July 2nd, 2010
Top of the Pitt
In a matter of weeks, Pitt’s recruiting for the class of 2011 went from solid to impressive, and the Panthers enter the July break with nine commitments on board. So, with half the class already committed, we figured it was a good time to bring out In the Pitt for another look at how the group will fill out.
As always, there are two good references to have handy:
The Scholarship Boardhttp://pittsburgh.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=996&CID=1058017
The 2011 Offer Sheethttp://pittsburgh.rivals.com/offerlist.asp
On Monday we’ll break out the Big Board, so you’ll have that reference, too. But for now, The 2011 Offer Sheethttp://pittsburgh.rivals.com/offerlist.asp are good places to start.
The last time we published an edition of In the Pitt, Pitt had one commitment: Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha tight end Sam Collura. As such, we went position-by-position, breaking down target numbers and top prospects at each spot.
This time the situation is different. Pitt’s got nine commits, meaning they’ll only take 7-9 more in this class. Initially we put the target number at 16, but since they are involved with so many high-end recruits, the staff will likely shoot even higher. We’re now projecting the number to be 18, which means Pitt will take nine more in this class.
So, this edition of In the Pitt is going to focus on the main storylines and positions of interest for the final half of the class.
Basically, this write-up will have you set for Act II.
Defensive end
I can’t think of another position in this class that’s as intriguing at defensive end. For starters, there are a bunch of really good prospects that Pitt is in very good shape with. According to Deonte Gibson from Lakewood (Oh.) St. Edward.
Four of the 17 offered defensive ends have committed already and were probably long-shots for Pitt from the get-go: Clay Burton (Notre Dame).
That leaves 13 offered defensive ends, but a few more names can probably be eliminated. There doesn’t appear to be a lot of mutual interest with Taques Franklin is reportedly very talented but also highly unlikely to come close to qualifying.
Removing those five from the list of defensive end offers makes it a more manageable eight. In alphabetical order:
Shilique Calhoun
Deonte Gibson
Desimon Green
Max Issaka
Branden Jackson
Quinton Jefferson
Shawn Oakman (see note at the end of this section)
Ishaq Williams
That’s eight recruits for two spots. But, of course, nothing is ever definite in recruiting, and the defensive end position in this class is malleable depending on the order of commitments. Essentially, the Pitt coaches will take Ishaq Williams pretty much regardless of any other commitments. If they already have two defensive ends committed and Williams comes calling, they will take him.
But for Calhoun, Gibson, Green, Issaka, Jackson, and Jefferson, the message from the Pitt coaches is pretty simple. There are six recruits and two open spots. They have those six guys ranked close-enough together that they’re not going to hold out for one if two others want to commit. They have made it clear to those six defensive ends that this situation boils down to first-come/first-serve.
Of course, the Pitt coaches have used more finesse when communicating with the recruits, but that’s the message. If Calhoun and Green commit, then the other four are out. If Green and Issaka commit, then the other four are out. And so on and so forth.
This message has probably been stressed the most to the local players, Desimon Green and Quinton Jefferson. Of those two, Green has likely heard it more than any other recruit for a number of reasons. But he has maintained throughout the recruiting process that he was intent on taking an official visit to Texas Tech in September.
As recently as two weeks ago, he was adamant enough about that plan that he sent me a text message asking me to reiterate his intentions to not commit before taking that visit.
At some point, though, Green is going to have to ask himself how serious he is about the visit and how serious he is about Pitt. If he ultimately knows that Pitt is the school for him, then he should probably realize that it would be prudent to make that decision sooner rather than later, because the Pitt coaches have made it crystal-clear that if two other defensive ends commit, he’ll be left out.
My best guess on how this scenario plays out is the following:
One of the defensive ends will commit, quite possibly in the near future. Once that happens, there will be a rush by at least two or three of the remaining five to get a Pitt coach on the phone and commit.
(Note: On Thursday night, rumors emerged that Oakman may have committed to Penn State, despite telling PantherLair.com late Thursday afternoon that he wouldn’t be deciding soon. As of Friday morning, it appears that those rumors are correct.)
Who jumps?
So that puts the pressure on those other six recruits, and Issaka could very well be the first to fall. He has been thought of as a Rutgers lean for some time, but that bond has slipped over the past few weeks. Sources have indicated that Rutgers has been exerting some pressure recently, but Issaka hasn’t responded the way Greg Schiano hoped he would; instead of acquiescing and giving Rutgers a commitment, Issaka has bucked against the pressure.
That scenario juxtaposed nicely - for Pitt - with an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh late last week. Issaka previously told PantherLair.com that Pitt commit paid off in Pitt’s benefit:
“It was surprising because I loved it," Issaka told PantherLair.com. "I didn't think it would be as amazing as it was. I really liked it and I could really see myself spending four years of college there.”
Issaka said that he hopes to take more visits this summer, naming Florida (for UF, UCF, and Miami), North Carolina, and Michigan as possible destinations. I can’t be sure, but I’m going to bet against those visits happening.
