November 2, 2012
Welcome back to In the Pitt, Panther-Lair.com's rundown of everything going on in Pitt recruiting. Today we've got some news on a change to Pitt's commitment list, an early look at a big official visit weekend, and a breakdown of how this class might finish.
Top of the Pitt
We'll start off today's edition of In the Pitt with some news:
Charlotte (NC) Mallard Creek cornerback Anthony Covington is no longer on Pitt's commitment list.
Covington did not decommit; rather, it appears that Pitt parted ways with him. The Pitt coaches have other defensive backs rated higher on the board, and it sounds like they asked Covington to consider other options.
If you recall, Covington's commitment and even the visit that preceded it were rather unexpected, and his commitment may have caught the Pitt coaches off-guard. Either way, he is now off the commitment list, and we'll look at potential replacements in a minute.
With Covington removed, Pitt's commitment list now stands at 18. We still expect them to sign a full class of 25, so that means there are seven spots left to fill.
Filling the spots
We've gone through this in the previous editions of In the Pitt, but we'll hit it again here. There are some primary targets Pitt is going after for the final seven spots in the class. Here are the recruits that Pitt will take no matter what:
WR Robert Foster
- Foster caught everyone's attention Wednesday night when he tweeted that he was ready to commit, and that seemed to be a bad thing for Pitt since he just visited Alabama, although one could make the case that he probably doesn't need an official visit to Pitt . Foster cleared things up Thursday morning by saying that he wasn't going to commit just yet. We know that he has a good relationship with Pitt receivers coach Bobby Engram, but Alabama is the national champ. Still, it seems like he'll probably stay home.
WR Tyler Boyd
- Pitt has been behind with Boyd for quite some time, but there are rumblings that the Panthers have made up ground. Boyd has gone kind of quiet lately, but we keep hearing that Pitt is working its way back into the equation. It's hard to say that West Virginia isn't the leader, but as we've said, the key for Pitt is to get an official visit.
OL Dorian Johnson
- The other piece of the elite local trio - with Foster and Boyd - Johnson is arguably the most important because he fills such a key role at a position that needs an influx of talent (not to say that receiver doesn't need an influx of talent, but the offensive line really needs it). Johnson hasn't scheduled any official visits yet, but if Belle Vernon gets bounced from the playoffs this week against a Foster-less Central Valley team, I expect him to start hitting the road. It's a Pitt-Ohio State battle, and while there's certainly not hard to imagine him picking the Buckeyes, I still think he favors Pitt a bit in this one.
OL Jaryd Jones-Smith
- After months of trying, Jones-Smith finally made a trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend and watched Pitt beat Temple 47-17 at Heinz Field. When we interviewed him about the visit, he said he liked it quite a bit. Jones-Smith is rather quiet, but he definitely had a good time and was glad to have finally made the trip. He is looking at Pitt, Virginia, and N.C. State, but he came very close to conceding that Pitt is his favorite. Pitt likes Jones-Smith quite a bit, and I think they'll land him after an official visit, probably in December.
CB Jaleel Hytchye
- There was a brief period where it looked like Hytchye was going to has the same top five of Pitt, Northwestern, Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Arizona State. All along we've said that it would be a Pitt-Northwestern battle, and he more or less reinforced that idea when he said that he plans to take official visits to those two schools in early December and then "hopefully feel like I can make my decision." Yeah, it's going to be Pitt or Northwestern; the question is, which one? Northwestern always seemed to be in the lead, but official visits are designed to put a school in the lead. We'll see what Pitt can do when Hytchye gets on campus.
CB Blake McClain
- McClain committed to Kentucky in June, but Pitt never stopped recruiting him (and neither did several other schools). Apparently McClain never stopped talking to those other schools, since he took an official visit to Iowa State in October and he will visit Pitt in December before taking an official visit to Kentucky. McClain took an unofficial visit to Pitt two weeks before he committed to Kentucky and gave it high reviews, so if the coaches can make a positive impression on the official visit, they should have a good shot.
