June 7, 2013
Welcome back to In the Pitt, Panther-Lair.com's rundown on everything happening in Pitt recruiting. Today we've got a truncated version of In the Pitt; the summer prospect camp season is getting underway, so here's a rundown of news and notes headed into the camps, which start today.
The Camps
The coaches will hold prospect camps on Friday and Saturday this week (6/7-8) and next week (6/14-15). The passing camp - a seven-on-seven tournament - will be held the next weekend.
Offered campers
There are lots of interesting names expected to be at Pitt's camps, and the talent level overall should be better than we've seen in recent years. What's really sticking out is the number of offered recruits who plan to attend the camp and work out; you don't usually see recruits with Pitt offers come to the Pitt camp, but we've heard from a number of them that they plan to do just that.
The offered recruits will start rolling in on Friday. Actually, that parade started Thursday night when Wilmington (Del.) Salesianum School tight end/defensive end Brian O'Neill arrived in Pittsburgh. O'Neill has a Pitt offer and is making his first visit to Pittsburgh, and he plans to work out with the coaches on Friday.
O'Neill has eight offers, but Pitt is the only BCS school to pull the trigger; if recent weeks are any indication, though, more "big" offers will be coming. But O'Neill has spoken highly of the Panthers, and they're in good shape for him right now.
Aliquippa defensive tackle twice this week. He told me that he was planning to visit on Thursday to see the campus and then again on Friday to watch the camp, although he might step in and take a few reps with defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield. Fields is high on Pitt, but he says he wants to wait before making a decision. My personal opinion is that he might be able to be swayed from that approach, but we'll see what happens.
Continuing the parade of offered recruits will be Shady Side Academy athlete Dennis Briggs, who plans to camp at Pitt on Friday. Briggs has Pitt and Toledo, so you'd think the Panthers should be able to win that recruiting battle, although he may try to hit a few more camps before making a decision (he has already participated in Temple's camp and is considering camps at Yale and Michigan State).
Finally camping
Even with those offered recruits in attendance, one of the most interesting prospects to watch on Friday will be Blackhawk quarterback Chandler Kincade. We all know the Kincade saga: committed to Pitt in the fall of 2011, stood by that commitment through the coaching change, but never sensed a full commitment from the current Pitt coaches - he felt like he was "inherited" - and re-opened his recruitment earlier this spring.
What's interesting is that Kincade's decommittment hasn't opened the floodgates for new offers like some though it might; he has offers from Rutgers, Temple, Bowling Green and Akron, but those were in place before he re-opened his recruitment. Apparently college coaches want the same thing the Pitt coaches want: to see him throw in person. Kincade is looking forward to working out with quarterbacks coach Brooks Bollinger on Friday, and we'll check in with Kincade after the workout to see how it went.
Speaking of quarterbacks
Not to jump ahead by a day, but since we're talking about quarterbacks, Cedar Cliff's Ford said the following:
"[Bollinger] told me that the next step is they want me to go out to Pittsburgh and spend a day just breaking down film and talking X's and O's and that kind of thing. They want to get a better feel for me as a person; they like what they have seen of me throwing, and now they want to do the other stuff. He said that's an important part of recruiting a quarterback, and I can understand that."
So I assumed that Ford would simply make a trip to Pitt to spend that kind of time with Bollinger, but he told me this week that he would be throwing again. We know that Bollinger and the Pitt coaches like Ford quite a bit (and it's not hard to see why). Another strong performance from Ford at Pitt's prospect camp could create a very interesting situation and possibly lead to an offer.
The big question
But that raises a question: what would an offer to Ford mean for Pitt's pursuit of Keller Chryst, the four-star quarterback, nephew of Paul Chryst[/B], and top QB prospect on Pitt's board?
I've been of the opinion that if Pitt extended a new offer to a quarterback, it would tell us a lot about where the coaches feel like they stand with Keller Chryst. Which is to say, if they offer another quarterback, it probably means they are out of the running for Chryst.
