Welcome back to In The Pitt, PantherLair.com’s weekly discourse featuring a roundup of everything that’s happened in the past week, with insight and inside information thrown in for good measure.
December 12, 2008
On the Air
Ordinarily the first spot in In the Pitt goes to the biggest story in Pitt sports, but there’s a bigger story in terms of this site this week, so that’s going first, and then we’ll get into Pitt sports.
The PantherLair.com radio show kicks off Saturday morning at 11 AM (EST) on Fox Sports Radio 970 AM in Pittsburgh. You can tune in at 970 AM if you’re local; if you’re out of town, I’ve been told that the show will be streaming live at www.fox970.com. Either way, I’m hoping that people from this site will help get the show off the ground.
Here’s my thinking: this will be the only All-Pitt radio show in Pittsburgh and, by extension, the world. That means if you call up the show, you’re not going to wait behind Steelers calls or Pirates calls or Penguins calls or Penn State calls; you’ll be with other Pitt callers who want to talk about Pitt sports and that’s it. This is a Pitt show that talks about Pitt sports for Pitt fans.
That means you.
It’s only an hour-long show, but I really hope we can fill up that hour with some good Pitt talk. And I’m going to try to tie the show to the message boards and discuss the topics that have been talked about on the message boards throughout the week. In the Pitt is going to play into it as well, and the Top of the Pitt topic will probably be the main issue/discussion on each week’s radio show.
This should be a lot of fun and hopefully we’ll get some productive, enlightened, informative Pitt conversation going. I’m looking forward to it, and I hope you are, too.
Now then, on to In the Pitt.
Top of The Pitt
The biggest story in Pitt sports this week is the story that everyone hoped to be hearing four years ago when the University of Pittsburgh hired Dave Wannstedt to be head football coach of the Panthers:
Nine wins, a major bowl, and a shot at competing for the Big East title.
In a word: Success.
After three seasons of non-winning football the Pitt Panthers seem to have put it all together, finishing 9-3 in the regular season for the first time since 1982 and winning at least nine games overall for the first time
How does success feel to you? And more importantly, I think there’s one big question that has to be asked:
Does this season justify the hiring of Dave Wannstedt? Prior to this season, it’s safe to say that most were still questioning whether or not Wannstedt was the right guy to hire for the job. But now that Pitt has gone 9-3 and is headed for the Sun Bowl in El Paso - admittedly one of the “big” non-BCS bowls - is this season proof enough that they did hire the right guy, or do you feel like more proof is needed? Do you feel like the sample size of one season is enough, particularly when weighed against three seasons of 5-6, 6-6, and 5-7?
Does one 9-3 season and a good bowl bid outweigh three subpar seasons?
I think this is an interesting question, because from the moment the final whistle sounded on the Notre Dame game back in 2005 - and even more so the next week at Ohio University - I think the general Pitt fan populace has been asking itself whether or not Wannstedt was the coach who could take the program to the proverbial next level. He came to Pitt preaching of Big East titles and contention for national championships, but through three seasons the most he and the Panthers could muster was a stunning upset of the No. 2 team in the country at the tail end of a 5-7 season.
That win was a terrific accomplishment, but hardly one that validated the hiring. Now there is real substance beyond just one game to examine for that validation.
Obviously this was the success that everyone envisioned and hoped for when Walt Harris was unceremoniously run out of town and Wannstedt - the native son, the Pitt guy - was brought in to take the program further. But does the cumulative effect of the past three seasons put the success of 2008 under the “not enough” column?
Personally, I’m inclined to say “show me more.” If Wannstedt’s Panthers had gone 9-3 in 2005 or 2006 or even 2007, then I would be more convinced that everything is in its right place. But because of the struggles - and failures - of those three seasons, I find myself saying, “9-3 is good, but it needs to happen again if you want me to believe that everything really is going right.”
Now, I’m not saying that Wannstedt was the wrong hire. Not at all. I’m just saying that I haven’t been convinced one way or the other just quite yet.
The theme for this season - built on Wannstedt’s own proclamation that his team did not deserve its preseason rankings and accolades - was “Prove it.” It was a simple refrain and one that resonated with the team.
After all, their accomplishments were few; their success was limited; and their body of work from 2007 was unimpressive, save for one final salvo to end the season. Pitt had earned none of the preseason accolades, Wannstedt said, and the team needed to prove itself on a weekly - even daily - basis.
I admired that credo then and I admire it still today. In fact, I admire it so much that I think Wannstedt and his staff should keep it in place for next season. Entering 2008, the staff told the players that they needed to prove that the West Virginia win was not a fluke; now they must convince the players that they need to prove that the 2008 body of work, with its road wins and come-from-behind upsets, was itself not a fluke.
The players need to convince the world of college football that they are, in fact for real (earlier this week Rivals.com college football writer David Fox named Pitt the early favorites for the Big East next year). But my question to you is this:
Are you convinced that Wannstedt was the right hire, or do you need to see more?