DL Justin Moody
- Moody was interested enough in visiting Pitt that he was considering an official visit several weeks ago, but instead he'll be visiting in December. Moody is pretty high on Pitt, though, and has a good relationship with all of the coaches. His top five schools are Pitt, Syracuse, Purdue, Temple, and Cal. I think Temple is on the list because it's the home school, and I don't see him going to Cal. That leaves Pitt, Purdue, and Syracuse, and I think his relationship with the Pitt coaches wins out.
Those are seven "no-matter-what's" that are somewhat realistic for Pitt to land. If Pitt finished its class with those six recruits and one more, it wouldn't be a huge surprise (although it would indicate that they have made up some considerable ground with Boyd). There are a few other recruits, though, that Pitt is trying to get involved with, and these recruits also fall into the "no-matter-what" category.
Courtney Love
- Pitt would like another linebacker in the class, and Love is a very good one. As we have reported, he made at least two unofficial visits to Pitt this summer and the staff has maintained regular contact with him. The key is swaying him from his commitment to Nebraska, and the fact that Love is talking to the Pitt coaches at least indicates that there is some interest. Love may take an official visit to Pitt, but chances are he'll do it on the down-low. We'll keep our ears open.
Donovan Munger
- Munger is a long shot, but I keep hearing that Pitt is involved with him. Munger doesn't mention Pitt in interviews, but I have it on pretty good authority that there is regular contact between Munger and the coaches. Munger is obviously a very good prospect, and the intriguing thing about him is that he could project for the offensive or defensive line.
Of course, there are also recruits like lineman Alex Officer who have offers but are probably secondary to the recruits listed above. I don't know that Pitt would turn down commitments from those recruits, but they are focused on the recruits listed above.
Running backs
With the official decommittment of Rachid Ibrahim sure looked the part when he rushed for 370 yards and 6 touchdowns this past Friday). Pitt has a couple options for a running back to replace Clement.
talked to us this week about his plans. Currently he's looking at taking an official visit to Pitt in December, and it sure seems like the Panthers are at the top of his list.
We have also mentioned Pitt was one of three schools in contention for the other visit.
And then there's David Williams, a four-star running back from Philadelphia who was high on Pitt in the summer of 2011, got turned off a bit by the commitment of Rushel Shell in last year's class, and then was finished with Pitt after Clement committed this past June. Now Pitt needs a running back again, and they would probably like to remind Williams of what he liked at Pitt in the first place. It may be too late to get back in with Williams, but I expect Pitt to try.
So what is Pitt's priority at running back? I think they like all of those backs I mentioned, but I don't get the sense that the coaches have kicked into a high gear of urgency since Clement decommitted. They're still trying to get Clement to take an official visit and they're setting things up with Hunt, but overall it seems like the staff has set offensive line, defensive back, and a few other positions - and prospects - as higher priorities.
I think Pitt wants a running back in this class, but I don't see them signing one just to sign one. A new offer or two could go out, but if they don't get the guys they like, I don't expect them to make a desperation move in late January.
Update: As I was finishing this report on Thursday night, Pitt commit James Conner tweeted that the Pitt coaches have talked to him about playing running back. Pitt initially targeted Conner as a defensive end, but at 6'2" 232 he has been Erie McDowell's primary running back, and this season he has rushed for 1,172 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games.
This could explain the lack of urgency in running back recruiting. If they think Conner could play running back, then there's no need to push for a back in the class, and they can use the final seven spots on other positions.
I like Conner a lot at defensive end, but I'm not sure how he would stack up at running back. We'll have to get senior film and see if it looks like he could translate from high school to college at that position. He's already a pretty big guy - bigger than Rushel Shell, who was about as big as you would want a freshman running back to be - and I don't know how that would work in college. We'll see what we can find out about the situation.
Finishing the class
Back to the eternal question: how will the class finish? With seven spots remaining, here are a few of my guesses:
I think they get Dorian Johnson, Jaryd Jones-Smith, Robert Foster, and Justin Moody. That's four. I think they get two out of Jaleel Hytchye, Blake McClain, and Brian Brown. That would be six. And then I think they get a running back, probably Kareem Hunt.