One key element that could be the deciding factor in Issaka’s recruitment:
"My family's a big part of this. They came out with me to Pitt and they loved it and said that if they had a choice, I should go to Pitt. But they want me to keep visiting, too, because that's what I want to do."
I don’t think you can overlook that. Issaka wants to take his parents to Rutgers sometime soon; if that happens, my guess is that we’ll be seeing a decision from him shortly thereafter. If the parents go to Rutgers and say “this is better than Pitt,” then I think he’ll commit to RU; if they go there and say, “Pitt was better,” then I think Pitt wins.
If Issaka’s first out of the group, then I think the mad dash begins, and the top contenders are Green, Jefferson, Calhoun, Gibson, and Jackson. I don’t think Jackson has experienced enough of the recruiting process that he or his coaches would feel comfortable with him committing. So if there’s a rush for the last defensive end spot, I don’t think Jackson jumps on it.
Likewise, Gibson was a late, out-of-state offer. While he expressed a lot of interest in Pitt, I just don’t know if there’s enough of a connection - despite his contention that Pitt is in his top four - for him to make an early commitment to the Panthers.
That leaves Green, Jefferson, and Calhoun. From all accounts, we’ve heard that Calhoun had a very good visit to Pitt a few weeks ago; unfortunately we’ve been unable to get direct comment from him in the time since that visit. If you look at his Rivals profile, you’ll see that he has done exactly five interviews in the last nine months. And when I’ve reached someone at his house, I’m told that he’s very busy and rarely home.
We’ll keep working on tracking him down, but everything we’ve heard is positive. So positive, in fact, that it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was right behind Issaka in committing to Pitt.
Of course, if that happens, then the two local players - Green and Jefferson - are off the board for Pitt.
It’s difficult to get a read on Jefferson. He told us at the Pitt passing camp that he is down to Pitt and Iowa, but he’s not sure which one he’ll pick and he’s not sure when he’ll do it. If Issaka and Calhoun commit, then the decision will be much easier for him.
For Green, it almost seems too obvious that he would pick Pitt:
- He’s from Clairton
- He has former teammates on the current Pitt roster
- His first offer was from Pitt
- He has been around Pitt the most
- He is most comfortable with the Pitt coaches
But perhaps it is the obviousness of it all that is preventing Green from pulling the trigger. Perhaps he has been hearing all the reasons it makes sense for him to pick Pitt, and he is pushing back against it, most notably in the form of this desire to visit Texas Tech. But his desire to be iconoclastic about his recruiting process could ultimately leave him without the option of attending the school that does, by all accounts, make the most sense.
We’ll get a better idea of how committed Green is to the idea of an official visit to Texas Tech once Issaka or Calhoun or Jefferson commits to Pitt.
Ishaq Williams is the wild card in this equation. Even if two of those defensive ends commit, they’d still take Williams (the same would have applied to Oakman as well). I think Pitt will probably make the top five for Williams, but he’ll probably wait a little while to decide. If Pitt’s got two defensive ends committed - or three if something changes with Oakman - I’m guessing Williams would look elsewhere.
But if he wanted to pull the trigger, they’d take him, even if it meant taking as many as defensive ends in the class.
The Wright situation
Before we move on to other positions, a quick note about the commitment of Marquise Wright, a four-star defensive tackle ranked No. 61 overall in the class of 2011. He is also ranked No. 4 among defensive tackles and No. 2 in the state of New Jersey.
Much speculation has been offered about how Wright, long thought to be a Penn State lock, ended up committing to Pitt. One theory is that the Pitt staff engaged in negative recruiting, with a particular focus on the uncertainty of Penn State’s coaching situation going forward.
For starters, if Pitt had employed that tactic against Penn State, they would hardly be the first school to attempt such a thing. Rumors about Joe Paterno’s imminent retirement have been used in recruiting battles for the last 30 years - without exaggeration - and it’s unlikely that 2010 is the year when those rumors become a viable recruiting tool, despite Paterno’s recent health issues.
Regardless, I’ve been told by people I trust that Pitt did not engage in any such tactic. That may or may not be true. I have no way of verifying it other than to believe what I have been told.
Likewise, the second “explanation” for why Wright picked Pitt was that Penn State backed off their recruitment of the four-star defensive tackle. Rivals.com recruiting analyst Mike Farrell addressed that topic in his latest Weekly Whispers column (which also has a very good write-up on Jeff Hafley):
”While there are rumors Penn State backed off Wright, it seems odd to think the Nittany Lions would give up on a prospect they led so strongly for and at a position of such need. Indeed, sources say the Nittany Lions will continue to work Wright.”
Ultimately, I don’t know - or, truthfully, care - if Pitt negatively recruited. And I don’t know if Penn State backed off. What I do know is that Wright had a lot of offers to choose from, and ultimately he picked Pitt. Sometimes it’s better to focus on the ends rather than the means, particularly when the means in a situation as murky as recruiting are often difficult to ascertain.
Pulling back
With the commitment of Wright, Pitt is likely finished with defensive tackles in this class. The target number was a soft “1”, and it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that they would finish the class without a tackle.