Official visits
Of course, recruiting is the lifeblood of college athletics, so naturally the other big story in Pitt sports (arguably the bigger story, for that matter) is the football team’s big official visit weekend that kicks off today. The Pitt coaching staff will be hosting nine visitors this weekend. The group breaks down as follows:
Four uncommitted prospects:
TE Malcolm Bush
LB Jamal Merrell
DE Jamil Merrell
WR Quron Pratt
One Rutgers commit (soft verbal):
DT Jordan Hill
Four Pitt commits:
DB Carl Fleming
RB Ray Graham
DE Jack Lippert
WR Todd Thomas
The group has the general makeup of a Wannstedt & Co. official visit weekend, with a handful of current commits and a manageable number of targets. The idea is that the commits - along with the players on the team - can create a friendly and comfortable atmosphere that will encourage the uncommitted players to say that Pitt is it.
It’s important to note that the prospects who are already committed play an important part in this stage of the recruiting process. Sure, current Pitt players like Cam Saddler or Manny Williams will be key recruiters and will be working the uncommitted prospects, but it’s just as valuable - if not more - to have Carl Fleming and Ray Graham and Jack Lippert and Todd Thomas on hand. These guys will be able to spend the weekend with the uncommitted prospects, and those kinds of experiences more often than not tend to build bonds among young people.
Very often, the success of an official visit comes down to how comfortable a player feels around the campus, the coaches, the student body, the current players on the team, and the other recruits. So the staff brings in guys who are already committed not just to work as salesmen, but to form relationships and bonds with the uncommitted prospects. Sometimes those things can be even more powerful than a packed Petersen Events Center chanting a prospect’s name (although that certainly doesn’t hurt).
As for the prospects themselves, this weekend’s group is an interesting bunch. Let’s start with the Merrell twins.
The twins are standout seniors at Hodgson Vo-Tech in Newark, Delaware. Rivals.com Rating.
A 6’4” 210-pound defensive end, Jamil is ranked No. 16 in the nation among weak-side defensive ends, while Jamal, 6’4” 195, is the No. 30 outside linebacker. The key with the twins is that they both want to attend the same school, so any colleges that only offered one are out of the running. In an interview late last month, Hodgson head coach Frank Moffett also said that he’s “a firm believer they want to stay within this area” and added that Pitt, Rutgers, and West Virginia would fit that setting.
The twins have already taken official visits to Rutgers and will probably take an official to WVU and one other school after this weekend’s trip to Pitt. They seem to have been high on Pitt for awhile, so the Panthers have as good a shot as anyone, but as is the case with the rest of these prospects, the Pitt coaching staff can do itself a lot of good with a strong showing this weekend.
Bush and Hill are both former Rutgers commits, but neither lost contact with Pitt while committed to the Scarlet Knights. Bush, a 6’3” 211-pound tight end, is a Jeff Hafley special: continuous communication from both ends kept the relationship between Bush and Hafley alive, and once Bush decided to renege on his commitment to Rutgers, the necessary bond between prospect and coach was already well-formed. Bush has scheduled visits to Pitt and North Carolina and says that he plans to take a few more, but a number of the schools he’s interested in - Penn State, Maryland, Notre Dame, UCLA - have not offered. As long as those offers stay off the table, it looks like Bush’s decision will come down to Pitt, North Carolina, and Rutgers.
Truthfully, I can’t see him going back to Rutgers - it seems like that ship has sailed for him - which would leave Pitt and North Carolina going head to head. Butch Davis is told PantherLair.com this week - should give the Panthers an edge.
As for Hill, a 6’3” 290-pound defensive tackle prospect, he was always interested in Pitt, as his high school coach told us this week. Quote Steelton-Highspire head coach Rob Diebler:
"He was always interested in Pitt, but he had a great time one day at Rutgers and verballed to them."
But as time went on, the decision didn’t sit right with Hill, and he reopened his recruitment:
"I think he was relieved that he opened it back up," Diebler said. "He committed to Rutgers pretty early, and then he saw that there were some options out there.”
Hill appears to have narrowed his choices to Pitt and Rutgers, and Diebler said that he expects Hill to take official visits to each school and then make his decision. To me, that sounds like Hill is completely open right now, but for the time being, he’s listed in the database as a soft verbal commitment to Rutgers.
I think Pitt gets Hill. We have seen prospects in the past decide to look around and question their commitment to one school or another. Sometimes those visits are clearly “fact-finding missions” meant to reinforce the strength of a current commit (as in, “I’m going to visit Pitt just to make sure I’ve covered all of my options, but I’m still solid with Rutgers”); I don’t think this weekend’s visit sounds like a fact-finding mission. I think this weekend’s visit sounds like the kind of thing a prospect would do if he was looking for a school to commit to.
Here’s the other thing to keep in mind: Hill and Steel-High face WPIAL champ Clairton on Friday in the Class A state championship game; as such Hill and his family will come into Pittsburgh on Saturday morning rather than the more traditional Friday night arrival. To me, this speaks to a certain urgency in Hill’s actions. He wants to visit Pitt as soon as possible, so rather than wait until the first weekend in January, he’s coming in here for the first available official visit weekend.
