similarly, Pitt also had contact with a junior-college quarterback named Ryan Woods. I can’t link to Woods on Rivals.com because he doesn’t have a profile, and that’s because his situation is pretty unique. Through a series of events and circumstances, Woods ended up at Grossmont College in California for the last two years. But he graduated from high school in 2006 (that would be the same class as Dorin Dickerson and Jason Pinkston and the rest), so he’s actually 24 years old right now.
The story of how Woods ended up in this situation is kind of long and complicated, and but the result of it is that Woods finished in Grossmont this past spring and was set to attend San Jose State. Then Pitt came calling, telling Woods basically the same plan that they told McDonald. Pitt’s interest in Woods was a result of Gonzalez’s situation.
Plus, Woods would have had a redshirt available (I know, a 24-year old redshirt is weird, but like I said, it’s a long story), so he could have sat this season and perhaps served as the bridge-to-Voytik over the next two years. Unfortunately for Woods, there was an issue with his transcript, so he had to finish up some things this fall (although he’s not playing at Grossmont this fall; he’s working out and taking the redshirt year of eligibility).
(In case you’re curious about Woods, here are some highlights from his performance at Grossmont in 2010.)
- Anyway, I wanted to point out McDonald and Woods to illustrate the point about not bringing in another quarterback:
Neither has had any contact with Pitt since the summer.
That’s relevant to me because here are two guys Pitt was pretty interested in, but despite the quarterback woes, neither has heard from the coaching staff. Woods is particularly interesting, because I almost get the impression Pitt would have been willing to bring him in, have him redshirt this season, and let him compete over the next two years regardless of what happened with Gonzalez.
But there hasn’t been any contact. It stands to reason that if the coaches were going to go looking for a JUCO quarterback, they would very likely consider two that they have already developed relationships with.
Now, the lack of contact with Woods and McDonald isn’t complete proof that Pitt isn’t looking for a JUCO quarterback, but those examples do dovetail nicely with what I’ve heard, which is that the coaching staff isn’t seriously considering bringing in another quarterback - JUCO or high school - in this class.
- Before we move on, there’s one other angle I should mention. It’s the Trey Anderson angle.
Now, I am pretty confident that the coaches still feel good about Anderson and his future potential. While many fans may not share that sentiment with the coaches - and there hasn’t been in anything from Anderson’s on-field performance to make you think otherwise - the staff does seem to still believe in him.
However, his injury situation is one to keep an eye on. I don’t know the severity of it, but I think the coaches will be watching it closely. If the tendonitis develops into something more serious, they may revisit the quarterbacks in this class. I think they are comfortable with Anderson as the backup or third quarterback for the next few years, but if he could have a long-term injury, they’ll probably want to insulate themselves.
That’s speculation, but it’s worth monitoring.
- All of this is not to say the coaches are not watching quarterbacks. They’d be foolish not to at least keep an eye on the quarterback ranks, and that really applies to all positions; just because they have a commitment from Rushel Shell doesn’t mean they’re not watching other running backs just in case.
On that note, Steubenville’s Marcus Prather was at the Pitt-Connecticut game Wednesday night. I spoke to Prather on Thursday, and his story is that he is a first-year starter as a senior this season (“I had to wait my turn,” he said). As such, there’s not much film on Prather for college coaches to evaluate.
But through some connections, some Pitt coaches ended up watching Prather play last Friday night, and they liked what they saw enough to invite him to attend the game on Wednesday night. We’ll see where things go with Prather, but the relationship is still very nascent.
Ultimately, though, the current plan is to stick with Voytik in this class. Recruiting is always in flux and things can always change, but that’s the plan.
Offensive line
So far, Pitt’s got two commitments on the offensive line in Adam Pankey will be making his decision tonight.
I will be driving to Hamilton (Ohio) for Pankey’s announcement; that’s a long drive, and I probably wouldn’t be making it if I didn’t feel reasonably confident that he was going to pick Pitt. So that should make three linemen in the class.
Pitt might be content with three linemen, but they’ll keep working on getting a fourth. Four-star JUCO tackle Tavon Rooks would be the ideal candidate, since theoretically he’ll be able to come in and help right away at a position of need. Pitt seems like the obvious choice for Rooks at this point since that’s the only school he has taken an official visit to, but he wants to be certain about his enrollment status - whether he can enroll in January or June - before he makes a decision. Once he gets a definite answer to that question, he could look to visit another school. As of right now, Pitt and West Virginia are the two most likely destinations.
