From the Desk of Jim Snyder
What ever happened to Mike Hull?
You may recall last month Marky Billson wrote an article for the Pantherlair on the two brothers of Mike Hull. They are currently playing for Liberty High School in Virginia. They both mentioned that Mike was at Pitt but he is not currently on the Pitt roster. You may also recall he was involved in a very serious car accident the summer before his senior year in high school, which involved fatalities in the other car. Mike was also in very critical condition at that time. He did recover enough to enroll at Pitt but one of our “birdies” at Pitt tell us he was never able to fully recover from the accident. He is a student at Pitt and is on a “permanent medical” scholarship but the scholarship does not count against the 85-scholarship limitation. Liberty was 11-1 last year with the two Hull brothers. When Mike was a junior they went 12-1. We thought this was a good human-interest story at the time but we do not expect Pitt to recruit these two players.
Cold Pizza and Mike Gottfried
Last week we were spinning around the dial and stumbled on to the Mississippi State spring game. Former Pitt head coach Mike Gottfried was doing the color and was talking about the upset that Sylvester Croome’s team pulled last year when the Bulldogs beat Florida. Mike made the point that sometimes it is not a good idea for new coaches to win too fast. It raises the expectation levels of alumni to unrealistic levels. Quite frankly that could happen to Dave Wannstedt.
Pitt has 9 starters returning on offense from a team that won eight (8) games last year and went to a BCS bowl. In addition they have 7 starters back on defense plus both kickers. In addition their quarterback Tyler Palko is been put on the Heisman Trophy watch list. It is very possible that Tyler could take them back to another New Year’s Day Bowl although Louisville will be favored to win the Big East.
Pitt was a very young team last year and it showed early in the season. They improved dramatically as the season went on. This week, Dave Wannstedt appeared on ESPN’s 2 Cold Pizza. To be honest I seldom watched the show but I was anxious to see Coach Wannstedt so I tuned in. He made a point that only five seniors may start this year. My guess is that was an approximate number but I think he was trying to make the point that this will still be a relatively young team that will not lose many key players to graduation after this coming season.
On offense left tackle Charles Spencer is a load and will not easily be replaced. In addition seniors Eric Gill, Tim Murphy and Raymond Kirkley should all play this year but appear to be replaceable with players in the system. On defense seniors Josh Lay and Thomas Smith will both be missed once graduation day comes and goes. Seniors Tez Morris, Phil Tillman should also play a lot but again appear to be replaceable with the current system. We think coach Wannstedt was trying to make the point that the 2005 team will not necessarily be a team dominated by seniors. For better or worse it should/could be on a two-year run with Palko at the controls. All of this makes the recruiting Class of 2006 and 2007 very important if Pitt is two maintain the program after Palko & Co. graduate. To paraphrase Mike Gottfried, “Sometimes it isn’t a good idea for a coach to win to many too soon“.
One former assistant college coach was at the UPMC complex this spring. He had an opportunity to watch a number of college teams go through their spring drills. He remarked to a colleague that none of the others teams he watched had a Tyler Palko. He is the difference maker.
It appears David Abdul has bounced back from his automobile accident and is matching Josh Cummings kick for kick this spring. It appears the placekicking job could be up for grabs when the Panthers report to fall camp. This is a pleasant surprise. Josh Cummings remains the favorite but could have more competition than we first thought.
A year ago Defensive Coordinator Paul Rhoads told one of my colleagues that he thought in the long run Chris McKillop would be a defensive end at Pitt. Last year he was a backup linebacker and then moved to fullback. Chris McKillop has made a strong bid for a starting job this spring. It looks like Coach Rhoads knew what he was talking about.
A little recruiting talk
If there are two local recruits that are “must gets” this year it would have to be defensive lineman Jason Pinkston and wide receiver Dorin Dickerson. Both players have the potential to be difference makers and both players have some tie to Pitt that insures Coach Wannstedt and his staff get a fair hearing.
When you are dealing with teenagers nothing is a sure thing but other Western PA players that Pitt has a chance to land might include linebacker Greg Webster from Woodland Hills, linebacker Nate Nix from Thomas Jefferson, defensive end Justin Hargrove of Baldwin, Elijah Fields of Duquesne and Nate Bynham of Franklin. I may have lost count but I think Bynham has now been at four spring practices. He either has interest in Pitt or he is casing the joint. (only kidding Nate).