You’ve got to think that the strong desire to visit Pitt is a pretty good indicator of where Hill is leaning. Don’t be surprised if he makes a move this weekend and skips the Rutgers visit altogether.
While Bush, the Merrell twins, and Hill would all be very good additions to the Pitt roster, Pratt is the real wildcard among the uncommitted prospects. A 6’1” 170-pound receiver/corner/athlete out of Palmyra, NJ, Pratt is the rare official visitor who does not have an offer; however, it seems that Tony Wise - who recruits southern New Jersey for Pitt (Hafley has north Jersey, Wise has south Jersey) - has given Pratt some pretty positive overtones of interest. Pratt told us this week that Wise has extended a visit invitation and more in recent interactions:
“Coach Wise said I should meet the coaches at Pitt so they can evaluate my character in person and see how I carry myself, and if that goes well, then in the next week or so I could get an offer.
"I'm going to meet all the coaches and hopefully get an offer, but Coach Wise told me that he wouldn't come to my school and visit me if there wasn't a good chance that I could get an offer, so I think it could happen."
Obviously Pratt has some physical skills. His height (6’1”) is rare among cover corners, and he’s got enough speed to keep pace with long-striding receivers. Plus, he is athletic enough that he received several scholarship offers to play basketball (Holy Cross, Bucknell, Army, and Navy among them). But his offer sheet for football is somewhat unimpressive, with Duke as the only team from a BCS conference to extend a scholarship. Pratt has received interest from West Virginia, Boston College, Vanderbilt, and Rutgers, but all four appear to view him as a Plan B option.
Which brings us to Pitt. The current commitment list features just one defensive back in safety Carl Fleming and one potential safety in Kevin Adams, although Adams likely projects to outside linebacker. The coaching staff is high on the current crop of freshman corners like Jarred Holley and Antwuan Reed, but the position could use at least one or two bodies in this class.
Pratt certainly looks talented enough in his highlight tape, and Wise’s comments about wanting Pratt to meet the rest of the coaches aren’t without precedent; committed running back Dion Lewis was told the same thing, took a visit to Pittsburgh to meet the coaches, and received an offer before leaving town, committing shortly thereafter. Pratt could act just as quickly on an offer - with his offer sheet as it stands, I’m not sure what he would wait for - but it sounds like the staff will evaluate his film and the in-person meeting and make a decision in the next week.
So then, looking at the probable impact of this official visit weekend, it appears that Hill is probably the most likely to commit on the visit. Bush will probably take the North Carolina visit - and possibly one or two others - but should be a good shot for Pitt in the next month or so. The Merrell twins sound like they want to take four or five visits, so it’s not too likely that they would make a move on the official visit to Pitt. And Pratt could commit if offered, but that probably won’t happen this weekend.
Be sure to stay tuned to PantherLair.com for updates on the visits, and check in throughout the day on Sunday as we’ll be posting updates as soon as the prospects are done with the visit.
The Mason question
Another visitor will be at Pitt this weekend, but it won’t be on an official visit. Penn Hills linebacker Dan Mason will join the visiting group on Saturday to watch the men’s basketball team take on UMBC at the Petersen Events Center. Mason and the Pitt coaching staff had planned on an official visit this weekend, but he has yet to receive his SAT scores, so the official date was pushed back. Instead, he’ll just take an unofficial and spend yet another afternoon at Pitt.
Mason has been an interesting situation for awhile. We all remember last June when he attended both days of Pitt’s prospect camp - a rarity for a four-star prospect who already has an offer - and then famously state that the Panthers were in the lead for his services. Mason later backed off those comments, but the prevailing sentiment has been that Pitt is still the front-runner.
Now, that’s not to say that there won’t be some stiff competition. Mason has offers from West Virginia, Boston College, and Penn State, and Michigan has been showing some interest as of late. Penn State is always a concern when you’re going head-to-head for a linebacker - after all, it is Linebacker U., isn’t it? - and while the Nittany Lions have one linebacker committed at this point (Manahawkin, NJ’s Gerald Hodges. Plus, PSU took three four-star linebackers in last year’s class and three four-star linebackers in the class of 2007.
I guess what I’m saying is that Penn State may not be that much of a player for Mason anymore. Witness what he said to me earlier this week:
“I talk to Penn State every now and then, but I still want to visit up there.”
I didn’t press him on how recently he spoke to the PSU coaches, but from what I’m hearing, Tom Bradley and the group have put their eggs in the Jelani Jenkins basket. Jenkins is the No. 1 linebacker in the country, and with the rest of the depth at linebacker, it really appears that Mason just isn’t a priority at this point in Happy Valley.
That leaves Pitt and West Virginia as the two main contenders, but truthfully I don’t really see Mason going down to Morgantown. The one school to watch out for, in my opinion, is Michigan. The UM coaches recently started showing some interest in Mason and took copies of his highlight film and his grades for evaluation. If the Wolverines get involved, it might get a little tougher, but I’m going to put Pitt as the leader for now and I think it will hold.