There’s also Jerald Hawkins from Louisiana. Hawkins is committed to LSU but he took an official visit to Pitt a couple weeks ago; since then, he has been quiet, so it’s tough to get a real read on him. But Mike Norvell is working hard on some Louisiana prospects, and Hawkins wouldn’t have visited if he didn’t have interest in Pitt. If he wants to maintain his LSU commitment while considering other options, it’s not a surprise for him to avoid interviews.
As far as we can tell, those are the top priorities. If they land Pankey, Pitt will have a center and two tackles, thus addressing the primary needs on the line. If they land Pankey and Rooks, they will have a center and three tackles, including one that should be able to play right away.
Defense
For defensive recruiting, Pitt’s focus remains relatively local: Sto-Rox linebacker Bam Bradley.
Capers still seems like the most likely of those four to pick Pitt, with Bradley just behind him, and I think Pitt lands both. Pitt will be in the mix with Rippy until the end; the key is selling him on joining a strong class from WPIAL (already highlighted by Shell and Bisnowaty). I’ve been hearing for awhile that Pitt is losing ground on Cox, and that sentiment seems to be growing. But if Pitt can land Capers and Bradley, the loss of Cox won’t hurt quite as much.
- One thing that has become apparent in Pitt’s defensive recruiting this year is that they want defensive ends. Ryan Watson.
Watson has stayed very under the radar; his last Rivals interview was Better than any of us imagined, actually:
“For 2012, defensive end Ryan Watson is leaning strongly towards Pittsburgh according to a good source with Purdue following at second. Watson, who listed Pitt, Purdue, Penn State and Michigan State as his top four a few weeks back, loves everything about Pitt and the situation to play early there. However, he doesn't appear that close to a decision and could take his official visits before making his choice.”
So Watson is a realistic option at end as well.
- Finally, despite the current makeup of the class, Pitt hasn’t given up its focus on recruiting the south. Last week we wrote about Morgan City (La.) Central Catholic linebacker Pitt, Louisiana Tech, and Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are the current leaders, but he does want to take an official visit to Pitt, so the Panthers will have a chance.
The official visits will be key with any recruits Pitt is targeting from the south. I think they’ll one of those Louisiana players mentioned above.
Finishing out the class
So where do those final five spots go (assuming five is the number)? I think they’ll get Pankey tonight, and Capers and Bradley should pull the trigger at some point. That’s three. Watson is heavily favoring Pitt, so that could be four, leaving just one spot (again, in our hypothetical class).
The coaches could go for another defensive end, but I think if they get Watson or Gibson they might call it a day (although they won’t turn away Watson). They staff also knows that they need a big, fast receiver; Central Valley’s Robert Foster fits the bill, but he’s in next year’s class and there will be a battle royal for his services. The coaches would probably like to add another wideout in this class if they could find one that fits the bill.
And then there’s kicker. Kevin Harper is a redshirt junior this year, so if the coaches want another scholarship kicker, this would be the class to have one. We wrote about Georgia kicker stay closer to home.
I don’t think they are 100% committed to taking a kicker in this class, but if they find one they like, they will probably offer.
- There are always a handful of peripheral recruits, players that the coaching staff is keeping an eye on but has not offered. Tajae Sharpe, who claims a Pitt offer but told me he has not received it in writing yet; I think they’re also keeping an eye on him. Like I said, they’d like to get a bigger receiver if they can, so they’re watching a few guys to see if they fit the bill.
It’s time for another edition of In the Pitt, Panther-Lair.com’s rundown of everything going on in Pitt recruiting.
As of this writing, Pitt has 18 names on the verbal commitment list for the class of 2012. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for remaining targets. As we’ve said before, the working target number is 20 or 21, but anyone who has followed recruiting for any length of time knows that the coaching staff probably won’t settle for two or three more recruits.
In fact, this edition of In the Pitt will list a bunch of recruits Pitt is targeting. They won’t get all of them, of course, but they’ll probably get more than two. I’m still hearing Pitt won’t sign a full class of 25, though, so maybe the number ends up around 23. That still doesn’t leave much, but it would at least allow Pitt to sign five more recruits. And that sounds about right (although I, like everyone else, wouldn’t be surprised if they’re closer to 25 when it’s all said and done).
First, though, let’s address a position that most likely won’t be included in that final group.
Quarterback
Having read the board for the past month or two, quarterback probably isn’t the position most hoped to see after that lead-in (“a position that most likely won’t be included in those final five”). I was told before the season started that Pitt wouldn’t recruit another quarterback beyond Chad Voytik, but like everyone else, I watched the Pitt’s quarterbacks play in the first half of the season and couldn’t help believing that there would be a reinvestment in scouting the position.
But the more I ask around and the more people I talk to, it becomes clear that those plans haven’t changed. Voytik is the guy; he became the number-one target in the spring and still holds that distinction. As such, there aren’t currently plans to recruit another quarterback.
