September 13, 2013[/B]
Welcome back to another edition of In the Pitt, Panther-Lair.com's rundown of everything going on in Pitt recruiting. This time we're looking at Pitt's newest commitment, what that commit means for position targets, the top prospects on the board and the way the class is shaping up.[/I]
Top of the Pitt[/B]
We have to start with the big news of the week, and that was Monday's commitment announcement from Buffalo (NY) Canisius running back Qadree Ollison, who picked the Panthers over a host of BCS offers, including Cincinnati, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Wisconsin and Penn State.
Ollison's final decision came down to Pitt and Penn State, and let's start right there: Ollison very much had a committable offer from Penn State. The semantics of an offer often get thrown around after a recruit commits - usually thrown around by the coaches and fans of a team that got shunned by the recruit - but in this case, there are no semantics games to play. Ollison's offer from Penn State was legitimate, and we know this for a few reasons.
For starters, Ollison didn't hide the fact that, at one point, his offer from Penn State was not committable. And since he was honest about that, I think it's fair to assume that he was also being honest when he told us that the Penn State coaches made it very clear that his offer had become committable:
"My offer is a committable offer; it wasn't before, but now it is," Ollison said. "I guess a coach from another position gave the running backs coach one of their scholarships. That's what I think happened, because they were only taking two backs in the 2014 class and they already have two backs committed. I guess they're really interested in me, so it seems like a coach from another position must have given them a scholarship.
"I've liked them from the start, and even though it wasn't a committable offer, I still looked at it like any other offer. I wasn't going to hold a grudge or anything, and then when they did make it a committable offer, I was obviously excited to hear that. The whole non-committable thing is in the past; I don't really think about it or anything."[/I]
Penn State also wanted Ollison to visit State College this past weekend, but that visit didn't work out, and on Monday night, he announced for Pitt.
Now that the Penn State stuff is out of the way, let's look at what Pitt got in Ollison.
The thing that stands out most about Ollison is his size: 6'1" 220. Those are legitimate numbers, and I think you can see it on his junior film. Last season he rushed for 1,865 yards and 26 touchdowns, and he got off to a good start in his 2013 opener Friday night when he went for 195 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries.
The thing that always has to be mentioned is the level of competition. With all due respect to our wing-perfecting friends - and they truly are perfect, which makes me hope for another home-and-home with the Bulls - the football in Buffalo, western New York and upstate in general is not very good. The quality of competition is not on par with AAAA in Pennsylvania or even mid-levels in a lot of other states.
We know this. It's a fact of recruiting. So that puts Ollison's stats in a bit of perspective, but here's what I'll say: Ollison is doing what a high-level recruit should do against that level of competition. If he was only rushing for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns, there would be far more concern. But Ollison is dominating the competition, and that's encouraging.
Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman had some thoughts on Ollison in this video feature, and I got some additional evaluations from Friedman that we'll publish soon.
Simply put, Pitt got a big running back in Ollison. The size is his most notable attribute, but Ollison and the Pitt coaches believe he projects at tailback rather than fullback (which some assumed he would play). I think that he'll be a tailback when he gets to Pitt, but I also won't rule out his potential to move to the fullback/H-back position that Jaymar Parrish plays. Ollison can run with the ball but he's also a good pass-catcher, which fits well into what that position is designed to do.
So Pitt got a big running back who can project at a couple of positions and a prospect who picked the Panthers over a good number of quality offers. Not much to dislike there.
The rest of the position[/B]
Naturally, one of the first questions after a commitment is what it means for that recruit's position. With Ollison on board, Pitt technically has two running back commitments, the other being Shady Side Academy's Dennis Briggs.
But Briggs is really an athlete who could play on either side of the ball; Pitt told him that he was being targeted as a running back after he worked out there during the prospect camp in June, but for the purposes of target numbers and running back recruiting, it's best to consider Briggs as an athlete and not count him against the running back numbers.
So Ollison makes one. We know the Pitt coaches want to take at least two, so that means Ollison's commitment isn't an end point, not in the least.
We all know the names on the board:
Washington (Pa.) Shai McKenzie
Niles (Ill.) Notre Dame Chris James
North Gwinnett (Ga.) C.J. Leggett
Harrisburg (Pa.) Robert Martin
The Pitt coaches have a ranking of those four - it actually might be close to the order I listed them - but the reality is that they are probably ranked closely enough on the coaches' board that a commitment from one wouldn't be put on hold while they wait for a different player to decide.
The one unique situation is Martin, who suffered a torn ACL in his season opener two weeks ago. From everything we can gather, nothing has changed in Pitt's pursuit of Martin, but obviously the situation bears monitoring. Martin is committed to Rutgers, but as we've said before, he never cut off contact with Pitt, and the fact that Rutgers has taken two more backs since Martin committed in June has him reconsidering that pledge.
Granted, Pitt intends to take multiple running backs in the class, but the key is that the Pitt coaches have made that intention clear to the prospects every step of the way. McKenzie, James, Leggett, Martin and Ollison all know - and have known - that the coaches planned to sign at least two backs in this class. So when another back commits, Ollison won't start voicing concerns because he was led to believe he was going to be the only running back in the class.
And that's why, when I've been asked how Ollison's commitment affects McKenzie or James or Leggett, my response has been, "Not very much at all." I don't think Ollison's commitment changed a single thing with any of the other targets or how those recruits feel about Pitt. Those recruits knew the plan and still had Pitt high on their lists, so Ollison's commitment didn't move the needle too much.
As I've written in the past, this approach is an important one: always be honest with the recruits. Always let them know where they stand and what you plan to do in the class and at their positions. That approach is why Jaleel Fields didn't harbor any ill feelings toward Pitt when the coaches closed shop on defensive tackle recruiting following a pair of commitments (and yes, that's still the case with Fields); Fields knew that Pitt was only taking two tackles, so those commitments filled the spots.
You can avoid misunderstandings and awkward situations by being honest from the start, which is what Pitt has done.
So Pitt has been doing the right thing with the running backs recruits, but who many will they actually land from that group? The coaches would like at least one more, but I keep using that qualifier - "at least" - because they'd probably love to have three or four of the remaining targets. They're all highly talented players who, at least at their current levels, look like they could step in and compete with Pitt's current crop of backs.