Now I'm not so sure about that line of thinking. More and more I'm becoming convinced that Pitt will try to sign two quarterbacks in this class. If that's the plan, then another quarterback is going to have to get an offer at some point. And I've made numerous mentions of what I perceive to be the relationship between Keller Chryst and Paul Chryst; simply, I think the Chryst's are tight, and I think it's a family that has been raised on football. They know how the game works, both on and off the field, and since Paul Chryst is the primary recruiter for Keller Chryst, I think we can reasonably assume that the Pitt head coach will handle the four-star quarterback in such a fashion that a new offer to a quarterback won't jeopardize Pitt's recruiting efforts.
So I think we could see Ford - or another quarterback - get an offer, perhaps even in the near future, but not read too much into what it means for Pitt and Keller Chryst.
As for the Chryst situation itself, my position is more or less the same: I can't sincerely predict that Pitt will get Keller Chryst, but I am confident that the Panthers are under serious consideration. That's as good as I've got right now.
Other interesting targets
A number of quarterbacks will be working out at Pitt's camps this weekend, including Nathan Climo, and others (we'll add more names later), but some of the most interesting expected campers are at other positions.
Like Elizabeth Forward defensive back Jaquan Davidson. One of the more impressive athletes in western Pa., Davidson will be at Pitt's camp on Friday and should put on a pretty good show. Davidson has some academic issues, but if he can overcome those, he has the potential to be a pretty good college football player. Pitt will have to see the academic process, though.
Clarkston (Mich.) corner Tim Cason is also planning to camp at Pitt on Friday, and he's a likely candidate for an offer. Rivals.com Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt thinks Cason is on the verge of breaking out, and if he puts on a good show Friday, Pitt could become the first BCS school to pull the trigger.
Woolwich (NJ) Kingway Regional running back Ray Lawry will be an interesting one to watch at Saturday's camp. Lawry has two BCS offers so far (Temple and Maryland) but he is confident he can earn his third when he works out in front of the Pitt coaches.
A few local athletes of note will also be in attendance for Saturday's camp: Joey Hobbs will also be at camp on Saturday; he's a very intriguing prospect, although there seem to be some academic issues.
Looking ahead
There are also some interesting names lined up for next weekend's camp, too.
Bethel Park offensive lineman Daurice Fountain is also planning to be there next Friday.
Fountain is from the same high school that produced 2013 Pitt recruit Jester Weah, and the Pitt coaches have been showing a lot of interest in him.
Linebacker
I suppose we should also have a word or two on linebackers, since two of Pitt's top targets - Chase Winovich - committed to other schools over the weekend.
It's not good to lose Franklin and Winovich; there's no skirting around that. If Pitt could have gotten those two, I think the coaches might have lit a cigar and called it a day on linebacker recruiting. But they missed on both, so the search for 'backers continues.
a href=http://pittsburgh.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=147665>Jameer Outsey plans ot make his decision on June 20 and will camp at Pitt on June 14, so the Panthers would appear to be in good position. Pitt also seems to be in good shape with Sam Seonbuncher, who is committed to Iowa State.
Overall, linebacker isn't a position of need the way running back (or even quarterback) is; Pitt has a good number of young linebackers. I still think the coaches will try to sign two in the class, so we could see some new offers coming out of the prospect camps.
Recapping the week
A few items of note from this past week:
- Philadelphia (Pa.) Neumann-Goretti's Pitt, Rutgers, and Virginia stand out.
- Paul Chryst has known Madison (Wisc.) La Follette athlete junior highlights.
- Pitt made the cut.
- I mentioned earlier that Aliquippa defensive tackle interview we did with him.
- Pitt was the first offer for four-star receiver Pitt and Rutgers are still pretty high on his list.
- Paul Chryst was still building his first recruiting class at Pitt when he offered 2015 Bishop McDevitt running back has five offers.
- Pitt also offered Millville (NJ) defensive tackle spoke to Panther-Lair.com about the offer.
- 2015 South Fayette quarterback already got two offers.