I know the talk - hope? - has been that Pitt might seek out a junior college quarterback who could enroll in January, learn the offense in the spring and compete for the starting job in training camp. That player could then help bridge the gap between the Sunseri Era and the Voytik Era.
And to be honest, that makes a lot of sense. But that doesn’t seem to be the plan, and here are two examples to back up that claim.
Andrew McDonald
- McDonald is a 6’3” 215-pound quarterback at Santa Ana Community College in California, and his name appeared on the message board a couple weeks ago. So I researched him and tracked him down and interviewed him. McDonald finished at Santa Ana last spring, but the colleges that were recruiting him at that point wanted him to be able to enroll in January, so he is basically sitting back waiting until this winter to pick a college and enroll for the spring semester.
McDonald isn’t completely out of left field, though. He actually had contact with the Pitt coaching staff in the spring after Anthony Gonzalez had his issues with the law. The coaching staff was uncertain about Gonzalez’s future - there was a possibility he might not return to the team - so they went scrambling for a quarterback who could fill out the depth chart with Tino Sunseri and Mark Myers. The coaches told McDonald that if Gonzalez had to leave the team, they would offer him a scholarship to enroll in the summer with the other freshmen.
As we all know, Gonzalez’s punishment was just a two-game suspension, so the coaches never offered McDonald (never mind that Gonzalez would eventually be moved away from quarterback, or that quarterbacks coach Todd Dodge would bring a walk-on from Texas to Pittsburgh).
- Similarly, Pitt also had contact with a junior-college quarterback named Ryan Woods. I can’t link to Woods on Rivals.com because he doesn’t have a profile, and that’s because his situation is pretty unique. Through a series of events and circumstances, Woods ended up at Grossmont College in California for the last two years. But he graduated from high school in 2006 (that would be the same class as Dorin Dickerson and Jason Pinkston and the rest), so he’s actually 24 years old right now.
The story of how Woods ended up in this situation is kind of long and complicated, and but the result of it is that Woods finished in Grossmont this past spring and was set to attend San Jose State. Then Pitt came calling, telling Woods basically the same plan that they told McDonald. Pitt’s interest in Woods was a result of Gonzalez’s situation.
Plus, Woods would have had a redshirt available (I know, a 24-year old redshirt is weird, but like I said, it’s a long story), so he could have sat this season and perhaps served as the bridge-to-Voytik over the next two years. Unfortunately for Woods, there was an issue with his transcript, so he had to finish up some things this fall (although he’s not playing at Grossmont this fall; he’s working out and taking the redshirt year of eligibility).
(In case you’re curious about Woods, here are some highlights from his performance at Grossmont in 2010.)
- Anyway, I wanted to point out McDonald and Woods to illustrate the point about not bringing in another quarterback:
Neither has had any contact with Pitt since the summer.
That’s relevant to me because here are two guys Pitt was pretty interested in, but despite the quarterback woes, neither has heard from the coaching staff. Woods is particularly interesting, because I almost get the impression Pitt would have been willing to bring him in, have him redshirt this season, and let him compete over the next two years regardless of what happened with Gonzalez.
But there hasn’t been any contact. It stands to reason that if the coaches were going to go looking for a JUCO quarterback, they would very likely consider two that they have already developed relationships with.
Now, the lack of contact with Woods and McDonald isn’t complete proof that Pitt isn’t looking for a JUCO quarterback, but those examples do dovetail nicely with what I’ve heard, which is that the coaching staff isn’t seriously considering bringing in another quarterback - JUCO or high school - in this class.
- Before we move on, there’s one other angle I should mention. It’s the Trey Anderson angle.
Now, I am pretty confident that the coaches still feel good about Anderson and his future potential. While many fans may not share that sentiment with the coaches - and there hasn’t been in anything from Anderson’s on-field performance to make you think otherwise - the staff does seem to still believe in him.
However, his injury situation is one to keep an eye on. I don’t know the severity of it, but I think the coaches will be watching it closely. If the tendonitis develops into something more serious, they may revisit the quarterbacks in this class. I think they are comfortable with Anderson as the backup or third quarterback for the next few years, but if he could have a long-term injury, they’ll probably want to insulate themselves.
That’s speculation, but it’s worth monitoring.
- All of this is not to say the coaches are not watching quarterbacks. They’d be foolish not to at least keep an eye on the quarterback ranks, and that really applies to all positions; just because they have a commitment from Rushel Shell doesn’t mean they’re not watching other running backs just in case.
On that note, Steubenville’s Marcus Prather was at the Pitt-Connecticut game Wednesday night. I spoke to Prather on Thursday, and his story is that he is a first-year starter as a senior this season (“I had to wait my turn,” he said). As such, there’s not much film on Prather for college coaches to evaluate.
