Welcome back to In The Pitt, PantherLair.com’s new weekly discourse featuring a roundup of everything that’s happened in the past week, with insight and inside information thrown in for good measure.
August 1, 2008
Top of The Pitt
The big news of the week wasn’t something that happened; rather, the biggest news of the past week is something that’s about to happen:
Training camp.
All of the football overload madness begins on Monday, when Pitt holds its media day festivities. On Tuesday, practice begins. As was the case the last two years, the first week of camp will consist of split-squad two-a-days, with freshman/redshirt freshman/low-on-the-depth-chart sophomores, etc., practicing in one session and top-of-the-depth-chart/upperclassmen working in the other session. For the coaches (and the media) it’s a two-a-day, but the NCAA limits the number of actual two-a-days a school can have, so they aren’t technically two-a-days, since the players are only practicing once each day.
The split-squad work will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before the team reunites on Saturday for the glorious event known as “First Day of Pads.” From there, notable dates include scrimmages on Tuesday the 12th, Saturday the 16th, and Wednesday the 20th; Fan Fest at Heinz Field on Thursday the 21st; the final day of training camp on Friday the 22nd; the first game-week press conference on Monday the 25th; and the season opener against Bowling Green on Saturday the 30th.
But that’s a long time from now, particularly as we sit staring down the barrel of three weeks of non-stop Pitt football. So let’s get it started and talk some Pitt football.
Pitt football 2008
I think it’s safe to say that, outside of the ill-fated 2005 season, the Panthers enter 2008 with more hype/expectations than any other season of the Dave Wannstedt Era. Time and again I’ve been asked why the high expectations for a team that finished 5-7. Most recently, I was on two separate radio stations in Omaha, Nebraska (it doesn’t make sense to me, either, although the first station did manage to throw in some digs at Steve Pederson), and both times I was asked where the high expectations come from. Given the time constraints of the radio format, I had to keep my answers to short soundbite clips; In the Pitt does not suffer from such restrictions, so here are the sources of the high expectations facing the Panthers this year (not necessarily in order of importance):
1. The defense
The hype around Pitt’s defense extends beyond the fact that the Panthers finished No. 5 in the nation in yards allowed per game (297.67, to be precise); the hype lies beyond those numbers in the way that the defense was able to create that success. At the heart of each of Pitt’s defensive successes against prolific offenses in 2007 (Rutgers, South Florida, West Virginia) was the play of the defensive line, and any coach worth his ilk will tell you that a defense that is predicated on the line is a defense that is set up for success. Pitt lost two starting defensive ends from a year ago, but their replacements should be more than able to fill those holes.
Additionally, the 2007 Pitt defense was remarkably successful at the fundamental aspects of the game; in particular, the defenders were smart in their assignments and sound in their tackling. Time after time I’ve heard the Pitt coaches talk those two key phrase: smart and sound. That was Pitt’s defense for the better part of 2007, and with virtually the entire unit returning, the defense should continue to improve.
2. LeSean McCoy
Can one player make that much of a difference? If that one player is a sensational running back who can, if called upon, carry the ball upwards of 30 times per game and average nearly 5 yards per carry, then yes, one player can make a difference.
As significant as the upgraded defense was in 2007, the upgrade of McCoy was just as crucial to whatever success Pitt was able to muster last year. Not only did the Panthers have a superstar player with superstar appeal, they had an offensive player who could put the team on his back and carry it to victory. And the ability to break a long touchdown run at any moment doesn’t hurt either.
3. The West Virginia win
If there’s a single identifiable source of the hype and expectations surrounding Pitt football in 2008, it’s the Panthers’ 13-9 win over West Virginia in the season finale last year. This monumental victory grows in legend every day - a growth that has been increased with each successive negative to befall the WVU program since that game - and earlier this summer PantherLair.com readers voted the game as the single biggest moment in the past year of Pitt sports.
But more than the significance of the win itself - whether it was the impact on WVU’s program, the salvation of a losing season, or the overall exuberance Pitt fans felt after knocking off the No. 2-ranked team in the country - the win over West Virginia is extremely relevant in terms of hype and expectations because that victory formed a basis for the two things mentioned above: the defense and LeSean McCoy. The defense shined in shutting down the Mountaineers’ high-powered offense; McCoy shined just as bright in keeping that same offense off the field when he carried the ball 38 times for 148 yards.
The win over West Virginia gave the entire nation a microcosmic view of the two biggest things happening in Pitt football as it was at the end of 2007: 1. The defense was becoming very, very good; 2. LeSean McCoy is a superstar.