They'd love to have them all, really, but we know that won't happen. The most likely scenario is they get one of that group, although it wouldn't be a total shock to see them sign two. We'll dig into the chances with each of the prospects as we go position-by-position, which we'll do right now.
The positions[/B]
Quarterback[/B]
Quarterback is easy, simply because Pitt is done. They've got commitments from Wade Freebeck, and the coaches are comfortable with those two. I wouldn't be surprised to see Freebeck compete with Chad Voytik next season for the starting job, while Bertke would be best-served by taking a redshirt year.
Target number:[/B] 2
Commits:[/B] 2 - Wade Freebeck
Running back[/B]
I laid out the targets above, but we'll re-list them here: Robert Martin. The key for Pitt with all of those backs is that the Panthers appear to be in the top two or top three in every instance.
McKenzie's top group shifts, but it more or less centers on Pitt, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Florida State. I think it's mostly the first three schools, and when if/when he further narrows his list, Pitt will be in it until the end (unless, by some odd chance, Pitt gets two more running backs before McKenzie makes his decision; I think he might eliminate the Panthers in that scenario).
James has a top group of Pitt, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Tennessee, but I think the first two are the main two that his final choice will ultimately come from. My gut says that James, from the heart of Big Ten country, will end up a Spartan, but Pitt will get an official visit before that happens.
Leggett has made no secret of his top two: it's Pitt and UCLA. He'll probably take official visits to both before deciding, but he said on Twitter this week that he is planning to commit in September, which narrows down his options for visits.
We discussed Martin earlier. He plans to take an official visit to Pitt and was hoping to attend the Pitt-FSU game, but his injury kept him home that day.
Every recruit in this group could go either way. I think Pitt will get McKenzie in the end, provided the team doesn't completely puke this season - rushing for 200 or 300 yards against New Mexico wouldn't hurt - and I could see Pitt landing Leggett, too. My best guess is that they'll get one from the group, and I imagine it will be McKenzie.
If Leggett visits and commits this month and picks Pitt, it could make things interesting. Pitt won't slow its pursuit of James and McKenzie, but at a certain point the position becomes crowded, and that applies to the recruits and the coaches. The position can become crowded for the recruits, at which point they might start thinking that the chances of early playing time are dwindling. And it can become crowded for the coaches, at which point they realize they need a few more pieces at positions other than running back.
Target number:[/B] 2+
Commits:[/B] 1 - Qadree Ollison
Top remaining targets:[/B] Robert Martin
Wide receiver[/B]
Pitt signed four receivers in the class of 2013 but the coaches want at least a couple in this class, too. So far they've got Elijah Zeise from North Allegheny, and I have to say, I think Zeise is underrated (at least on this message board). I fully admit that I am friends with Zeise's father and his family, but I wouldn't say this if I didn't believe it: Zeise has the potential to be really good in college. Whether it's as a receiver or an H-back - like Manasseh Garner - I think he can really do some good things. He's big, athletic and fast; not sure anyone would complain about a recruit with those attributs.
And when he went head-to-head against Penn State recruit Troy Apke, he won. Handily.
But Pitt wants at least one more receiver to join Zeise in the class. The two names at the top areJuwann Winfree. Like just about every recruit we'll list in this position-by-position breakdown, Pitt is in good shape with both Kamara and Winfree.
Kamara is going to pick between Pitt and Virginia. He'll name a top four or top three and probably take official visits, but Pitt and Virginia will be his final two choices. Kamara is thought to be a heavy lean to UVA, but it's a testament to Pitt's recruiting efforts - particularly those of receivers coach Bobby Engram - that he hasn't committed to the Cavaliers yet. And the longer Kamara holds out, the better chance Pitt has of getting him on campus and potentially moving ahead of UVA.
Kamara would like to visit Pitt for the game against Virginia on Sept. 28, possibly as an unofficial visit, and then he would like to come back to Pittsburgh for an official visit on the weekend the Panthers host Notre Dame in November (he and Chris James have spoken to each other about taking their official visits on the same weekend). We'll get into the possibility of that happening later in a section on official visits, but that's what Kamara would like to do. As long as Pitt can get him on campus before he commits, the Panthers have a chance.
Winfree's top group has a few schools, but Pitt and West Virginia seem to be hovering around the top. I've seen it written that perhaps Pitt isn't making Winfree a priority, but I would disagree. In fact, Pitt recruiting coordinator Desmond Robinson[/B] was in New Jersey Thursday to visit Winfree's school and attend one of his games (they only played one quarter before the game was called due to weather).
Pitt was the first school to offer Winfree, and that has stuck with him as a positive for the Panthers. He has talked about taking an official visit on the weekend of the Virginia game, but that's not likely to happen. Winfree's official visit will probably come later in the fall, if not in December after the season ends.
Along with Kamara and Winfree, Pitt is also heavily pursuing Jaquan Davidson from Elizabeth Forward. Davidson is an outstanding athlete who was initially projected as a defensive back, but it sounds like Pitt wants to try him on offense. Either way, Davidson is focused primarily on Pitt and West Virginia, and while he admits that WVU has a slight lead, Pitt has cut into it pretty significantly.
What has Pitt done to improve its standing? Davidson is an eligibility risk, not because his grades are poor but because he is behind on his core coursework. Since Pitt got involved, the coaches and some academic support staff have worked to help Davidson understand exactly what he needs to do to get back on track and have a chance of being eligible to play in college next year.
It's not going to be easy and it's not a sure thing that Davidson will be eligible, but his chances would have been virtually zero without the assistance Pitt has provided. And Davidson is not dumb; he realizes what Pitt has done for him. The result is that the Panthers have closed the gap with West Virginia quite a bit, because the coaches at WVU have not been nearly as involved as Pitt has been.
There are a few other receivers on the board like Jamiek Davis, but Pitt would like to get Kamara, Davidson and/or Winfree and call it a day.
Target number:[/B] 2
Commits:[/B] 1- Elijah Zeise
Top remaining targets:[/B] Jaquan Davidson
Tight end[/B]
Pitt signed three tight ends in last year's class, and while the coaches would probably like to sign three more in this class, the reality is they just don't have the room to pull that off.