Pitt continues to recruit and talk to running back LeSean McCoy and they seem to be getting a friendly reception. You have to be realistic, however, McCoy has 40 offers. This one might not be decided until next January. A more realistic get might be Kevin Collier. There are reports that Pitt’s running back coach David Walker is very high on this guy. Walker came to Pitt from Syracuse so his knowledge of an upstate New York running back is not surprising. Pitt brought in freshman running back Rashad Jennings in January and have four more running back schedule to join him in September. Despite the fact that there could be five freshmen running backs it is clear they will take another if they feel he is a good one and apparently Collier falls into this category.
We spoke to Gateway Coach Terry Collins and his offensive lineman Chris Hanna received offers from Illinois and Akron this week. He feels Pitt may be only a few weeks away from offering. He is a big Pitt fan and would probably accept if offered. We do not have a transcript of Hanna’s grades but wee think he may have some serious work to do this year if he is to be eligible next year. In our database we show four offers for Hanna but some of these may have been based on his videotape. They may not have seen his transcript. Let’s all hope they he does a good job in the classroom over the next year. There still is time to make up ground.
Today starts the beginning of an “Evaluation Period” for college football coaches. They will fan out across the country to the next four weeks visiting high school coaches. They will also watch recruits at some of the camps. It is our understanding that Coach Wannstedt will spend the next two weeks in Western Pennsylvania high schools before spending a week in Eastern PA and a week in South Florida. The other Pitt assistants will also fan out to their assigned high schools.
The War Room is targeted towards our premium customers. We ask that all information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. When this information is repeated outside of the Between Fifth and Forbes forum it only cheapens the price of yours and every other die hard who have purchased premium services. The War Room is one of our more popular features...thank you all for keeping the information on this board.
Note to Pantherlair.com Fans: The staff at Pantherlair.com works diligently to bring you the best information on University of Pittsburgh football and basketball recruiting (in addition to game coverage). Thousands of Panther fans visit our site on a daily basis. We have received a tremendous amount of e-mail thanking us for our efforts. If you like our site, please feel free to tell other fans about it. “Spread the word” and let’s add to our online family of Panther fans.
What ever happened to Mike Hull?
You may recall last month Marky Billson wrote an article for the Pantherlair on the two brothers of Mike Hull. They are currently playing for Liberty High School in Virginia. They both mentioned that Mike was at Pitt but he is not currently on the Pitt roster. You may also recall he was involved in a very serious car accident the summer before his senior year in high school, which involved fatalities in the other car. Mike was also in very critical condition at that time. He did recover enough to enroll at Pitt but one of our “birdies” at Pitt tell us he was never able to fully recover from the accident. He is a student at Pitt and is on a “permanent medical” scholarship but the scholarship does not count against the 85-scholarship limitation. Liberty was 11-1 last year with the two Hull brothers. When Mike was a junior they went 12-1. We thought this was a good human-interest story at the time but we do not expect Pitt to recruit these two players.
Cold Pizza and Mike Gottfried
Last week we were spinning around the dial and stumbled on to the Mississippi State spring game. Former Pitt head coach Mike Gottfried was doing the color and was talking about the upset that Sylvester Croome’s team pulled last year when the Bulldogs beat Florida. Mike made the point that sometimes it is not a good idea for new coaches to win too fast. It raises the expectation levels of alumni to unrealistic levels. Quite frankly that could happen to Dave Wannstedt.
Pitt has 9 starters returning on offense from a team that won eight (8) games last year and went to a BCS bowl. In addition they have 7 starters back on defense plus both kickers. In addition their quarterback Tyler Palko is been put on the Heisman Trophy watch list. It is very possible that Tyler could take them back to another New Year’s Day Bowl although Louisville will be favored to win the Big East.
Pitt was a very young team last year and it showed early in the season. They improved dramatically as the season went on. This week, Dave Wannstedt appeared on ESPN’s 2 Cold Pizza. To be honest I seldom watched the show but I was anxious to see Coach Wannstedt so I tuned in. He made a point that only five seniors may start this year. My guess is that was an approximate number but I think he was trying to make the point that this will still be a relatively young team that will not lose many key players to graduation after this coming season.