(Okay, given that Dave Wannstedt is still the coach of this team, it probably wasn’t ever really possible that they wouldn’t take a tackle, just because the man loves defensive linemen. But they at least pretended that they might not take one).
That means that Pitt’s other offers at the defensive tackle position are, in a manner of speaking, untenable. Of course, Pitt has only offered a total of four defensive tackles in the class: Wright, Delvon Simmons.
Croce is committed to Virginia and McReynolds has tons of offers, so those two aren’t really affected. But Simmons is a somewhat touchy situation. Pitt offered him less than two weeks ago after a lengthy delay that didn’t go unnoticed by Simmons or his head coach at McKeesport. While Pitt was deciding whether or not to offer Simmons, 11 other schools did pull the trigger.
Simmons said that Pitt wasn’t behind due to the delay, but it certainly couldn’t have helped their cause (although I have been told that defensive line coach Greg Gattuso has maintained a good relationship with Simmons and the McKeesport coach throughout the process). Now, though, the Pitt coaches are in a spot that’s somewhat difficult:
They had to explain to Simmons - and, by extension, his coach - that the offer is not, at this point, committable. That is to say, they cannot accept a commitment from Simmons because they already have met their target number for players at that position.
This is different from pulling a scholarship offer, although the distinction may be largely semantic in nature. The Pitt coaches realize that recruiting is always a fluid situation and one that can change in very short time, so they don’t intend to cut off all contact with Simmons or stop recruiting him; they’ll invite him to games this fall, visit the high school, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Simmons took another unofficial visit to Pitt this summer.
But the fact remains that, unless something changes - which could mean any number of changes, including a change of mind by the coaching staff - they cannot accept a commitment from Simmons at this time.
Pulling back, Pt. 2
Pitt might also be pulling back a bit on West Allegheny’s Mike Caputo. That’s a tough sentence to type, because I know that Caputo is something of a fan favorite. He’s certainly fun to watch on the football field, even at the pad-less 7-on-7 passing camp last weekend. But the fact remains that, with his particular size and skill-set, it’s difficult to project a position for Caputo.
He could be a safety or he could be a linebacker, but more and more, it seems like college coaches just aren’t sure if he will excel at either. It would seem that if he could add more size, he could be a good outside linebacker, but one observer I spoke with this weekend thought that it might be tough to bulk him up enough to make that move.
When I spoke to Caputo, he said that his top four were Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, but he seemed particularly interested in Wisconsin. I think that might be a good thing, since we’re hearing that the interest has lightened from the other three.
Now, I don’t think that Caputo is the same kid of situation as Simmons. Simmons is a player the Pitt coaches like, but they already have a commitment at his position. Caputo is a player they like, but maybe not necessarily as much as they once did, and certainly not as much as other recruits at similar positions.
On the position question, Pitt appears to like him as a safety, but I’m not sure that they’re completely sold on him there. And with two linebackers already committed, if they project him at that position, then there’s really no room for him.
A good problem to have
One position where Pitt isn’t pulling back off recruits is running back, and right now the Panthers are in pretty good shape with a handful of very good backs. At the top of the list are Pitt made the cut.
For Pitt, the recruitment of Huggins has been a step-by-step process. Step one was getting him to campus for an unofficial visit in the spring. That visit cemented the efforts of Jeff Hafley and made Pitt relevant in Huggins’ recruitment.
Step two was getting a second unofficial visit, except this time Huggins was joined by his mother and his sister. Huggins’ interest in Pitt was firm after the first visit; the second visit got his mother on board, as he said that she was impressed with the campus and coaching staff.
Step three was making the first major cut on his list. That was accomplished on Thursday when Pitt found itself in the final ten.
Step four will be making the next cut, as Huggins hopes to narrow his list again prior to the fall season. Presumably that next cut will be to five, and Huggins will then take his official visits to those five schools.
If Pitt can get in the final five and land an official visit, they’re in the game. After that will come the in-home visits and the final push in January before he announces his decision. And through it all, Hafley - and David Walker and Frank Cignetti and Dave Wannstedt - will be grinding away, always reminding him about Pitt and keeping Pitt in his thoughts. That’s the daily goal for Pitt when it comes to Huggins.
Poteat might not have quite as many offers as Huggins, but he’s got enough. Pitt has long been considered the favorite for Poteat, and he hasn’t really done anything to change that impression. In his last interview, Poteat said that four schools are locks for his top ten:
Pitt, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Cincinnati.
To me, that kind of statement indicates that those are the top four.
Quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pitt and Rutgers are the eventual destinations for Poteat and Huggins (not necessarily in that order). These are the top two running back targets for Pitt and Rutgers, and those two recruits seem to have a lot of interest in those two schools. So it’s conceivable that they both stay uncommitted until one of them cracks and picks a school, which would be followed a day later by the other committing to the other school. But that’s just speculation.
Either way, I think Pitt will get one of the two, either Huggins or Poteat. What remains to be seen is if the coaching staff tries to get two running backs in the class; if they do, then Jeremiah Bryson are the most likely candidates who currently have offers. They could also look at an unoffered prospect, perhaps one who emerges in his senior season.
