I posted this in a thread below, but that thread is getting long and lot of people start to skim, so this is long to. But it is an easy read (well except for the information which is not so pleasant).
Here is the one comment I hate that when Pitt fans make. And it strikes me as an odd comment, as I expect most of you are college grads, in some sort of role in business or other professional positions where you should understand the effects of recruiting misses, it is the same as missed sales. One missed sale doesn't kill you. 10 can cause your year to crash, more can even cause you to be fired.
We always hear "one recruit doesn't make a program" and dismiss when a good local kid chooses another school over Pitt. And outside of Phil Jurkovec (who I truly believe would be a program changer here) that is true. But, "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive." I want you all to sing that refrain after each of these names.
Robert Foster. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Montae Nicholson. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Dravon Henry. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Chase Winovich. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Malik Hooker. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Troy Apke. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Kevin Givens. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Miles Sanders. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Khaleke Hudson. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Lamont Wade. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
CJ Thorpe. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Josh Lugg. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
David Adams. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Kurt Hinish. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Kenny Robinson. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Phil Jurkovec. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Kwantel Raines. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
TJ Banks. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Next year....
Marlon Devonshire. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Andrew Kristofic. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Javon Thrift. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
These are just the top WPIAL kids. These are not including from Erie area or out east. If Pitt doesn't get Raines (which they aren't) that means they are going to land 2 of the top 30 PA kids over the past 2 years!!!! TWO!!! TWO!! That is one more than one. Only two more than a shut out. To make it even worse, they have landed 4 out of the top 40! I can't remember when we recruited this poorly. I don't even think during JMII it was this bad on a local level. Now to Narduzzi's credit he has gotten some decent kids elsewhere, but at no time, even losing to Ohio State 72-0 and having 12K in a loss to Temple has the locals been so down on Pitt.
Back to the above. One recruit doesn't make a program. But all of those cumulatively do make a program. How would our team have looked last year with Nicholson, Henry and Hooker in the Dbackfield? Wth Winovich at DE or LB? This year with Hudson, Winovich, Apke, Givens and Henry on D, Sanders at RB. How does next year look? Jurkovec coming in. Look, I have been hard on the WPIAL because it is not what it once was, but you got to do better than 20% of the top kids in your backyard. Incidentally 20% is 1 out of every 5.
And the people who justify this as "what does Pitt have over the other schools to sell"? Well the same issues we have always had yet at some point of time could over come.
We got to stop with these perverse justifications because they are foolish fan boy takes trying to justify the lousy job this staff has done locally. We think Graham or Chryst or Wlat pissed or turned off the locals, well it sure seems like Blue Collar Pat, hasn't won the locals over.
Now I do think the combo of coaching changes/and the cumulative effect of disappointing season outcomes and especially the cumulative effect of the empty yellow seats at Heinz which has worn not just the fanbase down, but also prospective local recruits has now really impacted Pitt along with PSU's metoric rise.
But dammit. Stop justifying and brushing off losing another top local kid to "not really affecting Pitt". It does. That bolt that is missing from the bridge doesn't affect its integrity. That bolt here, there, over there, under this, behind that, on the other side of there, left of that beam, right of that beam does affect a bridge's integrity.
Here is the one comment I hate that when Pitt fans make. And it strikes me as an odd comment, as I expect most of you are college grads, in some sort of role in business or other professional positions where you should understand the effects of recruiting misses, it is the same as missed sales. One missed sale doesn't kill you. 10 can cause your year to crash, more can even cause you to be fired.
We always hear "one recruit doesn't make a program" and dismiss when a good local kid chooses another school over Pitt. And outside of Phil Jurkovec (who I truly believe would be a program changer here) that is true. But, "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive." I want you all to sing that refrain after each of these names.
Robert Foster. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Montae Nicholson. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Dravon Henry. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Chase Winovich. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Malik Hooker. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Troy Apke. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Kevin Givens. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Miles Sanders. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Khaleke Hudson. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Lamont Wade. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
CJ Thorpe. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Josh Lugg. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
David Adams. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Kurt Hinish. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Kenny Robinson. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Phil Jurkovec. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Kwantel Raines. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
TJ Banks. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Next year....
Marlon Devonshire. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Andrew Kristofic. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
Javon Thrift. All: "one recruit doesn't make a program, Pitt will survive."
These are just the top WPIAL kids. These are not including from Erie area or out east. If Pitt doesn't get Raines (which they aren't) that means they are going to land 2 of the top 30 PA kids over the past 2 years!!!! TWO!!! TWO!! That is one more than one. Only two more than a shut out. To make it even worse, they have landed 4 out of the top 40! I can't remember when we recruited this poorly. I don't even think during JMII it was this bad on a local level. Now to Narduzzi's credit he has gotten some decent kids elsewhere, but at no time, even losing to Ohio State 72-0 and having 12K in a loss to Temple has the locals been so down on Pitt.
Back to the above. One recruit doesn't make a program. But all of those cumulatively do make a program. How would our team have looked last year with Nicholson, Henry and Hooker in the Dbackfield? Wth Winovich at DE or LB? This year with Hudson, Winovich, Apke, Givens and Henry on D, Sanders at RB. How does next year look? Jurkovec coming in. Look, I have been hard on the WPIAL because it is not what it once was, but you got to do better than 20% of the top kids in your backyard. Incidentally 20% is 1 out of every 5.
And the people who justify this as "what does Pitt have over the other schools to sell"? Well the same issues we have always had yet at some point of time could over come.
We got to stop with these perverse justifications because they are foolish fan boy takes trying to justify the lousy job this staff has done locally. We think Graham or Chryst or Wlat pissed or turned off the locals, well it sure seems like Blue Collar Pat, hasn't won the locals over.
Now I do think the combo of coaching changes/and the cumulative effect of disappointing season outcomes and especially the cumulative effect of the empty yellow seats at Heinz which has worn not just the fanbase down, but also prospective local recruits has now really impacted Pitt along with PSU's metoric rise.
But dammit. Stop justifying and brushing off losing another top local kid to "not really affecting Pitt". It does. That bolt that is missing from the bridge doesn't affect its integrity. That bolt here, there, over there, under this, behind that, on the other side of there, left of that beam, right of that beam does affect a bridge's integrity.