On offense left tackle Charles Spencer is a load and will not easily be replaced. In addition seniors Eric Gill, Tim Murphy and Raymond Kirkley should all play this year but appear to be replaceable with players in the system. On defense seniors Josh Lay and Thomas Smith will both be missed once graduation day comes and goes. Seniors Tez Morris, Phil Tillman should also play a lot but again appear to be replaceable with the current system. We think coach Wannstedt was trying to make the point that the 2005 team will not necessarily be a team dominated by seniors. For better or worse it should/could be on a two-year run with Palko at the controls. All of this makes the recruiting Class of 2006 and 2007 very important if Pitt is two maintain the program after Palko & Co. graduate. To paraphrase Mike Gottfried, “Sometimes it isn’t a good idea for a coach to win to many too soon“.
One former assistant college coach was at the UPMC complex this spring. He had an opportunity to watch a number of college teams go through their spring drills. He remarked to a colleague that none of the others teams he watched had a Tyler Palko. He is the difference maker.
It appears David Abdul has bounced back from his automobile accident and is matching Josh Cummings kick for kick this spring. It appears the placekicking job could be up for grabs when the Panthers report to fall camp. This is a pleasant surprise. Josh Cummings remains the favorite but could have more competition than we first thought.
A year ago Defensive Coordinator Paul Rhoads told one of my colleagues that he thought in the long run Chris McKillop would be a defensive end at Pitt. Last year he was a backup linebacker and then moved to fullback. Chris McKillop has made a strong bid for a starting job this spring. It looks like Coach Rhoads knew what he was talking about.
A little recruiting talk
If there are two local recruits that are “must gets” this year it would have to be defensive lineman Jason Pinkston and wide receiver Dorin Dickerson. Both players have the potential to be difference makers and both players have some tie to Pitt that insures Coach Wannstedt and his staff get a fair hearing.
When you are dealing with teenagers nothing is a sure thing but other Western PA players that Pitt has a chance to land might include linebacker Greg Webster from Woodland Hills, linebacker Nate Nix from Thomas Jefferson, defensive end Justin Hargrove of Baldwin, Elijah Fields of Duquesne and Nate Bynham of Franklin. I may have lost count but I think Bynham has now been at four spring practices. He either has interest in Pitt or he is casing the joint. (only kidding Nate).
Pitt continues to recruit and talk to running back LeSean McCoy and they seem to be getting a friendly reception. You have to be realistic, however, McCoy has 40 offers. This one might not be decided until next January. A more realistic get might be Kevin Collier. There are reports that Pitt’s running back coach David Walker is very high on this guy. Walker came to Pitt from Syracuse so his knowledge of an upstate New York running back is not surprising. Pitt brought in freshman running back Rashad Jennings in January and have four more running back schedule to join him in September. Despite the fact that there could be five freshmen running backs it is clear they will take another if they feel he is a good one and apparently Collier falls into this category.
We spoke to Gateway Coach Terry Collins and his offensive lineman Chris Hanna received offers from Illinois and Akron this week. He feels Pitt may be only a few weeks away from offering. He is a big Pitt fan and would probably accept if offered. We do not have a transcript of Hanna’s grades but wee think he may have some serious work to do this year if he is to be eligible next year. In our database we show four offers for Hanna but some of these may have been based on his videotape. They may not have seen his transcript. Let’s all hope they he does a good job in the classroom over the next year. There still is time to make up ground.
Today starts the beginning of an “Evaluation Period” for college football coaches. They will fan out across the country to the next four weeks visiting high school coaches. They will also watch recruits at some of the camps. It is our understanding that Coach Wannstedt will spend the next two weeks in Western Pennsylvania high schools before spending a week in Eastern PA and a week in South Florida. The other Pitt assistants will also fan out to their assigned high schools.
The War Room is targeted towards our premium customers. We ask that all information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. When this information is repeated outside of the Between Fifth and Forbes forum it only cheapens the price of yours and every other die hard who have purchased premium services. The War Room is one of our more popular features...thank you all for keeping the information on this board.
Note to Pantherlair.com Fans: The staff at Pantherlair.com works diligently to bring you the best information on University of Pittsburgh football and basketball recruiting (in addition to game coverage). Thousands of Panther fans visit our site on a daily basis. We have received a tremendous amount of e-mail thanking us for our efforts. If you like our site, please feel free to tell other fans about it. “Spread the word” and let’s add to our online family of Panther fans.