A bad problem to have
While Pitt seems destined to land at least one outstanding running back, the prospects aren’t quite as bright on the offensive line. We list 13 offensive linemen on Kevin Reihner (Stanford) - are currently committed.
Of the other 11, it’s tough to say that Pitt is in great shape with any of them. Angelo Mangiro will pick Penn State when he announces his decision on July 25th.
Removing those six from the group leaves six linemen:
Donovan Smith
Jamar Lewter
Keith Lumpkin
Tim Cwalina
Jay Whitmire
Brandon Clemons
Smith, Lewter, Lumpkin, Cwalina, and Whitmire are all tackles, and Smith is at the top of the group. He took an unofficial visit to Pitt this spring, and he’s been taking a lot of visits this summer in the hopes of being able to narrow his list. From what we’ve heard, Pitt should make the cut when he gets down to 10 or 15 in August.
Lewter has been tough to get a read on, and he previously claimed that Auburn was his leader. But on Friday he cut his list to five, and Pitt made the cut along with North Carolina, Auburn, Illinois, and Maryland. He said that North Carolina is now the leader, but we’ll keep an eye on him since he’s got Pitt in the top five.
Cwalina was at Pitt recently, but he’s quiet in the recruiting process, even with coaches. Whitmire is the same way; from what I’ve heard, college coaches have difficulty maintaining contact with both guys, so it’s doubly hard to get a good read on either one.
Truthfully, I don’t have a real good feel for Lumpkin or Clemons either. My contacts have indicated that Pitt has had pretty good contact with those guys, but nothing strong enough to say that Pitt is the favorite. With Rowell already on board, I figure Pitt will try to take two more linemen; ideally those two would both be tackles, but it might end up being one guard and one tackle.
Either way, Pitt needs to make some progress with the offensive line recruits. They’re doing well at a number of positions this year, but they need to make up some ground on the line.
The back end
When Ron Tanner - aren’t likely to pick Pitt.
Here are Pitt’s most likely defensive back candidates:
Kyshoen Jarrett
Chris Dukes
Terrell Chestnut
Sheldon Royster
Miles Shuler
Kelvin Fisher
With one cornerback on board, Pitt will probably take one more corner and a safety. But they’re not desperate for corners, so they’ll be selective. While they won’t turn away Jarrett or Chestnut, I doubt they would accept a commitment from Dukes if he tried to pull the trigger.
Royster is most likely a safety, but he hasn’t done a Rivals interview since March, so it’s anyone’s guess where he stands. Pitt has Hafley working Royster, so you have to give them a chance; beyond that, I couldn’t say.
According to a recent article Fisher plans to visit Pitt this summer, but ultimately I don’t see him committing to Pitt.
That leaves Shuler, but in a sense, he doesn’t count in this group. Pitt initially recruited him as a cornerback, and while they still think he projects well on defense, I don’t think they’re locked into the idea. So if Chestnut or Jarrett committed - thus giving Pitt two cornerback commitments - they’d still take Shuler as an athlete.
Sometimes we mock the Rivals “Athlete” position label, but it’s a relevant classification used by college coaches for players like Shuler: they aren’t entirely sure where he’ll play, but he’s good enough that they’ll take him and figure out where to play him later. If Shuler committed to Pitt, he wouldn’t necessarily count as a cornerback or a receiver on their board; he’d just count as a commit.
Jarrett seems like a Penn State lean, but Pitt could have the inside track with Chestnut after an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh in late June. I don’t know if Pitt’s the leader, but they made up a lot of ground and appear to be in good shape.
How it shakes out
Without making predictions, we’ll close out this edition of In the Pitt with a look at how the class could round out. I suspect that the final nine spots in the class will be filled as such:
Running back - 2
Offensive line - 2
Defensive end - 2
Defensive back - 2
Athlete - 1
Which would put the full class at:
Quarterback - 1
Running back - 2
Wide receiver - 2
Tight end - 1
Offensive line - 3
Defensive end - 2
Defensive tackle - 1
Linebacker - 2
Defensive back - 3
Athlete - 1
A few notes:
- If Aaron Donald and/or Andre Givens fail to qualify in time to join the team this August, then one or both would presumably attend prep school for a year and then sign with the class of 2011 in February. That means that one or two spots in the class would be spoken for already, in which case they might take only one running back and perhaps cut out one defensive back spot. This will be an important angle to monitor, because the target number of 18 could really be 16.
- Jack Tabb could figure in as a second tight end commitment, but I’m not sure if the Pitt coaches are set on taking two tight ends in the class.
- Shuler seems to be the leading candidate for the athlete spot, but that could also be a recruit who has not yet been offered.
- As always, and as has been stated throughout this write-up, recruiting is always fluid and always in motion. Things could change at any point. In fact, during the compilation of this edition of In the Pitt, the commitment of Shawn Oakman considerably altered the section on defensive ends. And it’s entirely possible that the staff’s approach will change tomorrow (or today).
But for now, I’m confident that this is the way the Pitt coaching staff is handling its recruiting for the class of 2011.
