June 14, 2013
Welcome back to In the Pitt, Panther-Lair.com's rundown of everything going on in Pitt recruiting. Today we're recapping the recent offers, looking ahead to this weekend's camps, and checking in on some offered recruits who are visiting.
Thursday action
Pitt hosted a number of recruits on Thursday for a small, invite-only prospect camp. They invited some offered recruits and some top targets, and about 10-12 recruits made it (the camp was originally planned to be at Heinz Field, which would have been a pretty cool experience for the recruits, but weather forced things to the South Side facilities).
Among the bigger names we confirmed as having participated in the camp:
Buffalo (NY) Canisius running back Qadree Ollison
- Ollison was on campus for the second time in two months and he worked out at the camp even though he holds an offer. We'll be checking in with him for a recap of his visit.
Newburgh (NY) Free Academy safety Jalen Williams
- We've said before that Williams is pretty high on Pitt, and I'd say to keep an eye out for a decision from him in the very near future.
Kenton (Oh.) linebacker Noah Furbush
- Furbush is relatively new on the radar, at least as far as Rivals.com coverage of his recruitment. But he has an offer and he worked out at the small-group camp Thursday night.
Elizabeth Forward defensive back Jaquan Davidson
- Davidson got an offer at Pitt's first prospect camp and went back down on Thursday to work out again.
Woodland Hills athlete Trevon Mathis
- Mathis seems to be on the verge of an offer, but while the Pitt coaches like him quite a bit and he put in good performances at the prospect camp last weekend and again on Thursday, but he still doesn't have an offer. Not yet, at least. We'll be keeping an eye on Mathis.
2015 South Fayette quarterback Brett Brumbaugh
- Brumbaugh is on Pitt's radar as a target in the class of 2015, and he got to work directly with Pitt QB coach Brooks Bollinger Thursday night.
Some key visits
A couple of big-time visitors are expected this weekend. 2015 Baldwin offensive lineman Sterling Jenkins is going to be one of Pitt's biggest targets - quite literally - and he is tentatively planning to visit Pitt on Saturday. The Pitt coaches have been on Jenkins for some time now, but his recruitment really blew up after the Rivals.com Camp Series Presented by Under Armour event at Montour this spring, and he's hearing from all the big boys in college football. He is also planning June visits to Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan, so that's what Pitt is up against for the next 20 months.
From the 2014 class, Englewood (NJ) Dwight Morrow four-star receiver Juwann Winfree is planning to visit Pitt this weekend. Pitt was the first school to offer Winfree, and his offer sheet has blown up since then. He still likes the Panthers, but it's going to be a real battle to land him. Still, it's always a good thing to get a recruit on campus, and Pitt will look to make headway this weekend.
Cincinnati (Oh.) Winton Woods corner Jerrell Foster will also be in town for a visit on Saturday. Foster got his offer from Pitt in the last month, and he's looking to meet the coaching staff and see what Pitt has to offer. He's still exploring the recruiting process and looking for the right fit, but Pitt is in good shape at this point.
Also on campus
Two offered recruits will be at Pitt on Friday, but rather than just visiting, they'll be taking part in the prospect camp.
Four-star Bethel Park offensive lineman Mike Grimm will be at Friday's camp as he looks for more interaction with offensive line coach Jim Hueber. Like I said regarding Winfree, it's always a good thing to get a recruit on campus, and I think that goes double for Grimm. The key to recruiting Grimm, as I see it, is getting him to feel so comfortable at Pitt and with the Pitt coaches that going to Pitt becomes a no-brainer. He still has some infatuation with Georgia and Alabama; I think part of that is a bit of curiosity to see if he can earn offers from schools in the SEC. Regardless, Pitt needs to get from appearing to be the obvious choice for Grimm to him thinking that Pitt is the obvious choice. He plans to work out at West Virginia's camp in two weeks, so I don't expect him to decide before that, and he is still considering visits to Georgia and Alabama, but Grimm would be a good one for Pitt to get wrapped up this summer, maybe even this month.