Again, these are guesses, but if they land add those seven to the 18 they currently have, I think that would make a pretty solid class. And I wouldn't be surprised if Tyler Boyd jumps on board, which would probably come at the expense of one of the defensive backs or maybe the running back spot. If they miss on a few of the guys, I could see Nick Jacobsen joining the class.
At this point, Pitt has narrowed its focus to a small group of priority recruits, and for the most part, they are prospects who are still very much in the thick of their senior seasons. And once they get past the season and into full-on recruiting mode, those prospects will have quite a few decisions to make. All of which is to say that we won't see this class get wrapped up for some time. The Pitt staff has a lot of recruiting to do.
A big weekend
It looks like the staff has circled Dec. 7-9 as the first big official visit weekend. So far we have heard that Jaleel Hytchye, Blake McClain, Kareem Hunt, and Alex Officer are planning official visits for that weekend, and I could see Jaryd Jones-Smith and Justin Moody join that group as well.
I think the coaches will try to bring in as many of the early-enrolling commits for that weekend, too, so that means Travon Chapman, Scott Orndoff, and Shakir Soto should be joining the uncommitted recruits for the official visit. It's always good to surround prospects with commits; that's a good way to start building bonds.
We'll keep an eye out for more recruits who plan to visit that weekend.
On the road again
For some reason I seem to write these things prior to leaving for a road trip, and such is the case again. I'll be hitting the road Friday around noon for the drive to South Bend (actually, I'm headed directly to lovely Michigan City). I think Pitt has a chance against Notre Dame on Saturday, but that defense - particularly the front seven - is so good. It's going to be really tough for Pitt to run the ball and pass protect. I think Pitt's best chance to move the ball is to do what they did at Syracuse and just start firing screen passes all over the place. If Devin Street and the running backs combine for about 20 receptions, Pitt might have a chance.
Welcome back to In the Pitt, Panther-Lair.com's rundown of everything going on in Pitt recruiting. Today we've got some news on a change to Pitt's commitment list, an early look at a big official visit weekend, and a breakdown of how this class might finish.
Top of the Pitt
We'll start off today's edition of In the Pitt with some news:
Charlotte (NC) Mallard Creek cornerback Anthony Covington is no longer on Pitt's commitment list.
Covington did not decommit; rather, it appears that Pitt parted ways with him. The Pitt coaches have other defensive backs rated higher on the board, and it sounds like they asked Covington to consider other options.
If you recall, Covington's commitment and even the visit that preceded it were rather unexpected, and his commitment may have caught the Pitt coaches off-guard. Either way, he is now off the commitment list, and we'll look at potential replacements in a minute.
With Covington removed, Pitt's commitment list now stands at 18. We still expect them to sign a full class of 25, so that means there are seven spots left to fill.
Filling the spots
We've gone through this in the previous editions of In the Pitt, but we'll hit it again here. There are some primary targets Pitt is going after for the final seven spots in the class. Here are the recruits that Pitt will take no matter what:
WR Robert Foster
- Foster caught everyone's attention Wednesday night when he tweeted that he was ready to commit, and that seemed to be a bad thing for Pitt since he just visited Alabama, although one could make the case that he probably doesn't need an official visit to Pitt . Foster cleared things up Thursday morning by saying that he wasn't going to commit just yet. We know that he has a good relationship with Pitt receivers coach Bobby Engram, but Alabama is the national champ. Still, it seems like he'll probably stay home.
WR Tyler Boyd
- Pitt has been behind with Boyd for quite some time, but there are rumblings that the Panthers have made up ground. Boyd has gone kind of quiet lately, but we keep hearing that Pitt is working its way back into the equation. It's hard to say that West Virginia isn't the leader, but as we've said, the key for Pitt is to get an official visit.