Keep in touch on the go. Follow PantherLair.com:
This post was edited on 7/2 8:37 PM by Chris Peak
Top of the Pitt
In a matter of weeks, Pitt’s recruiting for the class of 2011 went from solid to impressive, and the Panthers enter the July break with nine commitments on board. So, with half the class already committed, we figured it was a good time to bring out In the Pitt for another look at how the group will fill out.
As always, there are two good references to have handy:
The Scholarship Boardhttp://pittsburgh.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=996&CID=1058017
The 2011 Offer Sheethttp://pittsburgh.rivals.com/offerlist.asp
On Monday we’ll break out the Big Board, so you’ll have that reference, too. But for now, The 2011 Offer Sheethttp://pittsburgh.rivals.com/offerlist.asp are good places to start.
The last time we published an edition of In the Pitt, Pitt had one commitment: Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha tight end Sam Collura. As such, we went position-by-position, breaking down target numbers and top prospects at each spot.
This time the situation is different. Pitt’s got nine commits, meaning they’ll only take 7-9 more in this class. Initially we put the target number at 16, but since they are involved with so many high-end recruits, the staff will likely shoot even higher. We’re now projecting the number to be 18, which means Pitt will take nine more in this class.
So, this edition of In the Pitt is going to focus on the main storylines and positions of interest for the final half of the class.
Basically, this write-up will have you set for Act II.
Defensive end
I can’t think of another position in this class that’s as intriguing at defensive end. For starters, there are a bunch of really good prospects that Pitt is in very good shape with. According to Deonte Gibson from Lakewood (Oh.) St. Edward.
Four of the 17 offered defensive ends have committed already and were probably long-shots for Pitt from the get-go: Clay Burton (Notre Dame).
That leaves 13 offered defensive ends, but a few more names can probably be eliminated. There doesn’t appear to be a lot of mutual interest with Taques Franklin is reportedly very talented but also highly unlikely to come close to qualifying.
Removing those five from the list of defensive end offers makes it a more manageable eight. In alphabetical order:
Shilique Calhoun
Deonte Gibson
Desimon Green
Max Issaka
Branden Jackson
Quinton Jefferson
Shawn Oakman (see note at the end of this section)
Ishaq Williams
That’s eight recruits for two spots. But, of course, nothing is ever definite in recruiting, and the defensive end position in this class is malleable depending on the order of commitments. Essentially, the Pitt coaches will take Ishaq Williams pretty much regardless of any other commitments. If they already have two defensive ends committed and Williams comes calling, they will take him.
But for Calhoun, Gibson, Green, Issaka, Jackson, and Jefferson, the message from the Pitt coaches is pretty simple. There are six recruits and two open spots. They have those six guys ranked close-enough together that they’re not going to hold out for one if two others want to commit. They have made it clear to those six defensive ends that this situation boils down to first-come/first-serve.
Of course, the Pitt coaches have used more finesse when communicating with the recruits, but that’s the message. If Calhoun and Green commit, then the other four are out. If Green and Issaka commit, then the other four are out. And so on and so forth.
This message has probably been stressed the most to the local players, Desimon Green and Quinton Jefferson. Of those two, Green has likely heard it more than any other recruit for a number of reasons. But he has maintained throughout the recruiting process that he was intent on taking an official visit to Texas Tech in September.
As recently as two weeks ago, he was adamant enough about that plan that he sent me a text message asking me to reiterate his intentions to not commit before taking that visit.
At some point, though, Green is going to have to ask himself how serious he is about the visit and how serious he is about Pitt. If he ultimately knows that Pitt is the school for him, then he should probably realize that it would be prudent to make that decision sooner rather than later, because the Pitt coaches have made it crystal-clear that if two other defensive ends commit, he’ll be left out.
My best guess on how this scenario plays out is the following:
One of the defensive ends will commit, quite possibly in the near future. Once that happens, there will be a rush by at least two or three of the remaining five to get a Pitt coach on the phone and commit.
(Note: On Thursday night, rumors emerged that Oakman may have committed to Penn State, despite telling PantherLair.com late Thursday afternoon that he wouldn’t be deciding soon. As of Friday morning, it appears that those rumors are correct.)
Who jumps?
So that puts the pressure on those other six recruits, and Issaka could very well be the first to fall. He has been thought of as a Rutgers lean for some time, but that bond has slipped over the past few weeks. Sources have indicated that Rutgers has been exerting some pressure recently, but Issaka hasn’t responded the way Greg Schiano hoped he would; instead of acquiescing and giving Rutgers a commitment, Issaka has bucked against the pressure.
That scenario juxtaposed nicely - for Pitt - with an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh late last week. Issaka previously told PantherLair.com that Pitt commit paid off in Pitt’s benefit:
“It was surprising because I loved it," Issaka told PantherLair.com. "I didn't think it would be as amazing as it was. I really liked it and I could really see myself spending four years of college there.”
Issaka said that he hopes to take more visits this summer, naming Florida (for UF, UCF, and Miami), North Carolina, and Michigan as possible destinations. I can’t be sure, but I’m going to bet against those visits happening.
