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Interesting story about Pitt recruiting....

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YourPittDanceTeam

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Dec 8, 2010
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Was talking to a friend earlier tonight who lives Georgia. He was telling me about a young man who plays football for one of the local high schools near his home. Evidently, he is friends with the parents of one of the players on that team, a Rivals 4 Star Recruit, named Debron Gatling. The young man in a Junior right now and measures 6' 1" and weighs 185 pounds. Has good grades and ran a 4.45 40 yard dash. He is a WR/CB.
Earlier in the year, a family friend reached out to the University of Pittsburgh about the young man having interest in coming to Pitt because of what the program did for Jordan Addison. The family was told by a Pitt football representative that Pitt was not interested in the kid because they did not have a scholarship available at the time for him. Now remember, this kid is currently a Junior in high school so we are talking about his graduating in 2024. How in the world can Pitt say they did not have a scholarship available for him in the Class of 2024? This is the stuff that frustrates me about Pitt's recruiting. At the time, the kid had offers from only two schools. Us this the reason why Pitt didn't have a scholarship available? Currently. he now has 39 offers (as of last week) and all of the usual blue bloods are there. Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, LSU, Michigan, penn state among those who have offered and Pitt didn't have a scholarship available to offer at the time? Since then, Pitt has now joined those other schools and has offered a scholarship to the kid. Why not offer the kid when he was interested on coming to Pitt?
Just frustrates me as a fan of the school because they always seem to show little to no real interest in trying to land those 4 and 6 star recruits. Here was a kid who had interest in coming here and they kind of just blew him off.
From what I've been told, he is going to announce this weekend where he is planning on going to school.
Hopefully Pitt has stepped up their interest and have reached out to the kid and his family. A couple of phone calls from the right people can go along way in making a young man and his family feel like a school really wants the kid to play there.
Now I understand that wherever the kid says he going to go to school is not binding and I am sure that he will change his mind a couple of times, but Pitt needs to show the kid some attention.
 
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YourPittDanceTeam said:
Was talking to a friend earlier tonight who lives Georgia. He was telling me about a young man who plays football for one of the local high schools near his home. Evidently, he is friends with the parents of one of the players on that team, a Rivals 4 Star Recruit, named Debron Gatling. The young man in a Junior right now and measures 6' 1" and weighs 185 pounds. Has good grades and ran a 4.45 40 yard dash. He is a WR/CB.
Earlier in the year, a family friend reached out to the University of Pittsburgh about the young man having interest in coming to Pitt because of what the program did for Jordan Addison. The family was told by a Pitt football representative that Pitt was not interested in the kid because they did not have a scholarship available at the time for him. Now remember, this kid is currently a Junior in high school so we are talking about his graduating in 2024. How in the world can Pitt say they did not have a scholarship available for him in the Class of 2024? This is the stuff that frustrates me about Pitt's recruiting. At the time, the kid had offers from only two schools. Us this the reason why Pitt didn't have a scholarship available? Currently. he now has 39 offers (as of last week) and all of the usual blue bloods are there. Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, LSU, Michigan, penn state among those who have offered and Pitt didn't have a scholarship available to offer at the time? Since then, Pitt has now joined those other schools and has offered a scholarship to the kid. Why not offer the kid when he was interested on coming to Pitt?
Just frustrates me as a fan of the school because they always seem to show little to no real interest in trying to land those 4 and 6 star recruits. Here was a kid who had interest in coming here and they kind of just blew him off.
From what I've been told, he is going to announce this weekend where he is planning on going to school.
Hopefully Pitt has stepped up their interest and have reached out to the kid and his family. A couple of phone calls from the right people can go along way in making a young man and his family feel like a school really wants the kid to play there.
Now I understand that wherever the kid says he going to go to school is not binding and I am sure that he will change his mind a couple of times, but Pitt needs to show the kid some attention.
Click to expand...
I think it would be interesting to hear Pitt’s side of the story.

I think any school would not talk about scholarships to some kid they don’t even have on their radar.
 
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Gunga_Galunga said:
According to 247, Pitt offered in October of 2021.

I bet there was something left out of the "family friend reaching out part (read NIL $$)."
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If there is any truth to the story at all (Pitt telling a 4 star WR they don’t have an available scholarship available sounds a little far fetched), this would have to be the explanation.

“After what Pitt did for Jordan Addison”. Translation: after the family became aware of the amount of NIL $$$ Pitt cobbled together to try to keep Addison.
 
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RaleighPittFan said:
I think it would be interesting to hear Pitt’s side of the story.

I think any school would not talk about scholarships to some kid they don’t even have on their radar.
Click to expand...
Most of these, "I talked to someone," stories are BS. There is almost nothing about this story that tracks including a reference to 6-star recruits.
 
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It's moot. He would have withdrawn his commit anyway once he started accumulating the stars (and parasites)
 
So he got offered in the beginning of his sophomore year in HS which means he's a 1%er. He got offered before Addison won the Biletnikoff award..