And so, as their minds flashed on visions of exuberant Panthers and disheartened Mountaineers, the national media, general college football observers, and Pitt fans everywhere began to build expectations for the 2008 season.
But with expectations and hype running full-tilt (an escalation abetted, or at least un-fettered, by Pitt’s own Athletic Department), two more very important questions rise to the surface:
1. In the context of expectations, what constitutes success?
I’ve long contended that there’s a unique upside to the woes of the Dave Wannstedt Era, at least for the head coach, and that upside is this:
When the first three seasons of the Era have produced records of 5-6, 6-6, and 5-7, a moderate amount of success can feel considerably more monumental than it really is. That is to say, if Pitt finishes 7-5 this season and goes to a bowl game, the 2008 campaign will inevitably be termed a success, if for no other reason than Wannstedt and the Panthers were able to win more games than they lost and play in the post-season, something heretofore unattainable in the Dave Wannstedt Era.
In a way, the definition of success has been tempered by three straight years of mediocrity. That’s not to say that Wannstedt and the Panthers should have a lower target, since they should always aim as high as possible; but even if they fall several games short of their goal, it’s perfectly plausible that 2008 could be the greatest season of the Dave Wannstedt Era, despite only winning 7 games.
Now, with all that being said, there is another important angle to consider when discussing success in the context of expectations.
2. In the end, whose expectations really matter?
Media prognostications and fan expectations and marketing department hype are one thing, and Wannstedt and his team are wise to ignore such irrelevancies; however, there are certain sets of not-so-public expectations that do carry a certain amount of weight and undoubtedly sit on Wannstedt’s conscience:
The expectations of Athletic Director Steve Pederson.
Never mind Wannstedt’s contract extension last November or Pederson’s comments in the Post-Gazette this week when he insinuated that Wannstedt’s job is not in jeopardy. All of those things become irrelevant if Pitt limps off the field after the season finale at Connecticut in possession of a losing record. If that happens, all bets are off.
Naturally, this begs the age-old question of the college football coaching Hot Seat. I’ve often maintained that the definition of the Hot Seat is as follows:
A coach is on the Hot Seat when he will be fired if he does not achieve a certain pre-determined level of success in the current season.
By that rationale, Wannstedt just might be on the Hot Seat. If Pitt has a losing record this year - and has more than half of its starters healthy - Wannstedt could very likely be gone.
So I suppose in the end the expectations of the fans, which can be assuaged with a winning record, probably mirror quite closely the expectations of those whose opinions really do count. And that means that the goal for the Pitt football team this year is simple and concise:
Win more than you lose.
Obviously that’s not what the Pitt players or coaches will be shooting for: the Panthers will be looking to accomplish great things this season. Perhaps they could get a few lucky bounces and win 10 or even 11 games. Perhaps fortunes will evolve as such that the Panthers end up Big East champs. Perhaps everything falls into place in such a way that Pitt emerges as a BCS bowl victor. All of that is possible in a game where the ball has points on either end; funny things can happen.
But the mandate remains the same:
Win more than you lose.
Polls and rankings
I suppose this could fall under the previous discussion of expectations and whatnot, but the Big East media picked Pitt to finish third in the conference this year, behind No.1 West Virginia and No. 2 South Florida. The Panthers did manage a first-place vote, which seems a bit premature regardless of how good they should be.
Stuff to read to get ready for camp
We’ve been counting down to training camp all week and we’ve been pumping out the season preview content. In case you missed any of it, here’s what we’ve got:
The Top 5 Questions
The Top 5 Answers
The Top 5 Redshirt Freshmen
The Top 5 Position Battles
A Preview of Bowling Green, Buffalo, and Iowa
A Preview of Syracuse, Navy, and South Florida
A Preview of Rutgers, Notre Dame, and Louisville
Big East Notes: Kinder’s Return Key for Pitt
Of course, once you’ve gone through all of those articles (and the ones we’ll have today), you can go back and refresh your memory on spring camp and all the things that happened during those four weeks.
The best way to do such a refresher is to access the Spring Camp Archiveshttp://pittsburgh.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=996&CID=791102. If you want to do such research, I recommend you do it now, since the post with the link to the archives will be un-pinned on Monday to make room for training camp content.
You can also take a look back through the Spring Camp Review series that we ran once camp was finished.
Quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers
Tight ends, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties
Offensive line and defensive line
The top spring standouts
And once you’re done with all of that, I think it’s safe to say you’re ready for training camp to start. I know I am.