Going Lone Star
One of the more interesting stories to show up on the recruiting scene this week centers on Houston (TX) Cypress-Falls quarterback his top two are Utah and Pitt. The report stated that Gray was going to meet with Pitt defensive coordinator Phil Bennett that afternoon, and we spoke with Gray’s coach on Tuesday.
Apparently that meeting went well.
According to Gray’s coach, Pitt climbed to No. 1 on the quarterback’s list. Gray will visit Pitt in early January, and his coach said that a commitment could very well come that weekend.
Gray is an interesting prospect from a football-perspective. His offer sheet features Pitt, South Florida, Utah, Rice, Boise State, Vanderbilt, North Texas, and Marshall, among others; it’s not overwhelmingly impressive, but schools like Boise State and Utah and USF - all of which run certain types of quarterback-oriented spread offenses. Gray and Cypress-Falls ran a shotgun-spread/zone-read offense, and he threw for 3,335 yards and 32 touchdowns against just five interceptions as a junior.
This season, Cypress-Falls graduated the bulk of its playmakers on offense, so Gray took over and ran for more than 1,000 yards and threw for 1,500 more. And if that’s not enough evidence of what kind of player Gray is, how about this added stat line I got from Cy-Falls head coach David Raffield Thursday night:
In the first half of one game this season Gray dislocated the ring finger on his throwing hand. But rather than call it a day, Gray shifted out to receiver and caught nine passes for 111 yards in the second half.
A lot of guys say they’ll do whatever it takes, but Gray has shown it over the past two seasons.
Gray’s athletic ability is evident on his highlight tape. One of his strongest skills is the way he can use his athleticism to move out of the pocket, and while he’s got the ability to break a run, he keeps his eyes downfield and looks for an open receiver.
Gray is currently about 6’2 ½” and 190 pounds, by his coach says that he could easily see Gray growing to 6’4” 215 in two years. To me, that’s perfect height for a quarterback, and his athleticism/running ability is key in today’s college game.
Of course, if he came to Pitt, he’d have to learn to play in an under-center/pro-style/I-formation offense, but his coach said that Gray would not be opposed to adjusting to that kind of system.
This will be one to watch over the next few weeks.
Recruiting roundup
Obviously the biggest stuff for the recruiting roundup is the official visit weekend (you can check out the Visit Board for a full breakdown) but there were a few other notable items from the past week that we should cover.
- Fort Myers (FL) cornerback his top visit. He previously visited Wisconsin, and he’s got visits set up for West Virginia (this weekend) and South Florida (January 16), so his decision could take some time.
Still, Pitt made a positive impression on him during his visit, and I’m sure an in-home visit from Dave Wannstedt will make another positive mark.
- 2010 Michigan quarterback he also left with a positive impression of Pitt. Most notable about Boisture’s visit was this quote that he gave to Tony:
"Jonathan Baldwin, he's real nice guy," Boisture said. "I told him hopefully he'd stay a few more years so I could throw him the ball."
So yeah, I’d say that sounds good for Pitt.
- New Jersey super-athlete said the following:
“At first, I was getting offers from schools like Temple and Toledo, then bigger names started coming across like Oklahoma and Pittsburgh."
Not too shabby when a kid says something like that. I see Pitt getting a visit, and after that it’s anybody’s guess. But if he came to Pitt, Evans could very well be the biggest “get” in the class.
- Kolby Gray isn’t the only prospect who has signed up for the January 9th official visit weekend. Hoboken (NJ) defensive linemen be visiting that weekend, too. Truth be told, I just don’t have much of a feel for these two. I think Pitt - with Hafley leading the way - is in good with them, but they’ve both got an affinity for Maryland, and a few other schools like Rutgers and Penn State could make a late run at one or both of them.
We’ll probably get a better idea after they visit in January.
- Pitt made a late offer to Boca Raton (FL) safety picked the Wolfpack.
- We’ve talked for awhile about Pennsbury tight end most recent interview, Marck says that he’s looking at taking an official visit to Pitt at some point in the near future. He also reiterates the same thing he’s been telling us for awhile.
"Basically they like my film," he said. "They have an offer out to one player and are taking two tight ends. If he chooses somewhere else, then I think I basically have the offer."
Pitt already has Brock DeCicco on board as a commitment, so it’s not hard to guess that the other player is Malcolm Bush. If Bush picks North Carolina or Rutgers, then I’d expect Marck to be the next guy in line. And if Pitt pulls the trigger on Marck, I’d expect him to respond in kind very quickly. Otherwise, I see him headed to Syracuse or maybe Miami (OH).
Programming note reminder
Just a reminder: the PantherLair.com radio show goes live Saturday morning at 11 AM on Fox Sports Radio 970 AM in Pittsburgh. It should also be available in a live stream at www.fox970.com. I’m counting on the subscribers of PantherLair.com to make this work, and really, this is your show. I could sit there and talk for an hour about my thoughts on Pitt football, Pitt basketball, and recruiting, but it would be a lot more interesting if you guys join in the fun and make this show as good as I think it can be.