They currently have a commitment from Darryl Long; the three-star prospect is committed to Kentucky, but he could be receptive if Pitt wanted to restart his recruitment.
For now, I'll guess that Pitt just goes with O'Neill at tight end.
Target number:[/B] 1
Commits:[/B] 1- Brian O'Neill
Offensive line[/B]
Like tight end, the 2013 haul of offensive linemen isn't likely to be repeated in 2014. The coaches already have two linemen committed - Connor Hayes - and I'm guessing they'll try to get one more in the class.
It's no secret who the target for that one spot is: Mt. Lebanon tackle Alex Bookser.
Bookser is a huge priority for Pitt, as big as any of the other remaining targets, and the Panthers have done a good job getting to the top of his list with Ohio State. Bookser is underground with recruiting coverage and doesn't have any interest in doing interviews, so we have to go off sources and whatnot, but it sounds like Pitt has done a lot right.
Ohio State is a powerful draw - and one that will likely grow more powerful as the season goes on - but I think there's a great chance that Bookser stays home and plays for Pitt.
I don't know if the coaches would say the situation is "Bookser or bust," but it seems that way. There are always prospects on the board and the coaches are watching recruits who could be candidates for offers, but they want to finish the class with Bookser. If they could get him, a class of Bookser, Grimm and Hayes would be big in a lot of ways. They would be big in size and big in terms of what they will bring to the roster.
Speaking of being big, did you see Mike Grimm on the sidelines before the Florida State game? I had forgotten just how big he is, since I hadn't seen him in person since the spring. He is a very large human being. The sheer size of him is impressive.
Target number:[/B] 3
Commits:[/B] 2 - Connor Hayes
Top remaining targets:[/B] Alex Bookser
Defensive end[/B]
The Pitt coaches knew from the time they arrived two years ago that they needed to add young talent to the defensive ends on the roster, and they brought in two ends last year - Luke Maclean and Shakir Soto - for that purpose (plus Justin Moody, who signed as an end but moved to defensive tackle).
This year Pitt has commitments from wrote about this week; Trahan has a Pitt offer and I believe the coaches would take him if he wanted to commit.
Darius Slade could also take an official visit to Pitt, but the Panthers have a lot of ground to make up at this point in the process with the Montclair (NJ) standout.
If Pitt finishes with Roy and Blair, that will be a pretty good haul. The coaches like Roy a lot, and Blair has the potential to be one of the great steals in the class of 2014.
Target number:[/B] 2+
Commits:[/B] 2 - Rori Blair
Top remaining targets:[/B] Darius Slade
Defensive tackle[/B]
I have laid out Pitt's approach at defensive tackle several times in the past - most recently in an earlier paragraph - but we'll cover it again:
The coaches wanted to sign two tackles in this class, and they made that clear to the recruits they offered at the position. The coaches ranked most of the tackles around the same level, so it was truly a first-come/first-served situation. To that end, Mike Herndon were the first to get on board.
That left a number of other defensive tackle recruits - most notably Brock Boxen - on the outside looking in, and nothing has changed about that situation. Things could change - the coaches could decide to take another defensive tackle or be so moved by senior film that they decide they can't live without Fields or Boxen or whoever - but for now, that's the situation.
Now, if a Thomas Holley wanted to visit and commit, the coaches wouldn't turn him down. But that's a different story.
Target number:[/B] 2
Commits:[/B] 2 - Mike Herndon
Linebacker[/B]
Linebacker is a tough spot for Pitt right now. The ideal duo would have been Quintin Wirginis and landed a commitment from him in June, and they seem to be quite high on the Fox Chapel product, despite his season-ending Lisfranc injury.
But they still want one more linebacker in the class, and that's not easy to find. Almost all of the offered prospects are off the board save for Jawhaun Bentley, but Pitt's not likely to land either one of those recruits.
So the coaches are scouring the high school ranks looking for linebacker prospects. It's still early in the season, but after a few games, the coaches will collect senior film and start making evaluations to decide who is worthy of an offer. Marcus Collins is an option, but the coaches want to see senior film before solidifying his offer (if they do that, he will almost certainly commit).
We'll see what comes of the linebacker situation. Pitt wants to add another, but it's tough to say there are any "top targets" at this point.
Target number:[/B] 2
Commits:[/B] 1 - Quintin Wirginis
Cornerback[/B]
The Pitt coaches have been working for the last two years to add depth to the roster across the board, and the secondary is no exception. They wanted to add a slew of defensive backs in the class of 2013 and only ended up with two (Titus Howard and Terrish Webb), so the quest for DB's continues in the class of 2014.
At corner, they have two commits and want one more. And the one they want the most is Aliquippa four-star Dravon Henry. After all the noise about Henry's recruitment, things are boiling down exactly as we expected: a Pitt-West Virginia battle. Henry likes the coaching staffs at both schools a lot, but as far as we can tell, the coaches are the main draw at WVU, while Pitt has more than a few points of attraction for Henry.
For starters, Henry thought the atmosphere at Pitt's opener against Florida State was tremendous. He wasn't impressed with the way the defense played, but who was? Pitt made the same impression on Henry that it made on everyone else that night: when the team is good and the fans are into it, Heinz Field can be a pretty great place for a game. That was an achievable goal for that night, and Pitt achieved it with all of the recruits, Henry included.
It's been said that WVU holds a slight lead, and that may be true. But what I've been told all along - and what I continue to believe - is that Henry goes back and forth between the two schools. When it's all said and done, I lean toward Henry picking Pitt. His ties to the Panthers are strong on a lot of levels, and I think that will be his destination.
As things currently stand, if Pitt can get Henry, then the coaches will be done at cornerback. In fact, I'm not sure there are many other cornerback prospects - if any - that could commit to Pitt at this point in time. That includes offered recruits like Anthony Davis, who is committed to Temple but reportedly has been mulling a decommitment.
If Henry opts for WVU or if Pitt decides to open up another spot for a cornerback, I suspect they could land Foster or Davis without too much trouble. But right now the focus is on Henry. I've said for a long time that I think he's the best player in the state, and he is as high on Pitt's board as any other recruit.