One more time
Now, you may be ready for training camp to start, but have you made all the necessary arrangements?
No, I’m not talking about new reading glasses for our training camp reports or an upgrade to your Windows Media Player for our video interviews from camp; I’m talking about economics:
Are you saving money on your PantherLair.com subscription?
I know I keep harping on this, but I just can’t get over the fact that so many PantherLair.com readers out there still haven’t upgraded to the annual subscription. We went through this last week (and the week before), but I’m going to break it down again:
August - training camp
September-December - football season, presumably a successful one
December-January - football recruiting gets hot; basketball team moves into conference schedule
February - Letter of Intent day; basketball season starts getting really intense
March-April - football spring camp; March Madness
May-June - football prospect camps and early summer recruiting push
And that brings us right back to where we are now. So you tell me: when are you cancelling your subscription to PantherLair.com? I can’t find a single time in that calendar when cancelling is a good idea, so doesn’t it just make sense to upgrade from a monthly sub to an annual? The annual subscription saves cash off the cost of a monthly, plus you get a year of Sports Illustrated for upgrading.
No matter how you slice it, you win.
Here’s the link to upgrade: UPGRADE HERE
Thanks for listening.
Some recruiting stuff
The focus right now is on the start of training camp, but there’s still some recruiting stuff to cover for the week.
- Perhaps the biggest recruiting news of the week for Pitt came from a very unlikely source:
The Sooner State.
On Monday an article about he’s also got interest in Pittsburgh.
And all of PantherLair.com did a collective double-take.
Being the hard-working journalists that we are, we set out to track Lowe down for an interview, which we published on Thursday. We assumed we’d get a pretty interesting story, and we weren’t disappointed: Lowe has friends who attend Pitt (not football players), and they told him that he should contact the Pitt coaches. So he e-mailed Jeff Hafley and sent him a highlight video, and earlier this week the Pitt staff offered Lowe.
Are the odds in Pitt’s favor with Lowe? Probably not. He’s high on Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, and he’s got a lot of offers that are a lot closer to home. But you can bet that Hafley, Wannstedt, and the rest will seize on the opportunity to land a four-star safety anytime that player initiates the contact.
- We also got in touch this week with New Jersey offensive linemen he’s anxious to get out to Pittsburgh for a visit soon. Wilkes was planning on coming this week, but he told us that a family obligation could prevent that. If he has to reschedule the visit, he’s looking at next week. Wilkes likes Pitt a lot, and his stated top four of Pitt, Stanford, Rutgers, and Wake Forest might really be a race between the first two. If that’s the case, Pitt needs to pound the “closer to home” angle as much as possible; that could be what turns the corner in Wilkes’ recruitment.
- Pitt hosted a visitor this week in New Jersey running back/safety Kevin Adams, who spent the day at Pitt on Wednesday. Early whispers are that Adams’ visit went well and there could be a decision coming soon. He has previously said that Pitt and Syracuse are his favorites, and the Pitt staff has a habit of pulling ahead during visits. The Pitt visit figures to be his final one of the summer, so the Panthers should be sitting pretty on this one.
- Not sure why this didn’t come across our Ticker, but the Illinois site had an article on weekend travel plans: Iowa on Friday, Wisconsin on Saturday, and Illinois on Sunday; after that, he’s looking to make a decision before Thomas Jefferson starts camp on August 10th.
- This didn’t get a lot of play on the message boards, but we had an article this week on PA tight end really wants an offer from Pitt. In fact, I got the clear impression that he would probably be inclined to make a commitment shortly after receiving an offer from Pitt. So the ball appears to be in Pitt’s court. The staff has told Marck that they have an offer out to one tight end (DeCicco) and they are planning to take two total, so they’ll be looking to offer another one. Whether or not Marck is the second target remains to be seen.
- D.C. quarterback commitment to Central Michigan this week. At one point, it was thought that Yeager was an offered quarterback target for the Pitt staff, but we don’t think he ever had an actual written offer, and as time went on it became clear that Pitt probably wasn’t ever going to offer him.
- Two Pennsylvania offensive linemen committed this week: West Virginia.
A programming note
I’m not sure if there will be an In the Pitt next week (or the following couple weeks), since every day for the next three weeks will have one - two if it’s a two-a-day - team-oriented In the Pitt-ish articles. We may do a recruiting recap at the end of the week, but it might not be in the In the Pitt form. Either way, you know we’ll be all over the message boards.
Thanks for joining this week’s edition of In The Pitt. Since this feature is still in its early stages, feel free to e-mail chrispeak1@comcast.net with any suggestions, feedback, or other input.