This post was edited on 6/7 8:06 AM by Chris Peak
Welcome back to In the Pitt, Panther-Lair.com's rundown on everything happening in Pitt recruiting. Today we've got a truncated version of In the Pitt; the summer prospect camp season is getting underway, so here's a rundown of news and notes headed into the camps, which start today.
The Camps
The coaches will hold prospect camps on Friday and Saturday this week (6/7-8) and next week (6/14-15). The passing camp - a seven-on-seven tournament - will be held the next weekend.
Offered campers
There are lots of interesting names expected to be at Pitt's camps, and the talent level overall should be better than we've seen in recent years. What's really sticking out is the number of offered recruits who plan to attend the camp and work out; you don't usually see recruits with Pitt offers come to the Pitt camp, but we've heard from a number of them that they plan to do just that.
The offered recruits will start rolling in on Friday. Actually, that parade started Thursday night when Wilmington (Del.) Salesianum School tight end/defensive end Brian O'Neill arrived in Pittsburgh. O'Neill has a Pitt offer and is making his first visit to Pittsburgh, and he plans to work out with the coaches on Friday.
O'Neill has eight offers, but Pitt is the only BCS school to pull the trigger; if recent weeks are any indication, though, more "big" offers will be coming. But O'Neill has spoken highly of the Panthers, and they're in good shape for him right now.
Aliquippa defensive tackle twice this week. He told me that he was planning to visit on Thursday to see the campus and then again on Friday to watch the camp, although he might step in and take a few reps with defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield. Fields is high on Pitt, but he says he wants to wait before making a decision. My personal opinion is that he might be able to be swayed from that approach, but we'll see what happens.
Continuing the parade of offered recruits will be Shady Side Academy athlete Dennis Briggs, who plans to camp at Pitt on Friday. Briggs has Pitt and Toledo, so you'd think the Panthers should be able to win that recruiting battle, although he may try to hit a few more camps before making a decision (he has already participated in Temple's camp and is considering camps at Yale and Michigan State).
Finally camping
Even with those offered recruits in attendance, one of the most interesting prospects to watch on Friday will be Blackhawk quarterback Chandler Kincade. We all know the Kincade saga: committed to Pitt in the fall of 2011, stood by that commitment through the coaching change, but never sensed a full commitment from the current Pitt coaches - he felt like he was "inherited" - and re-opened his recruitment earlier this spring.
What's interesting is that Kincade's decommittment hasn't opened the floodgates for new offers like some though it might; he has offers from Rutgers, Temple, Bowling Green and Akron, but those were in place before he re-opened his recruitment. Apparently college coaches want the same thing the Pitt coaches want: to see him throw in person. Kincade is looking forward to working out with quarterbacks coach Brooks Bollinger on Friday, and we'll check in with Kincade after the workout to see how it went.
Speaking of quarterbacks
Not to jump ahead by a day, but since we're talking about quarterbacks, Cedar Cliff's Ford said the following:
"[Bollinger] told me that the next step is they want me to go out to Pittsburgh and spend a day just breaking down film and talking X's and O's and that kind of thing. They want to get a better feel for me as a person; they like what they have seen of me throwing, and now they want to do the other stuff. He said that's an important part of recruiting a quarterback, and I can understand that."
So I assumed that Ford would simply make a trip to Pitt to spend that kind of time with Bollinger, but he told me this week that he would be throwing again. We know that Bollinger and the Pitt coaches like Ford quite a bit (and it's not hard to see why). Another strong performance from Ford at Pitt's prospect camp could create a very interesting situation and possibly lead to an offer.
The big question
But that raises a question: what would an offer to Ford mean for Pitt's pursuit of Keller Chryst, the four-star quarterback, nephew of Paul Chryst[/B], and top QB prospect on Pitt's board?
I've been of the opinion that if Pitt extended a new offer to a quarterback, it would tell us a lot about where the coaches feel like they stand with Keller Chryst. Which is to say, if they offer another quarterback, it probably means they are out of the running for Chryst.