I still think Pitt is the favorite - he has said as much - they just need him to take that next step and pull the trigger.
Somerset (NJ) linebacker Jameer Outsey also plans to attend Pitt's camp on Friday. Pitt was the first school to offer Outsey - he has since added offers from Iowa, Akron and Buffalo - and while he has some other camps planned, he is pretty high on the Panthers.
Last week's offered visitors
Jenkins, Winfree, Grimm and Outsey will be visiting this weekend, and Pitt hosted a few other offered recruits last weekend.
Wilmington (Del.) Salesianum School tight end Brian O'Neill was in town for two days; he worked out for a little bit on Friday morning at the camp, but that wasn't the point of his visit, since he already has an offer from Pitt. Instead he spent a lot of time with the coaching staff, primarily offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph and head coach Paul Chryst.
O'Neill liked the visit quite a bit and is pretty high on Pitt. He'll be back in Pittsburgh next weekend for a basketball camp; that's a good coincidence for Pitt, as he'll get to spend some more time with the coaches, and I could see him pulling the trigger at that point.
Meanwhile, Shady Side Academy athlete Dennis Briggs, who has an offer from Pitt, did work out at the camp on Friday. One notable thing from that workout is that the coaches seemed to prefer him at running back. And Briggs seems to prefer Pitt, too; he's planning to camp at Yale this weekend and then will probably look to make a decision. I think Pitt gets the call with Briggs.
Four-star cornerback Troy Vincent was also at Pitt on Friday, but I'm not quite as optimistic about Pitt's chances. I think he has had some interest in the Panthers - he also visited for the Junior Day in February - but Penn State and Maryland are the favorites. When he visited on Friday, he was there as part of a college tour that his father - former NFL player Troy Vincent, Sr. - puts together for defensive back prospects. It's always good to have offered recruits on campus, but Vincent is probably out of reach at this point.
New offers
Pitt held its first set of prospect camps last weekend, and the events produced several new offers. One offer went to Elizabeth Forward defensive back Jaquan Davidson. There's no question about Davidson's athletic ability, but he does have some academic concerns. I've been told that Davidson is not a lost cause, though, and if he focuses on school and does what he needs to do this year, he should be able to qualify. Pitt's in good shape with Davidson.
Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King corner junior highlights.
Another Detroit prospect who camped at Pitt and earned an offer was linebacker Parris Bennett. Bennett liked everything he saw at Pitt's camp, and the Panthers stand out among his offers from Syracuse and MAC schools.
Continuing the theme of offering out-of-state prospects over the weekend, Pitt also extended a scholarship to Cincinnati (Oh.) Reading Community defensive end Shane Roy. Roy worked out for a bit at Pitt's camp, but it seems like that was a moot point, as the coaches were high on him before he even got to Pittsburgh, and he walked away with an offer.
An offer also went out to 2015 Johnstown cornerback Gibson's sophomore highlights.
This weekend
Pitt will have two more camps on Friday and Saturday, and there are a number of interesting recruits who plan to make it in.
I heard from Rochester (NY) East athlete Noye's junior highlights.
Philadelphia West Catholic athlete Patrick Amara is camping on Saturday, and he's also feeling good about his chances for a Pitt offer. And more than that, he is feeling good about Pitt in general. If Amara gets an offer he may not commit on the spot, but I would wager that he could join the class at some point in the near future. That's if he gets an offer; he'll have to put in a good camp performance.
Madison (Wisc.) Memorial receiver Daurice Fountain is also camping on Friday. He is from the same school as 2013 Pitt signee Jester Weah, and he told me Thursday night after arriving in Pittsburgh that he likes the city quite a bit. We'll see how his camp showing goes.
Another receiver to watch is Columbus (Oh.) Westerville South's Torrodd Carter. He visited Pitt this spring and was getting a lot of attention from offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph. Carter will be trying to get an offer at Friday's camp.
Weekly review
Here's a look back at some of recruiting updates we ran this week, just in case you missed anything:
- I assumed Pitt was done recruiting Louisiana after the last coaching change, but the current staff offered a running back from the state last week in Sione Palelei.