August 1, 2008
Top of The Pitt
The big news of the week wasn’t something that happened; rather, the biggest news of the past week is something that’s about to happen:
Training camp.
All of the football overload madness begins on Monday, when Pitt holds its media day festivities. On Tuesday, practice begins. As was the case the last two years, the first week of camp will consist of split-squad two-a-days, with freshman/redshirt freshman/low-on-the-depth-chart sophomores, etc., practicing in one session and top-of-the-depth-chart/upperclassmen working in the other session. For the coaches (and the media) it’s a two-a-day, but the NCAA limits the number of actual two-a-days a school can have, so they aren’t technically two-a-days, since the players are only practicing once each day.
The split-squad work will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before the team reunites on Saturday for the glorious event known as “First Day of Pads.” From there, notable dates include scrimmages on Tuesday the 12th, Saturday the 16th, and Wednesday the 20th; Fan Fest at Heinz Field on Thursday the 21st; the final day of training camp on Friday the 22nd; the first game-week press conference on Monday the 25th; and the season opener against Bowling Green on Saturday the 30th.
But that’s a long time from now, particularly as we sit staring down the barrel of three weeks of non-stop Pitt football. So let’s get it started and talk some Pitt football.
Pitt football 2008
I think it’s safe to say that, outside of the ill-fated 2005 season, the Panthers enter 2008 with more hype/expectations than any other season of the Dave Wannstedt Era. Time and again I’ve been asked why the high expectations for a team that finished 5-7. Most recently, I was on two separate radio stations in Omaha, Nebraska (it doesn’t make sense to me, either, although the first station did manage to throw in some digs at Steve Pederson), and both times I was asked where the high expectations come from. Given the time constraints of the radio format, I had to keep my answers to short soundbite clips; In the Pitt does not suffer from such restrictions, so here are the sources of the high expectations facing the Panthers this year (not necessarily in order of importance):
1. The defense
The hype around Pitt’s defense extends beyond the fact that the Panthers finished No. 5 in the nation in yards allowed per game (297.67, to be precise); the hype lies beyond those numbers in the way that the defense was able to create that success. At the heart of each of Pitt’s defensive successes against prolific offenses in 2007 (Rutgers, South Florida, West Virginia) was the play of the defensive line, and any coach worth his ilk will tell you that a defense that is predicated on the line is a defense that is set up for success. Pitt lost two starting defensive ends from a year ago, but their replacements should be more than able to fill those holes.
Additionally, the 2007 Pitt defense was remarkably successful at the fundamental aspects of the game; in particular, the defenders were smart in their assignments and sound in their tackling. Time after time I’ve heard the Pitt coaches talk those two key phrase: smart and sound. That was Pitt’s defense for the better part of 2007, and with virtually the entire unit returning, the defense should continue to improve.
2. LeSean McCoy
Can one player make that much of a difference? If that one player is a sensational running back who can, if called upon, carry the ball upwards of 30 times per game and average nearly 5 yards per carry, then yes, one player can make a difference.
As significant as the upgraded defense was in 2007, the upgrade of McCoy was just as crucial to whatever success Pitt was able to muster last year. Not only did the Panthers have a superstar player with superstar appeal, they had an offensive player who could put the team on his back and carry it to victory. And the ability to break a long touchdown run at any moment doesn’t hurt either.
3. The West Virginia win
If there’s a single identifiable source of the hype and expectations surrounding Pitt football in 2008, it’s the Panthers’ 13-9 win over West Virginia in the season finale last year. This monumental victory grows in legend every day - a growth that has been increased with each successive negative to befall the WVU program since that game - and earlier this summer PantherLair.com readers voted the game as the single biggest moment in the past year of Pitt sports.
But more than the significance of the win itself - whether it was the impact on WVU’s program, the salvation of a losing season, or the overall exuberance Pitt fans felt after knocking off the No. 2-ranked team in the country - the win over West Virginia is extremely relevant in terms of hype and expectations because that victory formed a basis for the two things mentioned above: the defense and LeSean McCoy. The defense shined in shutting down the Mountaineers’ high-powered offense; McCoy shined just as bright in keeping that same offense off the field when he carried the ball 38 times for 148 yards.
The win over West Virginia gave the entire nation a microcosmic view of the two biggest things happening in Pitt football as it was at the end of 2007: 1. The defense was becoming very, very good; 2. LeSean McCoy is a superstar.