Target number:[/B] 3
Commits:[/B] 2 - Avonte Maddox
Top remaining targets:[/B] Dravon Henry
Safety[/B]
Safety is a lot like cornerback: Pitt has two commitments and would like to get one more. And like cornerback, there is one big local target at the top of the board. At safety, it's Gateway's Montae Nicholson, and we have said for a long time that Nicholson has a very strong relationship with the Pitt coaches.
Slowly but surely, the competition for Nicholson has been fading away. Ohio State was the big one on his list and then Michigan ascended, but both schools have moved on. We've been told that Penn State is likely to be Pitt's top challenger for Nicholson, but things are actually looking pretty good for the Panthers on this one.
Pitt also likes Rasaan Stewart quite a bit, and the Perkiomen Valley standout came away from the Pitt-FSU game feeling pretty good about Pitt. Whether Pitt could take Nicholson and Stewart depends largely on numbers.
Target number:[/B] 3
Commits:[/B] 2 - Patrick Amara
Top remaining targets:[/B] Rasaan Stewart
How it will finish[/B]
Okay then, let's put all of those top targets together on one list:
Running back[/B]
Shai McKenzie
Chris James
C.J. Leggett
Rob Martin
Wide receiver[/B]
Jamil Kamara
Juwann Winfree
Jaquan Davidson
Offensive line[/B]
Alex Bookser
Defensive end[/B]
Hez Trahan
Darius Slade
Cornerback[/B]
Dravon Henry
Safety[/B]
Montae Nicholson
Rasaan Stewart
Pitt's got 17 commitments, and I think they'll take 23 or 24 in this class, although it wouldn't be a surprise to see the coaches get to 25. Let's say they shoot the moon and take a full class; that would mean they'll take eight more.
I'll assume that one of the eight is a linebacker, so that means seven more from the list above. That assumes Pitt can fill out its class from its top remaining targets, which is not always easy, but we'll make that assumption anyway.
So the final class could very well look like this:
Quarterback[/B]
Adam Bertke
Wade Freebeck
Running back[/B]
Shai McKenzie
Qadree Ollison
Wide receiver[/B]
Juwann Winfree
Elijah Zeise
Tight end[/B]
Brian O'Neill
Offensive line[/B]
Alex Bookser
Mike Grimm
Connor Hayes
Defensive end[/B]
Rori Blair
Shane Roy
Hez Trahan
Defensive tackle[/B]
Connor Dintino
Mike Herndon
Linebacker[/B]
Quintin Wirginis
Cornerback[/B]
Dravon Henry
Avonte Maddox
Phillipie Motley
Safety[/B]
Patrick Amara
Montae Nicholson
Jalen Williams
Athlete[/B]
Dennis Briggs
Jaquan Davidson
Add in another linebacker, and you've got a class of 25.
I'm not predicting that will be Pitt's class - I don't know if they'll sweep western Pa. and land all five of Henry, Nicholson, Bookser, McKenzie and Davidson, for instance - but I think it's a reasonable projection of what the class could be.
Chances are pretty good that at least a couple "new" names will pop up and go into the mix and a few of the big targets will commit elsewhere.
Official visits[/B]
It seems like we have seen reports of at least a half-dozen official visits so far, but at this point we have confirmed one:
Montae Nicholson will take his official visit the weekend Pitt host Virginia (Sept. 27-29).
If you've been on the site since last year, you know that this coaching staff doesn't like to host in-season official visits. The coaches prefer to wait until the offseason, for a variety of reasons. Primarily, the coaches look at a game weekend in the fall and see almost every hour accounted for in relation to the game. On Friday night the players and coaches are at the team hotel getting ready for the game; on Saturday the game occupies almost all of their time; and on Sunday they are reviewing the game and getting ready for the next week.
There really is very limited time for the coaches to spend with the recruits on a game-weekend official visit. Plus, recruits coming in from out of town most likely have games on Friday night, meaning they either drive and get into Pittsburgh in the middle of the night or fly in Saturday morning and rush to get to a 12:30 kickoff at Heinz Field.
Neither scenario is ideal.
As it relates to the amount of available time the coaches will have, the weekend Nicholson is visiting is unique. Pitt is off the week after the Virginia game, so Sunday is freed up a bit, allowing the coaches to spend time with the recruits. So if Pitt is going to host some in-season official visits, I think that weekend will be the main one we see.
Nicholson is set up already, and I could see a couple more being added. C.J. Leggett is a possibility, since North Gwinnett is off that Friday (thus alleviating the travel problems). Juwann Winfree wanted to take his official visit that weekend, but Dwight Morrow plays a Friday night game, making the travel difficult. The same goes for Jamil Kamara, whose team plays Friday night.
A number of recruits have mentioned the Notre Dame game on Nov. 9 as a possibility, but I think the coaches will try to persuade them to look at postseason weekends. With the recruits in the middle of late-season action, there will be plenty of travel headaches. And Pitt hosts North Carolina a week later, so the schedule on Sunday will be tight.
A coach wants the official visit weekend to be perfect, and that's tough to accomplish on a game weekend.
The rewards of realignment[/B]
One final thing I wanted to touch on:
When the news of a staff change was announced in training camp, there were some questionable responses. You'll recall that the move shifted Joe Rudolph from tight ends to running backs, put graduate assistant Mickey Turner on tight ends, and reassigned running backs coach Desmond Robinson to recruiting coordinator.
Why make the move? Well, we're seeing why this week.
While the coaching staff has been preparing the team for New Mexico, Robinson has been on the road. We've seen several new offers go out this week to 2015 recruits like Jamie Gordinier while Robinson has been in New Jersey, and on Thursday he was at Juwann Winfree's school.
I'm going to check with my Rivals.com colleagues across the country, but I haven't heard of any other school that has this kind of set-up, where a coach is able to be on the road while the team is in the midst of game week. You can only have a certain number of full-time assistant coaches who can go on the road to recruit, and in every other situation, all of those assistant coaches are busy working with the team.
But not at Pitt. At Pitt, the coaches found a way to get around the rules and have a coach on the road during game week. It's virtually unprecedented (I think). And I don't think the team is suffering for it: Rudolph is more than capable of handling the running backs, and Turner is an impressive young coach (Paul Chryst joked that Turner is "too smart for coaching").
This was a pretty slick move by Pitt.