Article: Pitt offers La. RB
- As mentioned earlier, Pitt offered Elizabeth Forward corner Jaquan Davidson after his camp performance.
Article: Davidson camps, earns Pitt offer
- Delaware tight end Brian O'Neill spent two days at Pitt last week, and he is pretty high on the Panthers after the visit.
Article: O'Neill is high on Pitt after visit
- Alexandria (Va.) TC Williams linebacker Malik Carney picked up an offer from Pitt last week, and he'll in town in two weeks.
Article: Pitt offers a Titan linebacker
- Pitt didn't need to see Cincinnati (Oh.) Reading Community defensive end Shane Roy work out this past weekend to decide that he deserved an offer.
Article: Pitt offers Cincinnati DE after visit
- Avonte Maddox was one of the recruits who got an offer after the camps last weekend.
Article: Michigan CB talks Pitt after offer
- Woodland Hills athlete Trevon Mathis was one of the more impressive unoffered at Pitt's camp on Saturday.
Article: Mathis impresses at Pitt camp
- Parris Bennett came in from Detroit for Pitt's camp, and he walked away with an offer.
Article: Bennett talks Pitt offer
- Dennis Briggs spent more time with the Pitt coaches at the camp on Friday.
Article: Briggs works out at Pitt
- Versatile athlete Ron Brown also worked out at the camps.
Article: Brown feels good about camp performance
- Hampton (Va.) Bethel defensive tackle Ricky Walker isn't from Pittsburgh, but he has family from the city and an offer from Pitt.
Article: Rivals250 DT has connection to Pitt
- Pitt offered Cincinnati cornerback Jerrell Foster in the last month, and he's visiting this weekend.
Article: Offered CB due to visit
- Washington running back Shai McKenzie is one of Pitt's top targets in the class of 2013, and he's close to making more cuts to his list of schools. Pitt will make the next cut.
Article: Rivals250 RB to make cuts soon
This post was edited on 6/13 11:49 PM by Chris Peak
Welcome back to In the Pitt, Panther-Lair.com's rundown of everything going on in Pitt recruiting. Today we're recapping the recent offers, looking ahead to this weekend's camps, and checking in on some offered recruits who are visiting.
Thursday action
Pitt hosted a number of recruits on Thursday for a small, invite-only prospect camp. They invited some offered recruits and some top targets, and about 10-12 recruits made it (the camp was originally planned to be at Heinz Field, which would have been a pretty cool experience for the recruits, but weather forced things to the South Side facilities).
Among the bigger names we confirmed as having participated in the camp:
Buffalo (NY) Canisius running back Qadree Ollison
- Ollison was on campus for the second time in two months and he worked out at the camp even though he holds an offer. We'll be checking in with him for a recap of his visit.
Newburgh (NY) Free Academy safety Jalen Williams
- We've said before that Williams is pretty high on Pitt, and I'd say to keep an eye out for a decision from him in the very near future.
Kenton (Oh.) linebacker Noah Furbush
- Furbush is relatively new on the radar, at least as far as Rivals.com coverage of his recruitment. But he has an offer and he worked out at the small-group camp Thursday night.
Elizabeth Forward defensive back Jaquan Davidson
- Davidson got an offer at Pitt's first prospect camp and went back down on Thursday to work out again.
Woodland Hills athlete Trevon Mathis
- Mathis seems to be on the verge of an offer, but while the Pitt coaches like him quite a bit and he put in good performances at the prospect camp last weekend and again on Thursday, but he still doesn't have an offer. Not yet, at least. We'll be keeping an eye on Mathis.
2015 South Fayette quarterback Brett Brumbaugh
- Brumbaugh is on Pitt's radar as a target in the class of 2015, and he got to work directly with Pitt QB coach Brooks Bollinger Thursday night.