I bet this story is true..

Family Feud Lol GIF by Steve Harvey
 
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YourPittDanceTeam said:
Was talking to a friend earlier tonight who lives Georgia. He was telling me about a young man who plays football for one of the local high schools near his home. Evidently, he is friends with the parents of one of the players on that team, a Rivals 4 Star Recruit, named Debron Gatling. The young man in a Junior right now and measures 6' 1" and weighs 185 pounds. Has good grades and ran a 4.45 40 yard dash. He is a WR/CB.
Earlier in the year, a family friend reached out to the University of Pittsburgh about the young man having interest in coming to Pitt because of what the program did for Jordan Addison. The family was told by a Pitt football representative that Pitt was not interested in the kid because they did not have a scholarship available at the time for him. Now remember, this kid is currently a Junior in high school so we are talking about his graduating in 2024. How in the world can Pitt say they did not have a scholarship available for him in the Class of 2024? This is the stuff that frustrates me about Pitt's recruiting. At the time, the kid had offers from only two schools. Us this the reason why Pitt didn't have a scholarship available? Currently. he now has 39 offers (as of last week) and all of the usual blue bloods are there. Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, LSU, Michigan, penn state among those who have offered and Pitt didn't have a scholarship available to offer at the time? Since then, Pitt has now joined those other schools and has offered a scholarship to the kid. Why not offer the kid when he was interested on coming to Pitt?
Just frustrates me as a fan of the school because they always seem to show little to no real interest in trying to land those 4 and 6 star recruits. Here was a kid who had interest in coming here and they kind of just blew him off.
From what I've been told, he is going to announce this weekend where he is planning on going to school.
Hopefully Pitt has stepped up their interest and have reached out to the kid and his family. A couple of phone calls from the right people can go along way in making a young man and his family feel like a school really wants the kid to play there.
Now I understand that wherever the kid says he going to go to school is not binding and I am sure that he will change his mind a couple of times, but Pitt needs to show the kid some attention.
Click to expand...
Don't take 4th hand info as Gospel.
 
"We don't have a scholarship available for you at this time" is a polite way of saying any number of things.
 
One side of the story. It seem far fetched to me that Pitt wouldn't jump on such a talent.
Georgia has been growing as an important recruiting ground for Pitt.
 
I remember my uncle who is huge Pitt fan reached out to the Pitt staff ( Todd Graham) at the time. About two kids who he coached in high school in Arizona. They were either sophomores or Juniors at the time.

Pitt responded back to him we do not recruit past the west of the Mississippi. I later found out it was due to lack of funds for their recruiting budget ( thanks Steve Peterson ).

Those two players were Mark Andrews and Kyle Allen.

Pitt could of had fist dibs at these kids before they blew up later on in the recruiting process
 
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sherepower said:
I remember my uncle who is huge Pitt fan reached out to the Pitt staff ( Todd Graham) at the time. About two kids who he coached in high school in Arizona. They were either sophomores or Juniors at the time.

Pitt responded back to him we do not recruit past the west of the Mississippi. I later found out it was due to lack of funds for their recruiting budget ( thanks Steve Peterson ).

Those two players were Mark Andrews and Kyle Allen.

Pitt could of had fist dibs at these kids before they blew up later on in the recruiting process
Click to expand...
Yep
If only we’d have taken a flight to Arizona based on a hs coach talking up his kids !
Darned SP!
 
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PittPharm2002 said:
Yep
If only we’d have taken a flight to Arizona based on a hs coach talking up his kids !
Darned SP!
Click to expand...
Yeah because he didn’t send Pitt any film you jerk off.

Only an idiot ( which you clearly are ) would think Pitt would offer scholarships based his word.
 
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Just spitballing, but I would have to imagine the calls they get about players who are actually legit constitute less than 5% of the total calls they have to field. For every Mark Andrews or Debron Gatling, they're probably getting 50 calls about some safety whose 4.9 40 time is irrelevant because he plays much faster and some 5'10" 212-pound tackle who has the heart of a lion.
 
TheWerewolfFromTwilight said:
Just spitballing, but I would have to imagine the calls they get about players who are actually legit constitute less than 5% of the total calls they have to field. For every Mark Andrews or Debron Gatling, they're probably getting 50 calls about some safety whose 4.9 40 time is irrelevant because he plays much faster and some 5'10" 212-pound tackle who has the heart of a lion.
Click to expand...
In fairness, that 4.9 40 player who plays much faster does actually apply to a local 4-star recruit who played here. 🤪
 
Georgia is a really interesting place relative to high school "recruiting coordinators" and "friends of the family." Certainly not saying this is the specific case for this family, but there are a lot of "we're looking at $X to start the conversation" down in that area.
 
mrmedoes said:
Georgia is a really interesting place relative to high school "recruiting coordinators" and "friends of the family." Certainly not saying this is the specific case for this family, but there are a lot of "we're looking at $X to start the conversation" down in that area.
Click to expand...
I think that’s common anywhere in the traditional SEC footprint.
 
