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From the Desk of Jim Snyder
Pitt holds their annual Blue and Gold Game
The University of Pittsburgh will hold their annual Blue and Gold Game tomorrow (April 10th) at Heinz Field. The scrimmage is set to start at 1:00 PM. Pitt will charge $5 for general admission but students and staff will be admitted free by showing their ID. Parking will be free in Gold Lot 1 beginning at 11:00 AM.
The format for tomorrow will have the Blue team playing defense and the White team on offense. Each drive will start from the 35-yardline. Extra points and field goals will be live but there will be no kickoffs. I expect all punts to be fair caught.
The first half will use a live game clock but the coaches reserve the right to go to a running clock.
A few visitors to Pitt’s Blue Chip Day
Here is a list of a few of the prospects to visit Pitt the past weekend. These rising seniors got to watch the Panthers scrimmage. Ernest Williams of Monessen told us, “I just wanted to see how hard they hit and they hit hard.” They also got a very brief tour of the Pitt campus and got to talk to some of the academic advisors. Juniors must pay their own way for these unofficial visits so a general rule few prospects will come from any great distance. They generally must be within a three-hour drive. The Pantherlair has interviewed several of these prospects in the past two weeks and will follow up with the others.
John Bachman OL – Moon HS
Mike Barlak LB - Gateway HS
Elliot Bates OL – Chartiers-Houston HS
James Cole –OL - Penn Hills
Ed Collington –RB – Penn Hills
Joe Copeland- DB- Akron North HS
Brad Dawson – DB/WR – Thomas Jefferson HS
Mark Faldowski – TE - Trinity HS
Dion German –Ath – Pgh. Central Catholic HS
Tom Hammel –QB – Churchville, NY
Nate Hartung – OL- Butler HS
David Harvey – WR – Penn Hills HS
Keith Huebner – OL – Baldwin HS
Eugene Jarvis – RB – Pgh. Central Catholic
Brad Jones –CB- Canton McKinley HS
Rico McCoy – LB-St Johns HS, Washington, DC
Donnell McKenzie –LB Aliquippa HS
Shane Murray-QB-Pgh. Central Catholic HS
Quinton Martin-DB-Monessen HS
Mitch Marcillo –FB- Moon HS
Richard Raglin – DB – Westinghouse HS
Brandon Richardson – New Brighton HS
JR Robinson –OL –Penn Hills HS
Mikell Simpson-RB-Harrisburg HS
Bill Stull -QB-Seton LaSalle
Scott Uziel –TE- Franklin Regional HS
David White-Chardon, Ohio
Ernest Williams LB Monessen HS
Charles Young-TE-Gonzaga HS, Washington, DC
It appears that Brandon Richardson, Ernest Williams, Elliot Bates and David Harvey all walked away from last weekend with scholarship offers. It is still early in the recruiting season and I am sure there will be more of this list that get offers once the coaches go through their evaluation period. Keep in mind Pitt had almost 70 prospects in for the Villanova basketball game so there are many more that the staff is still in the process of evaluating.
Nobody ask me but here goes anyhow
Pitt has a limited number of scholarships but it would not surprise me to see them take two running backs this year. Jawan Walker, Raymond Kirkley and Marcus Freeman are all in their 3rd year of eligibility and could all go out the door together in two years. The Panthers have already offered LaRod Stephens of Johnstown, Shane Books of Duquesne and Irvan Brown of Central Square, NY. It appears that Pitt is in the hunt for all three of them.
This might be Pitt’s best shot at piecing together an offensive line this fall. It might look like this. Senior Rob Petitti at left tackle, senior Matt Maiers at left guard, redshrirt freshman Chris Vangas at center and redshirt sophomore John Simonitis at right guard.
This leaves us right tackle. This figures to be a battle between redshirt freshman Mike McGlynn and Dale Williams. It could be the one that works the hardest between now and summer camp will get the edge. This one is a tough one because neither player has played much the past two years.
Where is Mike 412 ?