Now I'm not so sure about that line of thinking. More and more I'm becoming convinced that Pitt will try to sign two quarterbacks in this class. If that's the plan, then another quarterback is going to have to get an offer at some point. And I've made numerous mentions of what I perceive to be the relationship between Keller Chryst and Paul Chryst; simply, I think the Chryst's are tight, and I think it's a family that has been raised on football. They know how the game works, both on and off the field, and since Paul Chryst is the primary recruiter for Keller Chryst, I think we can reasonably assume that the Pitt head coach will handle the four-star quarterback in such a fashion that a new offer to a quarterback won't jeopardize Pitt's recruiting efforts.
So I think we could see Ford - or another quarterback - get an offer, perhaps even in the near future, but not read too much into what it means for Pitt and Keller Chryst.
As for the Chryst situation itself, my position is more or less the same: I can't sincerely predict that Pitt will get Keller Chryst, but I am confident that the Panthers are under serious consideration. That's as good as I've got right now.
Other interesting targets
A number of quarterbacks will be working out at Pitt's camps this weekend, including Nathan Climo, and others (we'll add more names later), but some of the most interesting expected campers are at other positions.
Like Elizabeth Forward defensive back Jaquan Davidson. One of the more impressive athletes in western Pa., Davidson will be at Pitt's camp on Friday and should put on a pretty good show. Davidson has some academic issues, but if he can overcome those, he has the potential to be a pretty good college football player. Pitt will have to see the academic process, though.
Clarkston (Mich.) corner Tim Cason is also planning to camp at Pitt on Friday, and he's a likely candidate for an offer. Rivals.com Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt thinks Cason is on the verge of breaking out, and if he puts on a good show Friday, Pitt could become the first BCS school to pull the trigger.
Woolwich (NJ) Kingway Regional running back Ray Lawry will be an interesting one to watch at Saturday's camp. Lawry has two BCS offers so far (Temple and Maryland) but he is confident he can earn his third when he works out in front of the Pitt coaches.
A few local athletes of note will also be in attendance for Saturday's camp: Joey Hobbs will also be at camp on Saturday; he's a very intriguing prospect, although there seem to be some academic issues.
Looking ahead
There are also some interesting names lined up for next weekend's camp, too.
Bethel Park offensive lineman Daurice Fountain is also planning to be there next Friday.
Fountain is from the same high school that produced 2013 Pitt recruit Jester Weah, and the Pitt coaches have been showing a lot of interest in him.
Linebacker
I suppose we should also have a word or two on linebackers, since two of Pitt's top targets - Chase Winovich - committed to other schools over the weekend.
It's not good to lose Franklin and Winovich; there's no skirting around that. If Pitt could have gotten those two, I think the coaches might have lit a cigar and called it a day on linebacker recruiting. But they missed on both, so the search for 'backers continues.
a href=http://pittsburgh.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=147665>Jameer Outsey plans ot make his decision on June 20 and will camp at Pitt on June 14, so the Panthers would appear to be in good position. Pitt also seems to be in good shape with Sam Seonbuncher, who is committed to Iowa State.
Overall, linebacker isn't a position of need the way running back (or even quarterback) is; Pitt has a good number of young linebackers. I still think the coaches will try to sign two in the class, so we could see some new offers coming out of the prospect camps.
Recapping the week
A few items of note from this past week:
- Philadelphia (Pa.) Neumann-Goretti's Pitt, Rutgers, and Virginia stand out.
- Paul Chryst has known Madison (Wisc.) La Follette athlete junior highlights.
- Pitt made the cut.
- I mentioned earlier that Aliquippa defensive tackle interview we did with him.
- Pitt was the first offer for four-star receiver Pitt and Rutgers are still pretty high on his list.
- Paul Chryst was still building his first recruiting class at Pitt when he offered 2015 Bishop McDevitt running back has five offers.
- Pitt also offered Millville (NJ) defensive tackle spoke to Panther-Lair.com about the offer.
- 2015 South Fayette quarterback already got two offers.
This post was edited on 6/7 8:06 AM by Chris Peak