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RaleighPittFan said:
I think that’s common anywhere in the traditional SEC footprint.
Click to expand...
One college coach once told me that there is a school in Philadelphia (not SJP) who makes him feel "dirty" every time he leaves the building.

It all stemmed from the fact that he said he had to work through several handlers before he ever got to the kid.

This was a freaking FCS school too.
 
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B.S. story (because it’s a story, not true). Pitt wouldn’t tell a 24 kid they have no ships available especially since they don’t even know how many are available yet (Covid year, transfers, etc.) The only way Pitt would take away an offer to someone they view as talented & can help is if the kid or his family did stupid shit.

The truth is my 2nd cousin has a friend that is close with the family. He found out the kids mother demanded Pitt pay her son 2 Mill, provide a house and the drugs of her choice. Yes she has a bad drug habit. It’s all true because I posted it on a Pitt message board. 🙄
 
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sherepower said:
I remember my uncle who is huge Pitt fan reached out to the Pitt staff ( Todd Graham) at the time. About two kids who he coached in high school in Arizona. They were either sophomores or Juniors at the time.

Pitt responded back to him we do not recruit past the west of the Mississippi. I later found out it was due to lack of funds for their recruiting budget ( thanks Steve Peterson ).

Those two players were Mark Andrews and Kyle Allen.

Pitt could of had fist dibs at these kids before they blew up later on in the recruiting process
Click to expand...

Assuming this story is even true, Mark Andrews had offers from Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, TAMU, UCLA, USC, and Arizona. He was a 4 star and ESPN top 300 player. It's very unlikely we were getting him anyway.
 
TheWerewolfFromTwilight said:
Just spitballing, but I would have to imagine the calls they get about players who are actually legit constitute less than 5% of the total calls they have to field. For every Mark Andrews or Debron Gatling, they're probably getting 50 calls about some safety whose 4.9 40 time is irrelevant because he plays much faster and some 5'10" 212-pound tackle who has the heart of a lion.
Click to expand...
lilspainishflea said:
Assuming this story is even true, Mark Andrews had offers from Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, TAMU, UCLA, USC, and Arizona. He was a 4 star and ESPN top 300 player. It's very unlikely we were getting him anyway.
Click to expand...
Did you read what i posted??

It was before they blew up.
 
RaleighPittFan said:
I think it would be interesting to hear Pitt’s side of the story.

I think any school would not talk about scholarships to some kid they don’t even have on their radar.
Click to expand...
What could their side of the story be??? I mean, we are talking about a high school junior, not a senior. Do you mean to tell me that the Pitt football team has that much depth at WR that a 4 star recruit for the 2024 season, is being told they didn't have a scholarship available for him?
I'd love to hear heir side of it as well now that I think about it.
 
YourPittDanceTeam said:
What could their side of the story be??? I mean, we are talking about a high school junior, not a senior. Do you mean to tell me that the Pitt football team has that much depth at WR that a 4 star recruit for the 2024 season, is being told they didn't have a scholarship available for him?
I'd love to hear heir side of it as well now that I think about it.
Click to expand...

Lol. It's funny that someone would believe this story.
 
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pittdan77 said:
Most of these, "I talked to someone," stories are BS. There is almost nothing about this story that tracks including a reference to 6-star recruits.
Click to expand...
The person who told me this is a very reliable person and a huge Pitt fan. I believe everything that I was told because it all makes sense. Think about it for a second. Why is it that Pitt seems to get so few 4 and 5 start players every year, when compared to other Power 5 schools like Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, ND, USC, Clemson?
 
YourPittDanceTeam said:
The person who told me this is a very reliable person and a huge Pitt fan. I believe everything that I was told because it all makes sense. Think about it for a second. Why is it that Pitt seems to get so few 4 and 5 start players every year, when compared to other Power 5 schools like Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, ND, USC, Clemson?
Click to expand...
Go troll elsewhere.
 
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TheSpecialSauce said:
Go troll elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Oh, so now I'm a "troll"??? LOL, LOL!! My friend, you don't know me or anything about me. I can promise you this, I have two degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and they are the only team in this town that I have an interest in. I live and die with Pitt sports teams and their success and failures. When I see or hear something from someone that I know and trust to be a very reliable person, I will share it. Also, if you choose to think t hat I am a "troll", cool. It is American and so far we still have the right to speak our opinions freely, so have at it!
 
YourPittDanceTeam said:
What could their side of the story be??? I mean, we are talking about a high school junior, not a senior. Do you mean to tell me that the Pitt football team has that much depth at WR that a 4 star recruit for the 2024 season, is being told they didn't have a scholarship available for him?
I'd love to hear heir side of it as well now that I think about it.
Click to expand...
You are free to believe whatever you choose.
 
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