Mike412 has gone into self-imposed exile. We have several thousand registered posters and I have to admit this one is a first for me. Unfortunately Mike412 recently had a very bad habit of getting the story wrong. He was very emphatic in his many posts to give readers the illusion of having the facts and he often came close and then missed with the facts. He was, however, often provocative and sort of interesting in his own kind way and I kind of enjoyed his many raves. Hopefully he will find his way back one of these days.
He did want me to pass on a few messages. Pitt has a verbal commitment from one offensive lineman and has offered scholarships to six others. Mike412 says none of them could possibly be any good because Tom Freeman is still on the staff. He also reports that Jeff Long would have secured a new soccer and track facility by now but has been too preoccupied keeping an eye on Tom Freeman. In addition President George Bush inadvertently invaded Iraq because Tom Freeman told him there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. And finally Tom Ridge would find Osama bin Laden if he would only look in Tom Freeman’s office. To be honest several of his other e-mails were barely readable and did not did not make much sense. Except the one about him stealing the Rival service without paying. That one did catch the attention of the Rivals programmers who will now waste precious hours trying to find a better mousetrap.
Hopefully he will find his way back after a cooling off period.
Let’s go to the video!
Rivals now has over 400 tapes in house and is in the process of editing them. We currently have 14 tapes in the football database on players that have expressed some interest in Pitt. We have also delivered a few others to Rivals for editing and they should be up shortly. One of our goals is to help make you the recruiting expert. By giving you articles and video you can start passing out stars of your own.
About half dozen years ago I was attending a convention and the speaker was the Chief Economist for Union Bank (which I believe is now Wachovia Bank). He urged an audience of close to 1,000 listeners to get a high speed Internet connection.
The speaker said it is like an outhouse versus indoor plumbing. Once you have high-speed Internet service you will not be tempted to go back to the old system. Part of the future of the Internet is video and pictures. Both are a better experience if you have a high-speed connection.
Post responsibly
It is not our job to recruit. Nor is it the job of our readers to recruit. The Pitt staff gets paid to do that.
Many young people today are Internet savvy. It is not unusual for them to sign up for one of the Rivals sites. It has happened the last three years and it has already happened again this year. All of us should engage our brain before posting. I have deleted my own posts on occasion when I thought the readers might miss the point that I was trying to make. Sometimes we all make attempts at humor. I have often get some of my best laughs from a clever poster.
Most of our readers take Pitt sports seriously. They get frustrated over losses and often want to blow off steam. Be careful, however, that you do not become a one trick pony with an agenda. This often results in Pitt, a staff member or a player being harmed.
Close to 95% of our subscribers seldom post. They come to the site to read and get information on Pitt. The 5% that do post have some sort of responsibility to post in a responsible manner.
From the Desk of Harry Psaros
Panthers pursue Northgate HS big men
The University of Pittsburgh is actively looking for large, athletic offensive linemen. It appears there may be a “two for one” deal at Northgate High School. Ryan Bane (6 foot 7 inches, 310 pounds) and Mike Maruscak (6 foot 5 inches, 295 pounds) combine to form one of the top tackle duos in the east. The Panthers covet both prospects and wouldn’t mind having them matriculate in Oakland for the next four to five years.
To gain a better perspective on Bane and Maruscak, the Pantherlair.com spoke with Northgate Head Football Coach Rich Hurley.
“Mike is a big time prospect. Everyone is looking at him. He’s big, has quick feet, great wingspan and a motor that doesn’t quit. Mike is also an exceptional pass blocker,” stated Coach Hurley.
Maruscak is capable of bench pressing 300 pounds, squatting 400 pounds and running a forty-yard dash in 4.9 seconds. He helped Northgate High School achieve a 9-2 record and a berth in the WPIAL AA playoffs as a junior. Mike was named first team All-Century Conference selection as a junior on offense.
“Right now it looks like Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Penn State and Notre Dame is his top schools. I think the Panthers have done a great job pursuing him. He’s doubly attractive to recruiters because of his 3.5 grade point average. I think he will have many offers by the end of summer. He’s going to attend Pitt summer camp and the Metro Index Camp.”
