We'll post some thoughts and info in this thread today as the official visits conclude.
- I want to be as measured about this as possible, but there's really only one way to put it: Pitt has done really, really well with Hykeem Williams this weekend. Everything I've heard from multiple sources over the last 48 hours is that things have gone about as well as they could. Coming into the visit, the national perception was that Georgia and Texas A&M were the top two, but what we were hearing pointed to Georgia being the clear team to beat. As the weekend has unfolded, that sentiment only seems to have been strengthened; Georgia is still the big one here, but Pitt just might be No. 2 - and I don't know how far behind the Panthers are.
I'm not going to go too far down that road and get crazy, but I think it's within reason to say that Pitt is a legitimate contender for Williams - more legitimate than most outside of the South Side or this message board probably think. I think Tiquan Underwood was the key first piece; he brought the relationship with him when he was hired this offseason, and the unofficial visit this spring really cemented the interest. That set the table for this weekend's official visit, and like I said, by all indications, Pitt hit a home run with Williams and his family.
The big question now is the timeline. The longer Williams takes his recruitment, the more opportunities there will be for other schools to work on him. And the reality is, he could commit to Pitt today (which I'm not saying that I expect) and the coaches would still be in for a six-month battle. But I really don't know if they could do more than they did this weekend.
- I think the coaches probably would like to get a commitment from one of the two defensive backs visiting (Jesse Anderson and Jaremiah Anglin). If they get that, then they're still in good shape even if Shelton Lewis, who has been taking other official visits, decides to decommit. I don't know what's happening with the Lewis situation, but Anderson and Anglin are both really talented DBs - either as pieces to go with Lewis and Brice Pollock and Shadarian Harrison in the class, or as a replacement for Lewis if he moves on.
- I have to think Pitt gets at least two of the offensive linemen who are visiting this weekend to commit. If not more.
- Finally, there is one more official visitor on campus this weekend. We've been trying to dig this story out for the last 48 hours (or more), but it's a recruit who is committed to another school. While some committed recruits have no hesitation tweeting new offers and visits, others go to considerable lengths to keep things quiet, and this particular recruit seems to be in that latter category. So, for the time being, we're going to respect that. We've got some leads on who the recruit is and we'll keep working on those, but that's something to keep an eye on.
- I want to be as measured about this as possible, but there's really only one way to put it: Pitt has done really, really well with Hykeem Williams this weekend. Everything I've heard from multiple sources over the last 48 hours is that things have gone about as well as they could. Coming into the visit, the national perception was that Georgia and Texas A&M were the top two, but what we were hearing pointed to Georgia being the clear team to beat. As the weekend has unfolded, that sentiment only seems to have been strengthened; Georgia is still the big one here, but Pitt just might be No. 2 - and I don't know how far behind the Panthers are.
I'm not going to go too far down that road and get crazy, but I think it's within reason to say that Pitt is a legitimate contender for Williams - more legitimate than most outside of the South Side or this message board probably think. I think Tiquan Underwood was the key first piece; he brought the relationship with him when he was hired this offseason, and the unofficial visit this spring really cemented the interest. That set the table for this weekend's official visit, and like I said, by all indications, Pitt hit a home run with Williams and his family.
The big question now is the timeline. The longer Williams takes his recruitment, the more opportunities there will be for other schools to work on him. And the reality is, he could commit to Pitt today (which I'm not saying that I expect) and the coaches would still be in for a six-month battle. But I really don't know if they could do more than they did this weekend.
- I think the coaches probably would like to get a commitment from one of the two defensive backs visiting (Jesse Anderson and Jaremiah Anglin). If they get that, then they're still in good shape even if Shelton Lewis, who has been taking other official visits, decides to decommit. I don't know what's happening with the Lewis situation, but Anderson and Anglin are both really talented DBs - either as pieces to go with Lewis and Brice Pollock and Shadarian Harrison in the class, or as a replacement for Lewis if he moves on.
- I have to think Pitt gets at least two of the offensive linemen who are visiting this weekend to commit. If not more.
- Finally, there is one more official visitor on campus this weekend. We've been trying to dig this story out for the last 48 hours (or more), but it's a recruit who is committed to another school. While some committed recruits have no hesitation tweeting new offers and visits, others go to considerable lengths to keep things quiet, and this particular recruit seems to be in that latter category. So, for the time being, we're going to respect that. We've got some leads on who the recruit is and we'll keep working on those, but that's something to keep an eye on.