This post was edited on 9/13 8:54 AM by Chris Peak
Welcome back to another edition of In the Pitt, Panther-Lair.com's rundown of everything going on in Pitt recruiting. This time we're looking at Pitt's newest commitment, what that commit means for position targets, the top prospects on the board and the way the class is shaping up.[/I]
Top of the Pitt[/B]
We have to start with the big news of the week, and that was Monday's commitment announcement from Buffalo (NY) Canisius running back Qadree Ollison, who picked the Panthers over a host of BCS offers, including Cincinnati, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Wisconsin and Penn State.
Ollison's final decision came down to Pitt and Penn State, and let's start right there: Ollison very much had a committable offer from Penn State. The semantics of an offer often get thrown around after a recruit commits - usually thrown around by the coaches and fans of a team that got shunned by the recruit - but in this case, there are no semantics games to play. Ollison's offer from Penn State was legitimate, and we know this for a few reasons.
For starters, Ollison didn't hide the fact that, at one point, his offer from Penn State was not committable. And since he was honest about that, I think it's fair to assume that he was also being honest when he told us that the Penn State coaches made it very clear that his offer had become committable:
"My offer is a committable offer; it wasn't before, but now it is," Ollison said. "I guess a coach from another position gave the running backs coach one of their scholarships. That's what I think happened, because they were only taking two backs in the 2014 class and they already have two backs committed. I guess they're really interested in me, so it seems like a coach from another position must have given them a scholarship.
"I've liked them from the start, and even though it wasn't a committable offer, I still looked at it like any other offer. I wasn't going to hold a grudge or anything, and then when they did make it a committable offer, I was obviously excited to hear that. The whole non-committable thing is in the past; I don't really think about it or anything."[/I]
Penn State also wanted Ollison to visit State College this past weekend, but that visit didn't work out, and on Monday night, he announced for Pitt.
Now that the Penn State stuff is out of the way, let's look at what Pitt got in Ollison.
The thing that stands out most about Ollison is his size: 6'1" 220. Those are legitimate numbers, and I think you can see it on his junior film. Last season he rushed for 1,865 yards and 26 touchdowns, and he got off to a good start in his 2013 opener Friday night when he went for 195 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries.
The thing that always has to be mentioned is the level of competition. With all due respect to our wing-perfecting friends - and they truly are perfect, which makes me hope for another home-and-home with the Bulls - the football in Buffalo, western New York and upstate in general is not very good. The quality of competition is not on par with AAAA in Pennsylvania or even mid-levels in a lot of other states.
We know this. It's a fact of recruiting. So that puts Ollison's stats in a bit of perspective, but here's what I'll say: Ollison is doing what a high-level recruit should do against that level of competition. If he was only rushing for 900 yards and 10 touchdowns, there would be far more concern. But Ollison is dominating the competition, and that's encouraging.
Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman had some thoughts on Ollison in this video feature, and I got some additional evaluations from Friedman that we'll publish soon.
Simply put, Pitt got a big running back in Ollison. The size is his most notable attribute, but Ollison and the Pitt coaches believe he projects at tailback rather than fullback (which some assumed he would play). I think that he'll be a tailback when he gets to Pitt, but I also won't rule out his potential to move to the fullback/H-back position that Jaymar Parrish plays. Ollison can run with the ball but he's also a good pass-catcher, which fits well into what that position is designed to do.
So Pitt got a big running back who can project at a couple of positions and a prospect who picked the Panthers over a good number of quality offers. Not much to dislike there.
The rest of the position[/B]
Naturally, one of the first questions after a commitment is what it means for that recruit's position. With Ollison on board, Pitt technically has two running back commitments, the other being Shady Side Academy's Dennis Briggs.
But Briggs is really an athlete who could play on either side of the ball; Pitt told him that he was being targeted as a running back after he worked out there during the prospect camp in June, but for the purposes of target numbers and running back recruiting, it's best to consider Briggs as an athlete and not count him against the running back numbers.
So Ollison makes one. We know the Pitt coaches want to take at least two, so that means Ollison's commitment isn't an end point, not in the least.
We all know the names on the board:
Washington (Pa.) Shai McKenzie
Niles (Ill.) Notre Dame Chris James
North Gwinnett (Ga.) C.J. Leggett
Harrisburg (Pa.) Robert Martin
The Pitt coaches have a ranking of those four - it actually might be close to the order I listed them - but the reality is that they are probably ranked closely enough on the coaches' board that a commitment from one wouldn't be put on hold while they wait for a different player to decide.
The one unique situation is Martin, who suffered a torn ACL in his season opener two weeks ago. From everything we can gather, nothing has changed in Pitt's pursuit of Martin, but obviously the situation bears monitoring. Martin is committed to Rutgers, but as we've said before, he never cut off contact with Pitt, and the fact that Rutgers has taken two more backs since Martin committed in June has him reconsidering that pledge.
Granted, Pitt intends to take multiple running backs in the class, but the key is that the Pitt coaches have made that intention clear to the prospects every step of the way. McKenzie, James, Leggett, Martin and Ollison all know - and have known - that the coaches planned to sign at least two backs in this class. So when another back commits, Ollison won't start voicing concerns because he was led to believe he was going to be the only running back in the class.
And that's why, when I've been asked how Ollison's commitment affects McKenzie or James or Leggett, my response has been, "Not very much at all." I don't think Ollison's commitment changed a single thing with any of the other targets or how those recruits feel about Pitt. Those recruits knew the plan and still had Pitt high on their lists, so Ollison's commitment didn't move the needle too much.
As I've written in the past, this approach is an important one: always be honest with the recruits. Always let them know where they stand and what you plan to do in the class and at their positions. That approach is why Jaleel Fields didn't harbor any ill feelings toward Pitt when the coaches closed shop on defensive tackle recruiting following a pair of commitments (and yes, that's still the case with Fields); Fields knew that Pitt was only taking two tackles, so those commitments filled the spots.
You can avoid misunderstandings and awkward situations by being honest from the start, which is what Pitt has done.
So Pitt has been doing the right thing with the running backs recruits, but who many will they actually land from that group? The coaches would like at least one more, but I keep using that qualifier - "at least" - because they'd probably love to have three or four of the remaining targets. They're all highly talented players who, at least at their current levels, look like they could step in and compete with Pitt's current crop of backs.