One key element that could be the deciding factor in Issaka’s recruitment:
"My family's a big part of this. They came out with me to Pitt and they loved it and said that if they had a choice, I should go to Pitt. But they want me to keep visiting, too, because that's what I want to do."
I don’t think you can overlook that. Issaka wants to take his parents to Rutgers sometime soon; if that happens, my guess is that we’ll be seeing a decision from him shortly thereafter. If the parents go to Rutgers and say “this is better than Pitt,” then I think he’ll commit to RU; if they go there and say, “Pitt was better,” then I think Pitt wins.
If Issaka’s first out of the group, then I think the mad dash begins, and the top contenders are Green, Jefferson, Calhoun, Gibson, and Jackson. I don’t think Jackson has experienced enough of the recruiting process that he or his coaches would feel comfortable with him committing. So if there’s a rush for the last defensive end spot, I don’t think Jackson jumps on it.
Likewise, Gibson was a late, out-of-state offer. While he expressed a lot of interest in Pitt, I just don’t know if there’s enough of a connection - despite his contention that Pitt is in his top four - for him to make an early commitment to the Panthers.
That leaves Green, Jefferson, and Calhoun. From all accounts, we’ve heard that Calhoun had a very good visit to Pitt a few weeks ago; unfortunately we’ve been unable to get direct comment from him in the time since that visit. If you look at his Rivals profile, you’ll see that he has done exactly five interviews in the last nine months. And when I’ve reached someone at his house, I’m told that he’s very busy and rarely home.
We’ll keep working on tracking him down, but everything we’ve heard is positive. So positive, in fact, that it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was right behind Issaka in committing to Pitt.
Of course, if that happens, then the two local players - Green and Jefferson - are off the board for Pitt.
It’s difficult to get a read on Jefferson. He told us at the Pitt passing camp that he is down to Pitt and Iowa, but he’s not sure which one he’ll pick and he’s not sure when he’ll do it. If Issaka and Calhoun commit, then the decision will be much easier for him.
For Green, it almost seems too obvious that he would pick Pitt:
- He’s from Clairton
- He has former teammates on the current Pitt roster
- His first offer was from Pitt
- He has been around Pitt the most
- He is most comfortable with the Pitt coaches
But perhaps it is the obviousness of it all that is preventing Green from pulling the trigger. Perhaps he has been hearing all the reasons it makes sense for him to pick Pitt, and he is pushing back against it, most notably in the form of this desire to visit Texas Tech. But his desire to be iconoclastic about his recruiting process could ultimately leave him without the option of attending the school that does, by all accounts, make the most sense.
We’ll get a better idea of how committed Green is to the idea of an official visit to Texas Tech once Issaka or Calhoun or Jefferson commits to Pitt.
Ishaq Williams is the wild card in this equation. Even if two of those defensive ends commit, they’d still take Williams (the same would have applied to Oakman as well). I think Pitt will probably make the top five for Williams, but he’ll probably wait a little while to decide. If Pitt’s got two defensive ends committed - or three if something changes with Oakman - I’m guessing Williams would look elsewhere.
But if he wanted to pull the trigger, they’d take him, even if it meant taking as many as defensive ends in the class.
The Wright situation
Before we move on to other positions, a quick note about the commitment of Marquise Wright, a four-star defensive tackle ranked No. 61 overall in the class of 2011. He is also ranked No. 4 among defensive tackles and No. 2 in the state of New Jersey.
Much speculation has been offered about how Wright, long thought to be a Penn State lock, ended up committing to Pitt. One theory is that the Pitt staff engaged in negative recruiting, with a particular focus on the uncertainty of Penn State’s coaching situation going forward.
For starters, if Pitt had employed that tactic against Penn State, they would hardly be the first school to attempt such a thing. Rumors about Joe Paterno’s imminent retirement have been used in recruiting battles for the last 30 years - without exaggeration - and it’s unlikely that 2010 is the year when those rumors become a viable recruiting tool, despite Paterno’s recent health issues.
Regardless, I’ve been told by people I trust that Pitt did not engage in any such tactic. That may or may not be true. I have no way of verifying it other than to believe what I have been told.
Likewise, the second “explanation” for why Wright picked Pitt was that Penn State backed off their recruitment of the four-star defensive tackle. Rivals.com recruiting analyst Mike Farrell addressed that topic in his latest Weekly Whispers column (which also has a very good write-up on Jeff Hafley):
”While there are rumors Penn State backed off Wright, it seems odd to think the Nittany Lions would give up on a prospect they led so strongly for and at a position of such need. Indeed, sources say the Nittany Lions will continue to work Wright.”
Ultimately, I don’t know - or, truthfully, care - if Pitt negatively recruited. And I don’t know if Penn State backed off. What I do know is that Wright had a lot of offers to choose from, and ultimately he picked Pitt. Sometimes it’s better to focus on the ends rather than the means, particularly when the means in a situation as murky as recruiting are often difficult to ascertain.
Pulling back
With the commitment of Wright, Pitt is likely finished with defensive tackles in this class. The target number was a soft “1”, and it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that they would finish the class without a tackle.