But through some connections, some Pitt coaches ended up watching Prather play last Friday night, and they liked what they saw enough to invite him to attend the game on Wednesday night. We’ll see where things go with Prather, but the relationship is still very nascent.
Ultimately, though, the current plan is to stick with Voytik in this class. Recruiting is always in flux and things can always change, but that’s the plan.
Offensive line
So far, Pitt’s got two commitments on the offensive line in Adam Pankey will be making his decision tonight.
I will be driving to Hamilton (Ohio) for Pankey’s announcement; that’s a long drive, and I probably wouldn’t be making it if I didn’t feel reasonably confident that he was going to pick Pitt. So that should make three linemen in the class.
Pitt might be content with three linemen, but they’ll keep working on getting a fourth. Four-star JUCO tackle Tavon Rooks would be the ideal candidate, since theoretically he’ll be able to come in and help right away at a position of need. Pitt seems like the obvious choice for Rooks at this point since that’s the only school he has taken an official visit to, but he wants to be certain about his enrollment status - whether he can enroll in January or June - before he makes a decision. Once he gets a definite answer to that question, he could look to visit another school. As of right now, Pitt and West Virginia are the two most likely destinations.
There’s also Jerald Hawkins from Louisiana. Hawkins is committed to LSU but he took an official visit to Pitt a couple weeks ago; since then, he has been quiet, so it’s tough to get a real read on him. But Mike Norvell is working hard on some Louisiana prospects, and Hawkins wouldn’t have visited if he didn’t have interest in Pitt. If he wants to maintain his LSU commitment while considering other options, it’s not a surprise for him to avoid interviews.
As far as we can tell, those are the top priorities. If they land Pankey, Pitt will have a center and two tackles, thus addressing the primary needs on the line. If they land Pankey and Rooks, they will have a center and three tackles, including one that should be able to play right away.
Defense
For defensive recruiting, Pitt’s focus remains relatively local: Sto-Rox linebacker Bam Bradley.
Capers still seems like the most likely of those four to pick Pitt, with Bradley just behind him, and I think Pitt lands both. Pitt will be in the mix with Rippy until the end; the key is selling him on joining a strong class from WPIAL (already highlighted by Shell and Bisnowaty). I’ve been hearing for awhile that Pitt is losing ground on Cox, and that sentiment seems to be growing. But if Pitt can land Capers and Bradley, the loss of Cox won’t hurt quite as much.
- One thing that has become apparent in Pitt’s defensive recruiting this year is that they want defensive ends. Ryan Watson.
Watson has stayed very under the radar; his last Rivals interview was Better than any of us imagined, actually:
“For 2012, defensive end Ryan Watson is leaning strongly towards Pittsburgh according to a good source with Purdue following at second. Watson, who listed Pitt, Purdue, Penn State and Michigan State as his top four a few weeks back, loves everything about Pitt and the situation to play early there. However, he doesn't appear that close to a decision and could take his official visits before making his choice.”
So Watson is a realistic option at end as well.
- Finally, despite the current makeup of the class, Pitt hasn’t given up its focus on recruiting the south. Last week we wrote about Morgan City (La.) Central Catholic linebacker Pitt, Louisiana Tech, and Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are the current leaders, but he does want to take an official visit to Pitt, so the Panthers will have a chance.
The official visits will be key with any recruits Pitt is targeting from the south. I think they’ll one of those Louisiana players mentioned above.
Finishing out the class
So where do those final five spots go (assuming five is the number)? I think they’ll get Pankey tonight, and Capers and Bradley should pull the trigger at some point. That’s three. Watson is heavily favoring Pitt, so that could be four, leaving just one spot (again, in our hypothetical class).
The coaches could go for another defensive end, but I think if they get Watson or Gibson they might call it a day (although they won’t turn away Watson). They staff also knows that they need a big, fast receiver; Central Valley’s Robert Foster fits the bill, but he’s in next year’s class and there will be a battle royal for his services. The coaches would probably like to add another wideout in this class if they could find one that fits the bill.
And then there’s kicker. Kevin Harper is a redshirt junior this year, so if the coaches want another scholarship kicker, this would be the class to have one. We wrote about Georgia kicker stay closer to home.
I don’t think they are 100% committed to taking a kicker in this class, but if they find one they like, they will probably offer.
- There are always a handful of peripheral recruits, players that the coaching staff is keeping an eye on but has not offered. Tajae Sharpe, who claims a Pitt offer but told me he has not received it in writing yet; I think they’re also keeping an eye on him. Like I said, they’d like to get a bigger receiver if they can, so they’re watching a few guys to see if they fit the bill.