They'd love to have them all, really, but we know that won't happen. The most likely scenario is they get one of that group, although it wouldn't be a total shock to see them sign two. We'll dig into the chances with each of the prospects as we go position-by-position, which we'll do right now.
The positions[/B]
Quarterback[/B]
Quarterback is easy, simply because Pitt is done. They've got commitments from Wade Freebeck, and the coaches are comfortable with those two. I wouldn't be surprised to see Freebeck compete with Chad Voytik next season for the starting job, while Bertke would be best-served by taking a redshirt year.
Target number:[/B] 2
Commits:[/B] 2 - Wade Freebeck
Running back[/B]
I laid out the targets above, but we'll re-list them here: Robert Martin. The key for Pitt with all of those backs is that the Panthers appear to be in the top two or top three in every instance.
McKenzie's top group shifts, but it more or less centers on Pitt, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Florida State. I think it's mostly the first three schools, and when if/when he further narrows his list, Pitt will be in it until the end (unless, by some odd chance, Pitt gets two more running backs before McKenzie makes his decision; I think he might eliminate the Panthers in that scenario).
James has a top group of Pitt, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Tennessee, but I think the first two are the main two that his final choice will ultimately come from. My gut says that James, from the heart of Big Ten country, will end up a Spartan, but Pitt will get an official visit before that happens.
Leggett has made no secret of his top two: it's Pitt and UCLA. He'll probably take official visits to both before deciding, but he said on Twitter this week that he is planning to commit in September, which narrows down his options for visits.
We discussed Martin earlier. He plans to take an official visit to Pitt and was hoping to attend the Pitt-FSU game, but his injury kept him home that day.
Every recruit in this group could go either way. I think Pitt will get McKenzie in the end, provided the team doesn't completely puke this season - rushing for 200 or 300 yards against New Mexico wouldn't hurt - and I could see Pitt landing Leggett, too. My best guess is that they'll get one from the group, and I imagine it will be McKenzie.
If Leggett visits and commits this month and picks Pitt, it could make things interesting. Pitt won't slow its pursuit of James and McKenzie, but at a certain point the position becomes crowded, and that applies to the recruits and the coaches. The position can become crowded for the recruits, at which point they might start thinking that the chances of early playing time are dwindling. And it can become crowded for the coaches, at which point they realize they need a few more pieces at positions other than running back.
Target number:[/B] 2+
Commits:[/B] 1 - Qadree Ollison
Top remaining targets:[/B] Robert Martin
Wide receiver[/B]
Pitt signed four receivers in the class of 2013 but the coaches want at least a couple in this class, too. So far they've got Elijah Zeise from North Allegheny, and I have to say, I think Zeise is underrated (at least on this message board). I fully admit that I am friends with Zeise's father and his family, but I wouldn't say this if I didn't believe it: Zeise has the potential to be really good in college. Whether it's as a receiver or an H-back - like Manasseh Garner - I think he can really do some good things. He's big, athletic and fast; not sure anyone would complain about a recruit with those attributs.
And when he went head-to-head against Penn State recruit Troy Apke, he won. Handily.
But Pitt wants at least one more receiver to join Zeise in the class. The two names at the top areJuwann Winfree. Like just about every recruit we'll list in this position-by-position breakdown, Pitt is in good shape with both Kamara and Winfree.
Kamara is going to pick between Pitt and Virginia. He'll name a top four or top three and probably take official visits, but Pitt and Virginia will be his final two choices. Kamara is thought to be a heavy lean to UVA, but it's a testament to Pitt's recruiting efforts - particularly those of receivers coach Bobby Engram - that he hasn't committed to the Cavaliers yet. And the longer Kamara holds out, the better chance Pitt has of getting him on campus and potentially moving ahead of UVA.
Kamara would like to visit Pitt for the game against Virginia on Sept. 28, possibly as an unofficial visit, and then he would like to come back to Pittsburgh for an official visit on the weekend the Panthers host Notre Dame in November (he and Chris James have spoken to each other about taking their official visits on the same weekend). We'll get into the possibility of that happening later in a section on official visits, but that's what Kamara would like to do. As long as Pitt can get him on campus before he commits, the Panthers have a chance.
Winfree's top group has a few schools, but Pitt and West Virginia seem to be hovering around the top. I've seen it written that perhaps Pitt isn't making Winfree a priority, but I would disagree. In fact, Pitt recruiting coordinator Desmond Robinson[/B] was in New Jersey Thursday to visit Winfree's school and attend one of his games (they only played one quarter before the game was called due to weather).
Pitt was the first school to offer Winfree, and that has stuck with him as a positive for the Panthers. He has talked about taking an official visit on the weekend of the Virginia game, but that's not likely to happen. Winfree's official visit will probably come later in the fall, if not in December after the season ends.
Along with Kamara and Winfree, Pitt is also heavily pursuing Jaquan Davidson from Elizabeth Forward. Davidson is an outstanding athlete who was initially projected as a defensive back, but it sounds like Pitt wants to try him on offense. Either way, Davidson is focused primarily on Pitt and West Virginia, and while he admits that WVU has a slight lead, Pitt has cut into it pretty significantly.
What has Pitt done to improve its standing? Davidson is an eligibility risk, not because his grades are poor but because he is behind on his core coursework. Since Pitt got involved, the coaches and some academic support staff have worked to help Davidson understand exactly what he needs to do to get back on track and have a chance of being eligible to play in college next year.
It's not going to be easy and it's not a sure thing that Davidson will be eligible, but his chances would have been virtually zero without the assistance Pitt has provided. And Davidson is not dumb; he realizes what Pitt has done for him. The result is that the Panthers have closed the gap with West Virginia quite a bit, because the coaches at WVU have not been nearly as involved as Pitt has been.
There are a few other receivers on the board like Jamiek Davis, but Pitt would like to get Kamara, Davidson and/or Winfree and call it a day.
Target number:[/B] 2
Commits:[/B] 1- Elijah Zeise
Top remaining targets:[/B] Jaquan Davidson
Tight end[/B]
Pitt signed three tight ends in last year's class, and while the coaches would probably like to sign three more in this class, the reality is they just don't have the room to pull that off.