(Okay, given that Dave Wannstedt is still the coach of this team, it probably wasn’t ever really possible that they wouldn’t take a tackle, just because the man loves defensive linemen. But they at least pretended that they might not take one).
That means that Pitt’s other offers at the defensive tackle position are, in a manner of speaking, untenable. Of course, Pitt has only offered a total of four defensive tackles in the class: Wright, Delvon Simmons.
Croce is committed to Virginia and McReynolds has tons of offers, so those two aren’t really affected. But Simmons is a somewhat touchy situation. Pitt offered him less than two weeks ago after a lengthy delay that didn’t go unnoticed by Simmons or his head coach at McKeesport. While Pitt was deciding whether or not to offer Simmons, 11 other schools did pull the trigger.
Simmons said that Pitt wasn’t behind due to the delay, but it certainly couldn’t have helped their cause (although I have been told that defensive line coach Greg Gattuso has maintained a good relationship with Simmons and the McKeesport coach throughout the process). Now, though, the Pitt coaches are in a spot that’s somewhat difficult:
They had to explain to Simmons - and, by extension, his coach - that the offer is not, at this point, committable. That is to say, they cannot accept a commitment from Simmons because they already have met their target number for players at that position.
This is different from pulling a scholarship offer, although the distinction may be largely semantic in nature. The Pitt coaches realize that recruiting is always a fluid situation and one that can change in very short time, so they don’t intend to cut off all contact with Simmons or stop recruiting him; they’ll invite him to games this fall, visit the high school, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Simmons took another unofficial visit to Pitt this summer.
But the fact remains that, unless something changes - which could mean any number of changes, including a change of mind by the coaching staff - they cannot accept a commitment from Simmons at this time.
Pulling back, Pt. 2
Pitt might also be pulling back a bit on West Allegheny’s Mike Caputo. That’s a tough sentence to type, because I know that Caputo is something of a fan favorite. He’s certainly fun to watch on the football field, even at the pad-less 7-on-7 passing camp last weekend. But the fact remains that, with his particular size and skill-set, it’s difficult to project a position for Caputo.
He could be a safety or he could be a linebacker, but more and more, it seems like college coaches just aren’t sure if he will excel at either. It would seem that if he could add more size, he could be a good outside linebacker, but one observer I spoke with this weekend thought that it might be tough to bulk him up enough to make that move.
When I spoke to Caputo, he said that his top four were Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, but he seemed particularly interested in Wisconsin. I think that might be a good thing, since we’re hearing that the interest has lightened from the other three.
Now, I don’t think that Caputo is the same kid of situation as Simmons. Simmons is a player the Pitt coaches like, but they already have a commitment at his position. Caputo is a player they like, but maybe not necessarily as much as they once did, and certainly not as much as other recruits at similar positions.
On the position question, Pitt appears to like him as a safety, but I’m not sure that they’re completely sold on him there. And with two linebackers already committed, if they project him at that position, then there’s really no room for him.
A good problem to have
One position where Pitt isn’t pulling back off recruits is running back, and right now the Panthers are in pretty good shape with a handful of very good backs. At the top of the list are Pitt made the cut.
For Pitt, the recruitment of Huggins has been a step-by-step process. Step one was getting him to campus for an unofficial visit in the spring. That visit cemented the efforts of Jeff Hafley and made Pitt relevant in Huggins’ recruitment.
Step two was getting a second unofficial visit, except this time Huggins was joined by his mother and his sister. Huggins’ interest in Pitt was firm after the first visit; the second visit got his mother on board, as he said that she was impressed with the campus and coaching staff.
Step three was making the first major cut on his list. That was accomplished on Thursday when Pitt found itself in the final ten.
Step four will be making the next cut, as Huggins hopes to narrow his list again prior to the fall season. Presumably that next cut will be to five, and Huggins will then take his official visits to those five schools.
If Pitt can get in the final five and land an official visit, they’re in the game. After that will come the in-home visits and the final push in January before he announces his decision. And through it all, Hafley - and David Walker and Frank Cignetti and Dave Wannstedt - will be grinding away, always reminding him about Pitt and keeping Pitt in his thoughts. That’s the daily goal for Pitt when it comes to Huggins.
Poteat might not have quite as many offers as Huggins, but he’s got enough. Pitt has long been considered the favorite for Poteat, and he hasn’t really done anything to change that impression. In his last interview, Poteat said that four schools are locks for his top ten:
Pitt, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Cincinnati.
To me, that kind of statement indicates that those are the top four.
Quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pitt and Rutgers are the eventual destinations for Poteat and Huggins (not necessarily in that order). These are the top two running back targets for Pitt and Rutgers, and those two recruits seem to have a lot of interest in those two schools. So it’s conceivable that they both stay uncommitted until one of them cracks and picks a school, which would be followed a day later by the other committing to the other school. But that’s just speculation.
Either way, I think Pitt will get one of the two, either Huggins or Poteat. What remains to be seen is if the coaching staff tries to get two running backs in the class; if they do, then Jeremiah Bryson are the most likely candidates who currently have offers. They could also look at an unoffered prospect, perhaps one who emerges in his senior season.