Thanks for joining this week’s edition of In The Pitt. As always, feel free to e-mail chrispeak1@comcast.net with any suggestions, feedback, or other input.
December 12, 2008
On the Air
Ordinarily the first spot in In the Pitt goes to the biggest story in Pitt sports, but there’s a bigger story in terms of this site this week, so that’s going first, and then we’ll get into Pitt sports.
The PantherLair.com radio show kicks off Saturday morning at 11 AM (EST) on Fox Sports Radio 970 AM in Pittsburgh. You can tune in at 970 AM if you’re local; if you’re out of town, I’ve been told that the show will be streaming live at www.fox970.com. Either way, I’m hoping that people from this site will help get the show off the ground.
Here’s my thinking: this will be the only All-Pitt radio show in Pittsburgh and, by extension, the world. That means if you call up the show, you’re not going to wait behind Steelers calls or Pirates calls or Penguins calls or Penn State calls; you’ll be with other Pitt callers who want to talk about Pitt sports and that’s it. This is a Pitt show that talks about Pitt sports for Pitt fans.
That means you.
It’s only an hour-long show, but I really hope we can fill up that hour with some good Pitt talk. And I’m going to try to tie the show to the message boards and discuss the topics that have been talked about on the message boards throughout the week. In the Pitt is going to play into it as well, and the Top of the Pitt topic will probably be the main issue/discussion on each week’s radio show.
This should be a lot of fun and hopefully we’ll get some productive, enlightened, informative Pitt conversation going. I’m looking forward to it, and I hope you are, too.
Now then, on to In the Pitt.
Top of The Pitt
The biggest story in Pitt sports this week is the story that everyone hoped to be hearing four years ago when the University of Pittsburgh hired Dave Wannstedt to be head football coach of the Panthers:
Nine wins, a major bowl, and a shot at competing for the Big East title.
In a word: Success.
After three seasons of non-winning football the Pitt Panthers seem to have put it all together, finishing 9-3 in the regular season for the first time since 1982 and winning at least nine games overall for the first time
How does success feel to you? And more importantly, I think there’s one big question that has to be asked:
Does this season justify the hiring of Dave Wannstedt? Prior to this season, it’s safe to say that most were still questioning whether or not Wannstedt was the right guy to hire for the job. But now that Pitt has gone 9-3 and is headed for the Sun Bowl in El Paso - admittedly one of the “big” non-BCS bowls - is this season proof enough that they did hire the right guy, or do you feel like more proof is needed? Do you feel like the sample size of one season is enough, particularly when weighed against three seasons of 5-6, 6-6, and 5-7?
Does one 9-3 season and a good bowl bid outweigh three subpar seasons?
I think this is an interesting question, because from the moment the final whistle sounded on the Notre Dame game back in 2005 - and even more so the next week at Ohio University - I think the general Pitt fan populace has been asking itself whether or not Wannstedt was the coach who could take the program to the proverbial next level. He came to Pitt preaching of Big East titles and contention for national championships, but through three seasons the most he and the Panthers could muster was a stunning upset of the No. 2 team in the country at the tail end of a 5-7 season.
That win was a terrific accomplishment, but hardly one that validated the hiring. Now there is real substance beyond just one game to examine for that validation.
Obviously this was the success that everyone envisioned and hoped for when Walt Harris was unceremoniously run out of town and Wannstedt - the native son, the Pitt guy - was brought in to take the program further. But does the cumulative effect of the past three seasons put the success of 2008 under the “not enough” column?
Personally, I’m inclined to say “show me more.” If Wannstedt’s Panthers had gone 9-3 in 2005 or 2006 or even 2007, then I would be more convinced that everything is in its right place. But because of the struggles - and failures - of those three seasons, I find myself saying, “9-3 is good, but it needs to happen again if you want me to believe that everything really is going right.”
Now, I’m not saying that Wannstedt was the wrong hire. Not at all. I’m just saying that I haven’t been convinced one way or the other just quite yet.
The theme for this season - built on Wannstedt’s own proclamation that his team did not deserve its preseason rankings and accolades - was “Prove it.” It was a simple refrain and one that resonated with the team.
After all, their accomplishments were few; their success was limited; and their body of work from 2007 was unimpressive, save for one final salvo to end the season. Pitt had earned none of the preseason accolades, Wannstedt said, and the team needed to prove itself on a weekly - even daily - basis.
I admired that credo then and I admire it still today. In fact, I admire it so much that I think Wannstedt and his staff should keep it in place for next season. Entering 2008, the staff told the players that they needed to prove that the West Virginia win was not a fluke; now they must convince the players that they need to prove that the 2008 body of work, with its road wins and come-from-behind upsets, was itself not a fluke.
The players need to convince the world of college football that they are, in fact for real (earlier this week Rivals.com college football writer David Fox named Pitt the early favorites for the Big East next year). But my question to you is this:
Are you convinced that Wannstedt was the right hire, or do you need to see more?