And so, as their minds flashed on visions of exuberant Panthers and disheartened Mountaineers, the national media, general college football observers, and Pitt fans everywhere began to build expectations for the 2008 season.
But with expectations and hype running full-tilt (an escalation abetted, or at least un-fettered, by Pitt’s own Athletic Department), two more very important questions rise to the surface:
1. In the context of expectations, what constitutes success?
I’ve long contended that there’s a unique upside to the woes of the Dave Wannstedt Era, at least for the head coach, and that upside is this:
When the first three seasons of the Era have produced records of 5-6, 6-6, and 5-7, a moderate amount of success can feel considerably more monumental than it really is. That is to say, if Pitt finishes 7-5 this season and goes to a bowl game, the 2008 campaign will inevitably be termed a success, if for no other reason than Wannstedt and the Panthers were able to win more games than they lost and play in the post-season, something heretofore unattainable in the Dave Wannstedt Era.
In a way, the definition of success has been tempered by three straight years of mediocrity. That’s not to say that Wannstedt and the Panthers should have a lower target, since they should always aim as high as possible; but even if they fall several games short of their goal, it’s perfectly plausible that 2008 could be the greatest season of the Dave Wannstedt Era, despite only winning 7 games.
Now, with all that being said, there is another important angle to consider when discussing success in the context of expectations.
2. In the end, whose expectations really matter?
Media prognostications and fan expectations and marketing department hype are one thing, and Wannstedt and his team are wise to ignore such irrelevancies; however, there are certain sets of not-so-public expectations that do carry a certain amount of weight and undoubtedly sit on Wannstedt’s conscience:
The expectations of Athletic Director Steve Pederson.
Never mind Wannstedt’s contract extension last November or Pederson’s comments in the Post-Gazette this week when he insinuated that Wannstedt’s job is not in jeopardy. All of those things become irrelevant if Pitt limps off the field after the season finale at Connecticut in possession of a losing record. If that happens, all bets are off.
Naturally, this begs the age-old question of the college football coaching Hot Seat. I’ve often maintained that the definition of the Hot Seat is as follows:
A coach is on the Hot Seat when he will be fired if he does not achieve a certain pre-determined level of success in the current season.
By that rationale, Wannstedt just might be on the Hot Seat. If Pitt has a losing record this year - and has more than half of its starters healthy - Wannstedt could very likely be gone.
So I suppose in the end the expectations of the fans, which can be assuaged with a winning record, probably mirror quite closely the expectations of those whose opinions really do count. And that means that the goal for the Pitt football team this year is simple and concise:
Win more than you lose.
Obviously that’s not what the Pitt players or coaches will be shooting for: the Panthers will be looking to accomplish great things this season. Perhaps they could get a few lucky bounces and win 10 or even 11 games. Perhaps fortunes will evolve as such that the Panthers end up Big East champs. Perhaps everything falls into place in such a way that Pitt emerges as a BCS bowl victor. All of that is possible in a game where the ball has points on either end; funny things can happen.
But the mandate remains the same:
Win more than you lose.
Polls and rankings
I suppose this could fall under the previous discussion of expectations and whatnot, but the Big East media picked Pitt to finish third in the conference this year, behind No.1 West Virginia and No. 2 South Florida. The Panthers did manage a first-place vote, which seems a bit premature regardless of how good they should be.
Stuff to read to get ready for camp
We’ve been counting down to training camp all week and we’ve been pumping out the season preview content. In case you missed any of it, here’s what we’ve got:
The Top 5 Questions
The Top 5 Answers
The Top 5 Redshirt Freshmen
The Top 5 Position Battles
A Preview of Bowling Green, Buffalo, and Iowa
A Preview of Syracuse, Navy, and South Florida
A Preview of Rutgers, Notre Dame, and Louisville
Big East Notes: Kinder’s Return Key for Pitt
Of course, once you’ve gone through all of those articles (and the ones we’ll have today), you can go back and refresh your memory on spring camp and all the things that happened during those four weeks.
The best way to do such a refresher is to access the Spring Camp Archiveshttp://pittsburgh.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=996&CID=791102. If you want to do such research, I recommend you do it now, since the post with the link to the archives will be un-pinned on Monday to make room for training camp content.
You can also take a look back through the Spring Camp Review series that we ran once camp was finished.
Quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers
Tight ends, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties
Offensive line and defensive line
The top spring standouts
And once you’re done with all of that, I think it’s safe to say you’re ready for training camp to start. I know I am.
One more time
Now, you may be ready for training camp to start, but have you made all the necessary arrangements?