A bad problem to have
While Pitt seems destined to land at least one outstanding running back, the prospects aren’t quite as bright on the offensive line. We list 13 offensive linemen on Kevin Reihner (Stanford) - are currently committed.
Of the other 11, it’s tough to say that Pitt is in great shape with any of them. Angelo Mangiro will pick Penn State when he announces his decision on July 25th.
Removing those six from the group leaves six linemen:
Donovan Smith
Jamar Lewter
Keith Lumpkin
Tim Cwalina
Jay Whitmire
Brandon Clemons
Smith, Lewter, Lumpkin, Cwalina, and Whitmire are all tackles, and Smith is at the top of the group. He took an unofficial visit to Pitt this spring, and he’s been taking a lot of visits this summer in the hopes of being able to narrow his list. From what we’ve heard, Pitt should make the cut when he gets down to 10 or 15 in August.
Lewter has been tough to get a read on, and he previously claimed that Auburn was his leader. But on Friday he cut his list to five, and Pitt made the cut along with North Carolina, Auburn, Illinois, and Maryland. He said that North Carolina is now the leader, but we’ll keep an eye on him since he’s got Pitt in the top five.
Cwalina was at Pitt recently, but he’s quiet in the recruiting process, even with coaches. Whitmire is the same way; from what I’ve heard, college coaches have difficulty maintaining contact with both guys, so it’s doubly hard to get a good read on either one.
Truthfully, I don’t have a real good feel for Lumpkin or Clemons either. My contacts have indicated that Pitt has had pretty good contact with those guys, but nothing strong enough to say that Pitt is the favorite. With Rowell already on board, I figure Pitt will try to take two more linemen; ideally those two would both be tackles, but it might end up being one guard and one tackle.
Either way, Pitt needs to make some progress with the offensive line recruits. They’re doing well at a number of positions this year, but they need to make up some ground on the line.
The back end
When Ron Tanner - aren’t likely to pick Pitt.
Here are Pitt’s most likely defensive back candidates:
Kyshoen Jarrett
Chris Dukes
Terrell Chestnut
Sheldon Royster
Miles Shuler
Kelvin Fisher
With one cornerback on board, Pitt will probably take one more corner and a safety. But they’re not desperate for corners, so they’ll be selective. While they won’t turn away Jarrett or Chestnut, I doubt they would accept a commitment from Dukes if he tried to pull the trigger.
Royster is most likely a safety, but he hasn’t done a Rivals interview since March, so it’s anyone’s guess where he stands. Pitt has Hafley working Royster, so you have to give them a chance; beyond that, I couldn’t say.
According to a recent article Fisher plans to visit Pitt this summer, but ultimately I don’t see him committing to Pitt.
That leaves Shuler, but in a sense, he doesn’t count in this group. Pitt initially recruited him as a cornerback, and while they still think he projects well on defense, I don’t think they’re locked into the idea. So if Chestnut or Jarrett committed - thus giving Pitt two cornerback commitments - they’d still take Shuler as an athlete.
Sometimes we mock the Rivals “Athlete” position label, but it’s a relevant classification used by college coaches for players like Shuler: they aren’t entirely sure where he’ll play, but he’s good enough that they’ll take him and figure out where to play him later. If Shuler committed to Pitt, he wouldn’t necessarily count as a cornerback or a receiver on their board; he’d just count as a commit.
Jarrett seems like a Penn State lean, but Pitt could have the inside track with Chestnut after an unofficial visit to Pittsburgh in late June. I don’t know if Pitt’s the leader, but they made up a lot of ground and appear to be in good shape.
How it shakes out
Without making predictions, we’ll close out this edition of In the Pitt with a look at how the class could round out. I suspect that the final nine spots in the class will be filled as such:
Running back - 2
Offensive line - 2
Defensive end - 2
Defensive back - 2
Athlete - 1
Which would put the full class at:
Quarterback - 1
Running back - 2
Wide receiver - 2
Tight end - 1
Offensive line - 3
Defensive end - 2
Defensive tackle - 1
Linebacker - 2
Defensive back - 3
Athlete - 1
A few notes:
- If Aaron Donald and/or Andre Givens fail to qualify in time to join the team this August, then one or both would presumably attend prep school for a year and then sign with the class of 2011 in February. That means that one or two spots in the class would be spoken for already, in which case they might take only one running back and perhaps cut out one defensive back spot. This will be an important angle to monitor, because the target number of 18 could really be 16.
- Jack Tabb could figure in as a second tight end commitment, but I’m not sure if the Pitt coaches are set on taking two tight ends in the class.
- Shuler seems to be the leading candidate for the athlete spot, but that could also be a recruit who has not yet been offered.
- As always, and as has been stated throughout this write-up, recruiting is always fluid and always in motion. Things could change at any point. In fact, during the compilation of this edition of In the Pitt, the commitment of Shawn Oakman considerably altered the section on defensive ends. And it’s entirely possible that the staff’s approach will change tomorrow (or today).
But for now, I’m confident that this is the way the Pitt coaching staff is handling its recruiting for the class of 2011.
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This post was edited on 7/2 8:37 PM by Chris Peak