Some key visits
A couple of big-time visitors are expected this weekend. 2015 Baldwin offensive lineman Sterling Jenkins is going to be one of Pitt's biggest targets - quite literally - and he is tentatively planning to visit Pitt on Saturday. The Pitt coaches have been on Jenkins for some time now, but his recruitment really blew up after the Rivals.com Camp Series Presented by Under Armour event at Montour this spring, and he's hearing from all the big boys in college football. He is also planning June visits to Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan, so that's what Pitt is up against for the next 20 months.
From the 2014 class, Englewood (NJ) Dwight Morrow four-star receiver Juwann Winfree is planning to visit Pitt this weekend. Pitt was the first school to offer Winfree, and his offer sheet has blown up since then. He still likes the Panthers, but it's going to be a real battle to land him. Still, it's always a good thing to get a recruit on campus, and Pitt will look to make headway this weekend.
Cincinnati (Oh.) Winton Woods corner Jerrell Foster will also be in town for a visit on Saturday. Foster got his offer from Pitt in the last month, and he's looking to meet the coaching staff and see what Pitt has to offer. He's still exploring the recruiting process and looking for the right fit, but Pitt is in good shape at this point.
Also on campus
Two offered recruits will be at Pitt on Friday, but rather than just visiting, they'll be taking part in the prospect camp.
Four-star Bethel Park offensive lineman Mike Grimm will be at Friday's camp as he looks for more interaction with offensive line coach Jim Hueber. Like I said regarding Winfree, it's always a good thing to get a recruit on campus, and I think that goes double for Grimm. The key to recruiting Grimm, as I see it, is getting him to feel so comfortable at Pitt and with the Pitt coaches that going to Pitt becomes a no-brainer. He still has some infatuation with Georgia and Alabama; I think part of that is a bit of curiosity to see if he can earn offers from schools in the SEC. Regardless, Pitt needs to get from appearing to be the obvious choice for Grimm to him thinking that Pitt is the obvious choice. He plans to work out at West Virginia's camp in two weeks, so I don't expect him to decide before that, and he is still considering visits to Georgia and Alabama, but Grimm would be a good one for Pitt to get wrapped up this summer, maybe even this month.
I still think Pitt is the favorite - he has said as much - they just need him to take that next step and pull the trigger.
Somerset (NJ) linebacker Jameer Outsey also plans to attend Pitt's camp on Friday. Pitt was the first school to offer Outsey - he has since added offers from Iowa, Akron and Buffalo - and while he has some other camps planned, he is pretty high on the Panthers.
Last week's offered visitors
Jenkins, Winfree, Grimm and Outsey will be visiting this weekend, and Pitt hosted a few other offered recruits last weekend.
Wilmington (Del.) Salesianum School tight end Brian O'Neill was in town for two days; he worked out for a little bit on Friday morning at the camp, but that wasn't the point of his visit, since he already has an offer from Pitt. Instead he spent a lot of time with the coaching staff, primarily offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph and head coach Paul Chryst.
O'Neill liked the visit quite a bit and is pretty high on Pitt. He'll be back in Pittsburgh next weekend for a basketball camp; that's a good coincidence for Pitt, as he'll get to spend some more time with the coaches, and I could see him pulling the trigger at that point.
Meanwhile, Shady Side Academy athlete Dennis Briggs, who has an offer from Pitt, did work out at the camp on Friday. One notable thing from that workout is that the coaches seemed to prefer him at running back. And Briggs seems to prefer Pitt, too; he's planning to camp at Yale this weekend and then will probably look to make a decision. I think Pitt gets the call with Briggs.
Four-star cornerback Troy Vincent was also at Pitt on Friday, but I'm not quite as optimistic about Pitt's chances. I think he has had some interest in the Panthers - he also visited for the Junior Day in February - but Penn State and Maryland are the favorites. When he visited on Friday, he was there as part of a college tour that his father - former NFL player Troy Vincent, Sr. - puts together for defensive back prospects. It's always good to have offered recruits on campus, but Vincent is probably out of reach at this point.
New offers
Pitt held its first set of prospect camps last weekend, and the events produced several new offers. One offer went to Elizabeth Forward defensive back Jaquan Davidson. There's no question about Davidson's athletic ability, but he does have some academic concerns. I've been told that Davidson is not a lost cause, though, and if he focuses on school and does what he needs to do this year, he should be able to qualify. Pitt's in good shape with Davidson.
Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King corner junior highlights.
Another Detroit prospect who camped at Pitt and earned an offer was linebacker Parris Bennett. Bennett liked everything he saw at Pitt's camp, and the Panthers stand out among his offers from Syracuse and MAC schools.
Continuing the theme of offering out-of-state prospects over the weekend, Pitt also extended a scholarship to Cincinnati (Oh.) Reading Community defensive end Shane Roy. Roy worked out for a bit at Pitt's camp, but it seems like that was a moot point, as the coaches were high on him before he even got to Pittsburgh, and he walked away with an offer.
An offer also went out to 2015 Johnstown cornerback Gibson's sophomore highlights.
This weekend
Pitt will have two more camps on Friday and Saturday, and there are a number of interesting recruits who plan to make it in.
I heard from Rochester (NY) East athlete Noye's junior highlights.
Philadelphia West Catholic athlete Patrick Amara is camping on Saturday, and he's also feeling good about his chances for a Pitt offer. And more than that, he is feeling good about Pitt in general. If Amara gets an offer he may not commit on the spot, but I would wager that he could join the class at some point in the near future. That's if he gets an offer; he'll have to put in a good camp performance.
Madison (Wisc.) Memorial receiver Daurice Fountain is also camping on Friday. He is from the same school as 2013 Pitt signee Jester Weah, and he told me Thursday night after arriving in Pittsburgh that he likes the city quite a bit. We'll see how his camp showing goes.
Another receiver to watch is Columbus (Oh.) Westerville South's Torrodd Carter. He visited Pitt this spring and was getting a lot of attention from offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph. Carter will be trying to get an offer at Friday's camp.
Weekly review
Here's a look back at some of recruiting updates we ran this week, just in case you missed anything:
- I assumed Pitt was done recruiting Louisiana after the last coaching change, but the current staff offered a running back from the state last week in Sione Palelei.
Article: Pitt offers La. RB
- As mentioned earlier, Pitt offered Elizabeth Forward corner Jaquan Davidson after his camp performance.
Article: Davidson camps, earns Pitt offer
- Delaware tight end Brian O'Neill spent two days at Pitt last week, and he is pretty high on the Panthers after the visit.
Article: O'Neill is high on Pitt after visit
- Alexandria (Va.) TC Williams linebacker Malik Carney picked up an offer from Pitt last week, and he'll in town in two weeks.
Article: Pitt offers a Titan linebacker
- Pitt didn't need to see Cincinnati (Oh.) Reading Community defensive end Shane Roy work out this past weekend to decide that he deserved an offer.
Article: Pitt offers Cincinnati DE after visit
- Avonte Maddox was one of the recruits who got an offer after the camps last weekend.
Article: Michigan CB talks Pitt after offer
- Woodland Hills athlete Trevon Mathis was one of the more impressive unoffered at Pitt's camp on Saturday.
Article: Mathis impresses at Pitt camp
- Parris Bennett came in from Detroit for Pitt's camp, and he walked away with an offer.
Article: Bennett talks Pitt offer
- Dennis Briggs spent more time with the Pitt coaches at the camp on Friday.
Article: Briggs works out at Pitt
- Versatile athlete Ron Brown also worked out at the camps.
Article: Brown feels good about camp performance
- Hampton (Va.) Bethel defensive tackle Ricky Walker isn't from Pittsburgh, but he has family from the city and an offer from Pitt.
Article: Rivals250 DT has connection to Pitt
- Pitt offered Cincinnati cornerback Jerrell Foster in the last month, and he's visiting this weekend.
Article: Offered CB due to visit
- Washington running back Shai McKenzie is one of Pitt's top targets in the class of 2013, and he's close to making more cuts to his list of schools. Pitt will make the next cut.
Article: Rivals250 RB to make cuts soon
This post was edited on 6/13 11:49 PM by Chris Peak