Official visits
Of course, recruiting is the lifeblood of college athletics, so naturally the other big story in Pitt sports (arguably the bigger story, for that matter) is the football team’s big official visit weekend that kicks off today. The Pitt coaching staff will be hosting nine visitors this weekend. The group breaks down as follows:
Four uncommitted prospects:
TE Malcolm Bush
LB Jamal Merrell
DE Jamil Merrell
WR Quron Pratt
One Rutgers commit (soft verbal):
DT Jordan Hill
Four Pitt commits:
DB Carl Fleming
RB Ray Graham
DE Jack Lippert
WR Todd Thomas
The group has the general makeup of a Wannstedt & Co. official visit weekend, with a handful of current commits and a manageable number of targets. The idea is that the commits - along with the players on the team - can create a friendly and comfortable atmosphere that will encourage the uncommitted players to say that Pitt is it.
It’s important to note that the prospects who are already committed play an important part in this stage of the recruiting process. Sure, current Pitt players like Cam Saddler or Manny Williams will be key recruiters and will be working the uncommitted prospects, but it’s just as valuable - if not more - to have Carl Fleming and Ray Graham and Jack Lippert and Todd Thomas on hand. These guys will be able to spend the weekend with the uncommitted prospects, and those kinds of experiences more often than not tend to build bonds among young people.
Very often, the success of an official visit comes down to how comfortable a player feels around the campus, the coaches, the student body, the current players on the team, and the other recruits. So the staff brings in guys who are already committed not just to work as salesmen, but to form relationships and bonds with the uncommitted prospects. Sometimes those things can be even more powerful than a packed Petersen Events Center chanting a prospect’s name (although that certainly doesn’t hurt).
As for the prospects themselves, this weekend’s group is an interesting bunch. Let’s start with the Merrell twins.
The twins are standout seniors at Hodgson Vo-Tech in Newark, Delaware. Rivals.com Rating.
A 6’4” 210-pound defensive end, Jamil is ranked No. 16 in the nation among weak-side defensive ends, while Jamal, 6’4” 195, is the No. 30 outside linebacker. The key with the twins is that they both want to attend the same school, so any colleges that only offered one are out of the running. In an interview late last month, Hodgson head coach Frank Moffett also said that he’s “a firm believer they want to stay within this area” and added that Pitt, Rutgers, and West Virginia would fit that setting.
The twins have already taken official visits to Rutgers and will probably take an official to WVU and one other school after this weekend’s trip to Pitt. They seem to have been high on Pitt for awhile, so the Panthers have as good a shot as anyone, but as is the case with the rest of these prospects, the Pitt coaching staff can do itself a lot of good with a strong showing this weekend.
Bush and Hill are both former Rutgers commits, but neither lost contact with Pitt while committed to the Scarlet Knights. Bush, a 6’3” 211-pound tight end, is a Jeff Hafley special: continuous communication from both ends kept the relationship between Bush and Hafley alive, and once Bush decided to renege on his commitment to Rutgers, the necessary bond between prospect and coach was already well-formed. Bush has scheduled visits to Pitt and North Carolina and says that he plans to take a few more, but a number of the schools he’s interested in - Penn State, Maryland, Notre Dame, UCLA - have not offered. As long as those offers stay off the table, it looks like Bush’s decision will come down to Pitt, North Carolina, and Rutgers.
Truthfully, I can’t see him going back to Rutgers - it seems like that ship has sailed for him - which would leave Pitt and North Carolina going head to head. Butch Davis is told PantherLair.com this week - should give the Panthers an edge.
As for Hill, a 6’3” 290-pound defensive tackle prospect, he was always interested in Pitt, as his high school coach told us this week. Quote Steelton-Highspire head coach Rob Diebler:
"He was always interested in Pitt, but he had a great time one day at Rutgers and verballed to them."
But as time went on, the decision didn’t sit right with Hill, and he reopened his recruitment:
"I think he was relieved that he opened it back up," Diebler said. "He committed to Rutgers pretty early, and then he saw that there were some options out there.”
Hill appears to have narrowed his choices to Pitt and Rutgers, and Diebler said that he expects Hill to take official visits to each school and then make his decision. To me, that sounds like Hill is completely open right now, but for the time being, he’s listed in the database as a soft verbal commitment to Rutgers.
I think Pitt gets Hill. We have seen prospects in the past decide to look around and question their commitment to one school or another. Sometimes those visits are clearly “fact-finding missions” meant to reinforce the strength of a current commit (as in, “I’m going to visit Pitt just to make sure I’ve covered all of my options, but I’m still solid with Rutgers”); I don’t think this weekend’s visit sounds like a fact-finding mission. I think this weekend’s visit sounds like the kind of thing a prospect would do if he was looking for a school to commit to.
Here’s the other thing to keep in mind: Hill and Steel-High face WPIAL champ Clairton on Friday in the Class A state championship game; as such Hill and his family will come into Pittsburgh on Saturday morning rather than the more traditional Friday night arrival. To me, this speaks to a certain urgency in Hill’s actions. He wants to visit Pitt as soon as possible, so rather than wait until the first weekend in January, he’s coming in here for the first available official visit weekend.