They currently have a commitment from Darryl Long; the three-star prospect is committed to Kentucky, but he could be receptive if Pitt wanted to restart his recruitment.
For now, I'll guess that Pitt just goes with O'Neill at tight end.
Target number:[/B] 1
Commits:[/B] 1- Brian O'Neill
Offensive line[/B]
Like tight end, the 2013 haul of offensive linemen isn't likely to be repeated in 2014. The coaches already have two linemen committed - Connor Hayes - and I'm guessing they'll try to get one more in the class.
It's no secret who the target for that one spot is: Mt. Lebanon tackle Alex Bookser.
Bookser is a huge priority for Pitt, as big as any of the other remaining targets, and the Panthers have done a good job getting to the top of his list with Ohio State. Bookser is underground with recruiting coverage and doesn't have any interest in doing interviews, so we have to go off sources and whatnot, but it sounds like Pitt has done a lot right.
Ohio State is a powerful draw - and one that will likely grow more powerful as the season goes on - but I think there's a great chance that Bookser stays home and plays for Pitt.
I don't know if the coaches would say the situation is "Bookser or bust," but it seems that way. There are always prospects on the board and the coaches are watching recruits who could be candidates for offers, but they want to finish the class with Bookser. If they could get him, a class of Bookser, Grimm and Hayes would be big in a lot of ways. They would be big in size and big in terms of what they will bring to the roster.
Speaking of being big, did you see Mike Grimm on the sidelines before the Florida State game? I had forgotten just how big he is, since I hadn't seen him in person since the spring. He is a very large human being. The sheer size of him is impressive.
Target number:[/B] 3
Commits:[/B] 2 - Connor Hayes
Top remaining targets:[/B] Alex Bookser
Defensive end[/B]
The Pitt coaches knew from the time they arrived two years ago that they needed to add young talent to the defensive ends on the roster, and they brought in two ends last year - Luke Maclean and Shakir Soto - for that purpose (plus Justin Moody, who signed as an end but moved to defensive tackle).
This year Pitt has commitments from wrote about this week; Trahan has a Pitt offer and I believe the coaches would take him if he wanted to commit.
Darius Slade could also take an official visit to Pitt, but the Panthers have a lot of ground to make up at this point in the process with the Montclair (NJ) standout.
If Pitt finishes with Roy and Blair, that will be a pretty good haul. The coaches like Roy a lot, and Blair has the potential to be one of the great steals in the class of 2014.
Target number:[/B] 2+
Commits:[/B] 2 - Rori Blair
Top remaining targets:[/B] Darius Slade
Defensive tackle[/B]
I have laid out Pitt's approach at defensive tackle several times in the past - most recently in an earlier paragraph - but we'll cover it again:
The coaches wanted to sign two tackles in this class, and they made that clear to the recruits they offered at the position. The coaches ranked most of the tackles around the same level, so it was truly a first-come/first-served situation. To that end, Mike Herndon were the first to get on board.
That left a number of other defensive tackle recruits - most notably Brock Boxen - on the outside looking in, and nothing has changed about that situation. Things could change - the coaches could decide to take another defensive tackle or be so moved by senior film that they decide they can't live without Fields or Boxen or whoever - but for now, that's the situation.
Now, if a Thomas Holley wanted to visit and commit, the coaches wouldn't turn him down. But that's a different story.
Target number:[/B] 2
Commits:[/B] 2 - Mike Herndon
Linebacker[/B]
Linebacker is a tough spot for Pitt right now. The ideal duo would have been Quintin Wirginis and landed a commitment from him in June, and they seem to be quite high on the Fox Chapel product, despite his season-ending Lisfranc injury.
But they still want one more linebacker in the class, and that's not easy to find. Almost all of the offered prospects are off the board save for Jawhaun Bentley, but Pitt's not likely to land either one of those recruits.
So the coaches are scouring the high school ranks looking for linebacker prospects. It's still early in the season, but after a few games, the coaches will collect senior film and start making evaluations to decide who is worthy of an offer. Marcus Collins is an option, but the coaches want to see senior film before solidifying his offer (if they do that, he will almost certainly commit).
We'll see what comes of the linebacker situation. Pitt wants to add another, but it's tough to say there are any "top targets" at this point.
Target number:[/B] 2
Commits:[/B] 1 - Quintin Wirginis
Cornerback[/B]
The Pitt coaches have been working for the last two years to add depth to the roster across the board, and the secondary is no exception. They wanted to add a slew of defensive backs in the class of 2013 and only ended up with two (Titus Howard and Terrish Webb), so the quest for DB's continues in the class of 2014.
At corner, they have two commits and want one more. And the one they want the most is Aliquippa four-star Dravon Henry. After all the noise about Henry's recruitment, things are boiling down exactly as we expected: a Pitt-West Virginia battle. Henry likes the coaching staffs at both schools a lot, but as far as we can tell, the coaches are the main draw at WVU, while Pitt has more than a few points of attraction for Henry.
For starters, Henry thought the atmosphere at Pitt's opener against Florida State was tremendous. He wasn't impressed with the way the defense played, but who was? Pitt made the same impression on Henry that it made on everyone else that night: when the team is good and the fans are into it, Heinz Field can be a pretty great place for a game. That was an achievable goal for that night, and Pitt achieved it with all of the recruits, Henry included.
It's been said that WVU holds a slight lead, and that may be true. But what I've been told all along - and what I continue to believe - is that Henry goes back and forth between the two schools. When it's all said and done, I lean toward Henry picking Pitt. His ties to the Panthers are strong on a lot of levels, and I think that will be his destination.
As things currently stand, if Pitt can get Henry, then the coaches will be done at cornerback. In fact, I'm not sure there are many other cornerback prospects - if any - that could commit to Pitt at this point in time. That includes offered recruits like Anthony Davis, who is committed to Temple but reportedly has been mulling a decommitment.
If Henry opts for WVU or if Pitt decides to open up another spot for a cornerback, I suspect they could land Foster or Davis without too much trouble. But right now the focus is on Henry. I've said for a long time that I think he's the best player in the state, and he is as high on Pitt's board as any other recruit.