No, I’m not talking about new reading glasses for our training camp reports or an upgrade to your Windows Media Player for our video interviews from camp; I’m talking about economics:
Are you saving money on your PantherLair.com subscription?
I know I keep harping on this, but I just can’t get over the fact that so many PantherLair.com readers out there still haven’t upgraded to the annual subscription. We went through this last week (and the week before), but I’m going to break it down again:
August - training camp
September-December - football season, presumably a successful one
December-January - football recruiting gets hot; basketball team moves into conference schedule
February - Letter of Intent day; basketball season starts getting really intense
March-April - football spring camp; March Madness
May-June - football prospect camps and early summer recruiting push
And that brings us right back to where we are now. So you tell me: when are you cancelling your subscription to PantherLair.com? I can’t find a single time in that calendar when cancelling is a good idea, so doesn’t it just make sense to upgrade from a monthly sub to an annual? The annual subscription saves cash off the cost of a monthly, plus you get a year of Sports Illustrated for upgrading.
No matter how you slice it, you win.
Here’s the link to upgrade: UPGRADE HERE
Thanks for listening.
Some recruiting stuff
The focus right now is on the start of training camp, but there’s still some recruiting stuff to cover for the week.
- Perhaps the biggest recruiting news of the week for Pitt came from a very unlikely source:
The Sooner State.
On Monday an article about he’s also got interest in Pittsburgh.
And all of PantherLair.com did a collective double-take.
Being the hard-working journalists that we are, we set out to track Lowe down for an interview, which we published on Thursday. We assumed we’d get a pretty interesting story, and we weren’t disappointed: Lowe has friends who attend Pitt (not football players), and they told him that he should contact the Pitt coaches. So he e-mailed Jeff Hafley and sent him a highlight video, and earlier this week the Pitt staff offered Lowe.
Are the odds in Pitt’s favor with Lowe? Probably not. He’s high on Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, and he’s got a lot of offers that are a lot closer to home. But you can bet that Hafley, Wannstedt, and the rest will seize on the opportunity to land a four-star safety anytime that player initiates the contact.
- We also got in touch this week with New Jersey offensive linemen he’s anxious to get out to Pittsburgh for a visit soon. Wilkes was planning on coming this week, but he told us that a family obligation could prevent that. If he has to reschedule the visit, he’s looking at next week. Wilkes likes Pitt a lot, and his stated top four of Pitt, Stanford, Rutgers, and Wake Forest might really be a race between the first two. If that’s the case, Pitt needs to pound the “closer to home” angle as much as possible; that could be what turns the corner in Wilkes’ recruitment.
- Pitt hosted a visitor this week in New Jersey running back/safety Kevin Adams, who spent the day at Pitt on Wednesday. Early whispers are that Adams’ visit went well and there could be a decision coming soon. He has previously said that Pitt and Syracuse are his favorites, and the Pitt staff has a habit of pulling ahead during visits. The Pitt visit figures to be his final one of the summer, so the Panthers should be sitting pretty on this one.
- Not sure why this didn’t come across our Ticker, but the Illinois site had an article on weekend travel plans: Iowa on Friday, Wisconsin on Saturday, and Illinois on Sunday; after that, he’s looking to make a decision before Thomas Jefferson starts camp on August 10th.
- This didn’t get a lot of play on the message boards, but we had an article this week on PA tight end really wants an offer from Pitt. In fact, I got the clear impression that he would probably be inclined to make a commitment shortly after receiving an offer from Pitt. So the ball appears to be in Pitt’s court. The staff has told Marck that they have an offer out to one tight end (DeCicco) and they are planning to take two total, so they’ll be looking to offer another one. Whether or not Marck is the second target remains to be seen.
- D.C. quarterback commitment to Central Michigan this week. At one point, it was thought that Yeager was an offered quarterback target for the Pitt staff, but we don’t think he ever had an actual written offer, and as time went on it became clear that Pitt probably wasn’t ever going to offer him.
- Two Pennsylvania offensive linemen committed this week: West Virginia.
A programming note
I’m not sure if there will be an In the Pitt next week (or the following couple weeks), since every day for the next three weeks will have one - two if it’s a two-a-day - team-oriented In the Pitt-ish articles. We may do a recruiting recap at the end of the week, but it might not be in the In the Pitt form. Either way, you know we’ll be all over the message boards.
Thanks for joining this week’s edition of In The Pitt. Since this feature is still in its early stages, feel free to e-mail chrispeak1@comcast.net with any suggestions, feedback, or other input.