You’ve got to think that the strong desire to visit Pitt is a pretty good indicator of where Hill is leaning. Don’t be surprised if he makes a move this weekend and skips the Rutgers visit altogether.
While Bush, the Merrell twins, and Hill would all be very good additions to the Pitt roster, Pratt is the real wildcard among the uncommitted prospects. A 6’1” 170-pound receiver/corner/athlete out of Palmyra, NJ, Pratt is the rare official visitor who does not have an offer; however, it seems that Tony Wise - who recruits southern New Jersey for Pitt (Hafley has north Jersey, Wise has south Jersey) - has given Pratt some pretty positive overtones of interest. Pratt told us this week that Wise has extended a visit invitation and more in recent interactions:
“Coach Wise said I should meet the coaches at Pitt so they can evaluate my character in person and see how I carry myself, and if that goes well, then in the next week or so I could get an offer.
"I'm going to meet all the coaches and hopefully get an offer, but Coach Wise told me that he wouldn't come to my school and visit me if there wasn't a good chance that I could get an offer, so I think it could happen."
Obviously Pratt has some physical skills. His height (6’1”) is rare among cover corners, and he’s got enough speed to keep pace with long-striding receivers. Plus, he is athletic enough that he received several scholarship offers to play basketball (Holy Cross, Bucknell, Army, and Navy among them). But his offer sheet for football is somewhat unimpressive, with Duke as the only team from a BCS conference to extend a scholarship. Pratt has received interest from West Virginia, Boston College, Vanderbilt, and Rutgers, but all four appear to view him as a Plan B option.
Which brings us to Pitt. The current commitment list features just one defensive back in safety Carl Fleming and one potential safety in Kevin Adams, although Adams likely projects to outside linebacker. The coaching staff is high on the current crop of freshman corners like Jarred Holley and Antwuan Reed, but the position could use at least one or two bodies in this class.
Pratt certainly looks talented enough in his highlight tape, and Wise’s comments about wanting Pratt to meet the rest of the coaches aren’t without precedent; committed running back Dion Lewis was told the same thing, took a visit to Pittsburgh to meet the coaches, and received an offer before leaving town, committing shortly thereafter. Pratt could act just as quickly on an offer - with his offer sheet as it stands, I’m not sure what he would wait for - but it sounds like the staff will evaluate his film and the in-person meeting and make a decision in the next week.
So then, looking at the probable impact of this official visit weekend, it appears that Hill is probably the most likely to commit on the visit. Bush will probably take the North Carolina visit - and possibly one or two others - but should be a good shot for Pitt in the next month or so. The Merrell twins sound like they want to take four or five visits, so it’s not too likely that they would make a move on the official visit to Pitt. And Pratt could commit if offered, but that probably won’t happen this weekend.
Be sure to stay tuned to PantherLair.com for updates on the visits, and check in throughout the day on Sunday as we’ll be posting updates as soon as the prospects are done with the visit.
The Mason question
Another visitor will be at Pitt this weekend, but it won’t be on an official visit. Penn Hills linebacker Dan Mason will join the visiting group on Saturday to watch the men’s basketball team take on UMBC at the Petersen Events Center. Mason and the Pitt coaching staff had planned on an official visit this weekend, but he has yet to receive his SAT scores, so the official date was pushed back. Instead, he’ll just take an unofficial and spend yet another afternoon at Pitt.
Mason has been an interesting situation for awhile. We all remember last June when he attended both days of Pitt’s prospect camp - a rarity for a four-star prospect who already has an offer - and then famously state that the Panthers were in the lead for his services. Mason later backed off those comments, but the prevailing sentiment has been that Pitt is still the front-runner.
Now, that’s not to say that there won’t be some stiff competition. Mason has offers from West Virginia, Boston College, and Penn State, and Michigan has been showing some interest as of late. Penn State is always a concern when you’re going head-to-head for a linebacker - after all, it is Linebacker U., isn’t it? - and while the Nittany Lions have one linebacker committed at this point (Manahawkin, NJ’s Gerald Hodges. Plus, PSU took three four-star linebackers in last year’s class and three four-star linebackers in the class of 2007.
I guess what I’m saying is that Penn State may not be that much of a player for Mason anymore. Witness what he said to me earlier this week:
“I talk to Penn State every now and then, but I still want to visit up there.”
I didn’t press him on how recently he spoke to the PSU coaches, but from what I’m hearing, Tom Bradley and the group have put their eggs in the Jelani Jenkins basket. Jenkins is the No. 1 linebacker in the country, and with the rest of the depth at linebacker, it really appears that Mason just isn’t a priority at this point in Happy Valley.
That leaves Pitt and West Virginia as the two main contenders, but truthfully I don’t really see Mason going down to Morgantown. The one school to watch out for, in my opinion, is Michigan. The UM coaches recently started showing some interest in Mason and took copies of his highlight film and his grades for evaluation. If the Wolverines get involved, it might get a little tougher, but I’m going to put Pitt as the leader for now and I think it will hold.