OL Dorian Johnson
- The other piece of the elite local trio - with Foster and Boyd - Johnson is arguably the most important because he fills such a key role at a position that needs an influx of talent (not to say that receiver doesn't need an influx of talent, but the offensive line really needs it). Johnson hasn't scheduled any official visits yet, but if Belle Vernon gets bounced from the playoffs this week against a Foster-less Central Valley team, I expect him to start hitting the road. It's a Pitt-Ohio State battle, and while there's certainly not hard to imagine him picking the Buckeyes, I still think he favors Pitt a bit in this one.
OL Jaryd Jones-Smith
- After months of trying, Jones-Smith finally made a trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend and watched Pitt beat Temple 47-17 at Heinz Field. When we interviewed him about the visit, he said he liked it quite a bit. Jones-Smith is rather quiet, but he definitely had a good time and was glad to have finally made the trip. He is looking at Pitt, Virginia, and N.C. State, but he came very close to conceding that Pitt is his favorite. Pitt likes Jones-Smith quite a bit, and I think they'll land him after an official visit, probably in December.
CB Jaleel Hytchye
- There was a brief period where it looked like Hytchye was going to has the same top five of Pitt, Northwestern, Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Arizona State. All along we've said that it would be a Pitt-Northwestern battle, and he more or less reinforced that idea when he said that he plans to take official visits to those two schools in early December and then "hopefully feel like I can make my decision." Yeah, it's going to be Pitt or Northwestern; the question is, which one? Northwestern always seemed to be in the lead, but official visits are designed to put a school in the lead. We'll see what Pitt can do when Hytchye gets on campus.
CB Blake McClain
- McClain committed to Kentucky in June, but Pitt never stopped recruiting him (and neither did several other schools). Apparently McClain never stopped talking to those other schools, since he took an official visit to Iowa State in October and he will visit Pitt in December before taking an official visit to Kentucky. McClain took an unofficial visit to Pitt two weeks before he committed to Kentucky and gave it high reviews, so if the coaches can make a positive impression on the official visit, they should have a good shot.
DL Justin Moody
- Moody was interested enough in visiting Pitt that he was considering an official visit several weeks ago, but instead he'll be visiting in December. Moody is pretty high on Pitt, though, and has a good relationship with all of the coaches. His top five schools are Pitt, Syracuse, Purdue, Temple, and Cal. I think Temple is on the list because it's the home school, and I don't see him going to Cal. That leaves Pitt, Purdue, and Syracuse, and I think his relationship with the Pitt coaches wins out.
Those are seven "no-matter-what's" that are somewhat realistic for Pitt to land. If Pitt finished its class with those six recruits and one more, it wouldn't be a huge surprise (although it would indicate that they have made up some considerable ground with Boyd). There are a few other recruits, though, that Pitt is trying to get involved with, and these recruits also fall into the "no-matter-what" category.
Courtney Love
- Pitt would like another linebacker in the class, and Love is a very good one. As we have reported, he made at least two unofficial visits to Pitt this summer and the staff has maintained regular contact with him. The key is swaying him from his commitment to Nebraska, and the fact that Love is talking to the Pitt coaches at least indicates that there is some interest. Love may take an official visit to Pitt, but chances are he'll do it on the down-low. We'll keep our ears open.
Donovan Munger
- Munger is a long shot, but I keep hearing that Pitt is involved with him. Munger doesn't mention Pitt in interviews, but I have it on pretty good authority that there is regular contact between Munger and the coaches. Munger is obviously a very good prospect, and the intriguing thing about him is that he could project for the offensive or defensive line.
Of course, there are also recruits like lineman Alex Officer who have offers but are probably secondary to the recruits listed above. I don't know that Pitt would turn down commitments from those recruits, but they are focused on the recruits listed above.
Running backs
With the official decommittment of Rachid Ibrahim sure looked the part when he rushed for 370 yards and 6 touchdowns this past Friday). Pitt has a couple options for a running back to replace Clement.
talked to us this week about his plans. Currently he's looking at taking an official visit to Pitt in December, and it sure seems like the Panthers are at the top of his list.