Target number:[/B] 3
Commits:[/B] 2 - Avonte Maddox
Top remaining targets:[/B] Dravon Henry
Safety[/B]
Safety is a lot like cornerback: Pitt has two commitments and would like to get one more. And like cornerback, there is one big local target at the top of the board. At safety, it's Gateway's Montae Nicholson, and we have said for a long time that Nicholson has a very strong relationship with the Pitt coaches.
Slowly but surely, the competition for Nicholson has been fading away. Ohio State was the big one on his list and then Michigan ascended, but both schools have moved on. We've been told that Penn State is likely to be Pitt's top challenger for Nicholson, but things are actually looking pretty good for the Panthers on this one.
Pitt also likes Rasaan Stewart quite a bit, and the Perkiomen Valley standout came away from the Pitt-FSU game feeling pretty good about Pitt. Whether Pitt could take Nicholson and Stewart depends largely on numbers.
Target number:[/B] 3
Commits:[/B] 2 - Patrick Amara
Top remaining targets:[/B] Rasaan Stewart
How it will finish[/B]
Okay then, let's put all of those top targets together on one list:
Running back[/B]
Shai McKenzie
Chris James
C.J. Leggett
Rob Martin
Wide receiver[/B]
Jamil Kamara
Juwann Winfree
Jaquan Davidson
Offensive line[/B]
Alex Bookser
Defensive end[/B]
Hez Trahan
Darius Slade
Cornerback[/B]
Dravon Henry
Safety[/B]
Montae Nicholson
Rasaan Stewart
Pitt's got 17 commitments, and I think they'll take 23 or 24 in this class, although it wouldn't be a surprise to see the coaches get to 25. Let's say they shoot the moon and take a full class; that would mean they'll take eight more.
I'll assume that one of the eight is a linebacker, so that means seven more from the list above. That assumes Pitt can fill out its class from its top remaining targets, which is not always easy, but we'll make that assumption anyway.
So the final class could very well look like this:
Quarterback[/B]
Adam Bertke
Wade Freebeck
Running back[/B]
Shai McKenzie
Qadree Ollison
Wide receiver[/B]
Juwann Winfree
Elijah Zeise
Tight end[/B]
Brian O'Neill
Offensive line[/B]
Alex Bookser
Mike Grimm
Connor Hayes
Defensive end[/B]
Rori Blair
Shane Roy
Hez Trahan
Defensive tackle[/B]
Connor Dintino
Mike Herndon
Linebacker[/B]
Quintin Wirginis
Cornerback[/B]
Dravon Henry
Avonte Maddox
Phillipie Motley
Safety[/B]
Patrick Amara
Montae Nicholson
Jalen Williams
Athlete[/B]
Dennis Briggs
Jaquan Davidson
Add in another linebacker, and you've got a class of 25.
I'm not predicting that will be Pitt's class - I don't know if they'll sweep western Pa. and land all five of Henry, Nicholson, Bookser, McKenzie and Davidson, for instance - but I think it's a reasonable projection of what the class could be.
Chances are pretty good that at least a couple "new" names will pop up and go into the mix and a few of the big targets will commit elsewhere.
Official visits[/B]
It seems like we have seen reports of at least a half-dozen official visits so far, but at this point we have confirmed one:
Montae Nicholson will take his official visit the weekend Pitt host Virginia (Sept. 27-29).
If you've been on the site since last year, you know that this coaching staff doesn't like to host in-season official visits. The coaches prefer to wait until the offseason, for a variety of reasons. Primarily, the coaches look at a game weekend in the fall and see almost every hour accounted for in relation to the game. On Friday night the players and coaches are at the team hotel getting ready for the game; on Saturday the game occupies almost all of their time; and on Sunday they are reviewing the game and getting ready for the next week.
There really is very limited time for the coaches to spend with the recruits on a game-weekend official visit. Plus, recruits coming in from out of town most likely have games on Friday night, meaning they either drive and get into Pittsburgh in the middle of the night or fly in Saturday morning and rush to get to a 12:30 kickoff at Heinz Field.
Neither scenario is ideal.
As it relates to the amount of available time the coaches will have, the weekend Nicholson is visiting is unique. Pitt is off the week after the Virginia game, so Sunday is freed up a bit, allowing the coaches to spend time with the recruits. So if Pitt is going to host some in-season official visits, I think that weekend will be the main one we see.
Nicholson is set up already, and I could see a couple more being added. C.J. Leggett is a possibility, since North Gwinnett is off that Friday (thus alleviating the travel problems). Juwann Winfree wanted to take his official visit that weekend, but Dwight Morrow plays a Friday night game, making the travel difficult. The same goes for Jamil Kamara, whose team plays Friday night.
A number of recruits have mentioned the Notre Dame game on Nov. 9 as a possibility, but I think the coaches will try to persuade them to look at postseason weekends. With the recruits in the middle of late-season action, there will be plenty of travel headaches. And Pitt hosts North Carolina a week later, so the schedule on Sunday will be tight.
A coach wants the official visit weekend to be perfect, and that's tough to accomplish on a game weekend.
The rewards of realignment[/B]
One final thing I wanted to touch on:
When the news of a staff change was announced in training camp, there were some questionable responses. You'll recall that the move shifted Joe Rudolph from tight ends to running backs, put graduate assistant Mickey Turner on tight ends, and reassigned running backs coach Desmond Robinson to recruiting coordinator.
Why make the move? Well, we're seeing why this week.
While the coaching staff has been preparing the team for New Mexico, Robinson has been on the road. We've seen several new offers go out this week to 2015 recruits like Jamie Gordinier while Robinson has been in New Jersey, and on Thursday he was at Juwann Winfree's school.
I'm going to check with my Rivals.com colleagues across the country, but I haven't heard of any other school that has this kind of set-up, where a coach is able to be on the road while the team is in the midst of game week. You can only have a certain number of full-time assistant coaches who can go on the road to recruit, and in every other situation, all of those assistant coaches are busy working with the team.
But not at Pitt. At Pitt, the coaches found a way to get around the rules and have a coach on the road during game week. It's virtually unprecedented (I think). And I don't think the team is suffering for it: Rudolph is more than capable of handling the running backs, and Turner is an impressive young coach (Paul Chryst joked that Turner is "too smart for coaching").
This was a pretty slick move by Pitt.
This post was edited on 9/13 8:54 AM by Chris Peak