Going Lone Star
One of the more interesting stories to show up on the recruiting scene this week centers on Houston (TX) Cypress-Falls quarterback his top two are Utah and Pitt. The report stated that Gray was going to meet with Pitt defensive coordinator Phil Bennett that afternoon, and we spoke with Gray’s coach on Tuesday.
Apparently that meeting went well.
According to Gray’s coach, Pitt climbed to No. 1 on the quarterback’s list. Gray will visit Pitt in early January, and his coach said that a commitment could very well come that weekend.
Gray is an interesting prospect from a football-perspective. His offer sheet features Pitt, South Florida, Utah, Rice, Boise State, Vanderbilt, North Texas, and Marshall, among others; it’s not overwhelmingly impressive, but schools like Boise State and Utah and USF - all of which run certain types of quarterback-oriented spread offenses. Gray and Cypress-Falls ran a shotgun-spread/zone-read offense, and he threw for 3,335 yards and 32 touchdowns against just five interceptions as a junior.
This season, Cypress-Falls graduated the bulk of its playmakers on offense, so Gray took over and ran for more than 1,000 yards and threw for 1,500 more. And if that’s not enough evidence of what kind of player Gray is, how about this added stat line I got from Cy-Falls head coach David Raffield Thursday night:
In the first half of one game this season Gray dislocated the ring finger on his throwing hand. But rather than call it a day, Gray shifted out to receiver and caught nine passes for 111 yards in the second half.
A lot of guys say they’ll do whatever it takes, but Gray has shown it over the past two seasons.
Gray’s athletic ability is evident on his highlight tape. One of his strongest skills is the way he can use his athleticism to move out of the pocket, and while he’s got the ability to break a run, he keeps his eyes downfield and looks for an open receiver.
Gray is currently about 6’2 ½” and 190 pounds, by his coach says that he could easily see Gray growing to 6’4” 215 in two years. To me, that’s perfect height for a quarterback, and his athleticism/running ability is key in today’s college game.
Of course, if he came to Pitt, he’d have to learn to play in an under-center/pro-style/I-formation offense, but his coach said that Gray would not be opposed to adjusting to that kind of system.
This will be one to watch over the next few weeks.
Recruiting roundup
Obviously the biggest stuff for the recruiting roundup is the official visit weekend (you can check out the Visit Board for a full breakdown) but there were a few other notable items from the past week that we should cover.
- Fort Myers (FL) cornerback his top visit. He previously visited Wisconsin, and he’s got visits set up for West Virginia (this weekend) and South Florida (January 16), so his decision could take some time.
Still, Pitt made a positive impression on him during his visit, and I’m sure an in-home visit from Dave Wannstedt will make another positive mark.
- 2010 Michigan quarterback he also left with a positive impression of Pitt. Most notable about Boisture’s visit was this quote that he gave to Tony:
"Jonathan Baldwin, he's real nice guy," Boisture said. "I told him hopefully he'd stay a few more years so I could throw him the ball."
So yeah, I’d say that sounds good for Pitt.
- New Jersey super-athlete said the following:
“At first, I was getting offers from schools like Temple and Toledo, then bigger names started coming across like Oklahoma and Pittsburgh."
Not too shabby when a kid says something like that. I see Pitt getting a visit, and after that it’s anybody’s guess. But if he came to Pitt, Evans could very well be the biggest “get” in the class.
- Kolby Gray isn’t the only prospect who has signed up for the January 9th official visit weekend. Hoboken (NJ) defensive linemen be visiting that weekend, too. Truth be told, I just don’t have much of a feel for these two. I think Pitt - with Hafley leading the way - is in good with them, but they’ve both got an affinity for Maryland, and a few other schools like Rutgers and Penn State could make a late run at one or both of them.
We’ll probably get a better idea after they visit in January.
- Pitt made a late offer to Boca Raton (FL) safety picked the Wolfpack.
- We’ve talked for awhile about Pennsbury tight end most recent interview, Marck says that he’s looking at taking an official visit to Pitt at some point in the near future. He also reiterates the same thing he’s been telling us for awhile.
"Basically they like my film," he said. "They have an offer out to one player and are taking two tight ends. If he chooses somewhere else, then I think I basically have the offer."
Pitt already has Brock DeCicco on board as a commitment, so it’s not hard to guess that the other player is Malcolm Bush. If Bush picks North Carolina or Rutgers, then I’d expect Marck to be the next guy in line. And if Pitt pulls the trigger on Marck, I’d expect him to respond in kind very quickly. Otherwise, I see him headed to Syracuse or maybe Miami (OH).
Programming note reminder
Just a reminder: the PantherLair.com radio show goes live Saturday morning at 11 AM on Fox Sports Radio 970 AM in Pittsburgh. It should also be available in a live stream at www.fox970.com. I’m counting on the subscribers of PantherLair.com to make this work, and really, this is your show. I could sit there and talk for an hour about my thoughts on Pitt football, Pitt basketball, and recruiting, but it would be a lot more interesting if you guys join in the fun and make this show as good as I think it can be.
Thanks for joining this week’s edition of In The Pitt. As always, feel free to e-mail chrispeak1@comcast.net with any suggestions, feedback, or other input.