We have also mentioned Pitt was one of three schools in contention for the other visit.
And then there's David Williams, a four-star running back from Philadelphia who was high on Pitt in the summer of 2011, got turned off a bit by the commitment of Rushel Shell in last year's class, and then was finished with Pitt after Clement committed this past June. Now Pitt needs a running back again, and they would probably like to remind Williams of what he liked at Pitt in the first place. It may be too late to get back in with Williams, but I expect Pitt to try.
So what is Pitt's priority at running back? I think they like all of those backs I mentioned, but I don't get the sense that the coaches have kicked into a high gear of urgency since Clement decommitted. They're still trying to get Clement to take an official visit and they're setting things up with Hunt, but overall it seems like the staff has set offensive line, defensive back, and a few other positions - and prospects - as higher priorities.
I think Pitt wants a running back in this class, but I don't see them signing one just to sign one. A new offer or two could go out, but if they don't get the guys they like, I don't expect them to make a desperation move in late January.
Update: As I was finishing this report on Thursday night, Pitt commit James Conner tweeted that the Pitt coaches have talked to him about playing running back. Pitt initially targeted Conner as a defensive end, but at 6'2" 232 he has been Erie McDowell's primary running back, and this season he has rushed for 1,172 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games.
This could explain the lack of urgency in running back recruiting. If they think Conner could play running back, then there's no need to push for a back in the class, and they can use the final seven spots on other positions.
I like Conner a lot at defensive end, but I'm not sure how he would stack up at running back. We'll have to get senior film and see if it looks like he could translate from high school to college at that position. He's already a pretty big guy - bigger than Rushel Shell, who was about as big as you would want a freshman running back to be - and I don't know how that would work in college. We'll see what we can find out about the situation.
Finishing the class
Back to the eternal question: how will the class finish? With seven spots remaining, here are a few of my guesses:
I think they get Dorian Johnson, Jaryd Jones-Smith, Robert Foster, and Justin Moody. That's four. I think they get two out of Jaleel Hytchye, Blake McClain, and Brian Brown. That would be six. And then I think they get a running back, probably Kareem Hunt.
Again, these are guesses, but if they land add those seven to the 18 they currently have, I think that would make a pretty solid class. And I wouldn't be surprised if Tyler Boyd jumps on board, which would probably come at the expense of one of the defensive backs or maybe the running back spot. If they miss on a few of the guys, I could see Nick Jacobsen joining the class.
At this point, Pitt has narrowed its focus to a small group of priority recruits, and for the most part, they are prospects who are still very much in the thick of their senior seasons. And once they get past the season and into full-on recruiting mode, those prospects will have quite a few decisions to make. All of which is to say that we won't see this class get wrapped up for some time. The Pitt staff has a lot of recruiting to do.
A big weekend
It looks like the staff has circled Dec. 7-9 as the first big official visit weekend. So far we have heard that Jaleel Hytchye, Blake McClain, Kareem Hunt, and Alex Officer are planning official visits for that weekend, and I could see Jaryd Jones-Smith and Justin Moody join that group as well.
I think the coaches will try to bring in as many of the early-enrolling commits for that weekend, too, so that means Travon Chapman, Scott Orndoff, and Shakir Soto should be joining the uncommitted recruits for the official visit. It's always good to surround prospects with commits; that's a good way to start building bonds.
We'll keep an eye out for more recruits who plan to visit that weekend.
On the road again
For some reason I seem to write these things prior to leaving for a road trip, and such is the case again. I'll be hitting the road Friday around noon for the drive to South Bend (actually, I'm headed directly to lovely Michigan City). I think Pitt has a chance against Notre Dame on Saturday, but that defense - particularly the front seven - is so good. It's going to be really tough for Pitt to run the ball and pass protect. I think Pitt's best chance to move the ball is to do what they did at Syracuse and just start firing screen passes all over the place. If Devin Street and the running backs combine for about 20 receptions, Pitt might have a chance.