The other half of the Northgate High School duo is towering tackle prospect Ryan Bane. “Ryan is a massive kid but he still is the starting center for the basketball team here. He is just a phenomenal athlete despite his size,” stated Coach Hurley.
“Ryan has been a two was starter for us. He’s only getting bigger, stronger and improving his technique. I have seen a huge improvement with his feet. The kid is going to be a handful on the next level.”
Despite Banes’ ample talent, it appears academics may be his main issue. “Unfortunately, Ryan has a long way to go before he even comes close to qualifying. If his grades were in order, he would have a truckload of offers right now.”
Banes recently attended practice at the University of Pittsburgh South Side facilities. “Ryan really liked what he saw and loved meeting Coach (Bob) Junko, Coach (Tom) Freeman and Coach (Walt) Harris. Meeting them went a long way with him. We’ll see what happens in the future.”
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.
From the Desk of Jim Snyder
Pitt holds their annual Blue and Gold Game
The University of Pittsburgh will hold their annual Blue and Gold Game tomorrow (April 10th) at Heinz Field. The scrimmage is set to start at 1:00 PM. Pitt will charge $5 for general admission but students and staff will be admitted free by showing their ID. Parking will be free in Gold Lot 1 beginning at 11:00 AM.
The format for tomorrow will have the Blue team playing defense and the White team on offense. Each drive will start from the 35-yardline. Extra points and field goals will be live but there will be no kickoffs. I expect all punts to be fair caught.
The first half will use a live game clock but the coaches reserve the right to go to a running clock.
A few visitors to Pitt’s Blue Chip Day
Here is a list of a few of the prospects to visit Pitt the past weekend. These rising seniors got to watch the Panthers scrimmage. Ernest Williams of Monessen told us, “I just wanted to see how hard they hit and they hit hard.” They also got a very brief tour of the Pitt campus and got to talk to some of the academic advisors. Juniors must pay their own way for these unofficial visits so a general rule few prospects will come from any great distance. They generally must be within a three-hour drive. The Pantherlair has interviewed several of these prospects in the past two weeks and will follow up with the others.
John Bachman OL – Moon HS
Mike Barlak LB - Gateway HS
Elliot Bates OL – Chartiers-Houston HS
James Cole –OL - Penn Hills
Ed Collington –RB – Penn Hills
Joe Copeland- DB- Akron North HS
Brad Dawson – DB/WR – Thomas Jefferson HS
Mark Faldowski – TE - Trinity HS
Dion German –Ath – Pgh. Central Catholic HS
Tom Hammel –QB – Churchville, NY
Nate Hartung – OL- Butler HS
David Harvey – WR – Penn Hills HS
Keith Huebner – OL – Baldwin HS
Eugene Jarvis – RB – Pgh. Central Catholic
Brad Jones –CB- Canton McKinley HS
Rico McCoy – LB-St Johns HS, Washington, DC
Donnell McKenzie –LB Aliquippa HS
Shane Murray-QB-Pgh. Central Catholic HS
Quinton Martin-DB-Monessen HS
Mitch Marcillo –FB- Moon HS
Richard Raglin – DB – Westinghouse HS
Brandon Richardson – New Brighton HS
JR Robinson –OL –Penn Hills HS
Mikell Simpson-RB-Harrisburg HS
Bill Stull -QB-Seton LaSalle
Scott Uziel –TE- Franklin Regional HS
David White-Chardon, Ohio
Ernest Williams LB Monessen HS
Charles Young-TE-Gonzaga HS, Washington, DC
It appears that Brandon Richardson, Ernest Williams, Elliot Bates and David Harvey all walked away from last weekend with scholarship offers. It is still early in the recruiting season and I am sure there will be more of this list that get offers once the coaches go through their evaluation period. Keep in mind Pitt had almost 70 prospects in for the Villanova basketball game so there are many more that the staff is still in the process of evaluating.
Nobody ask me but here goes anyhow
Pitt has a limited number of scholarships but it would not surprise me to see them take two running backs this year. Jawan Walker, Raymond Kirkley and Marcus Freeman are all in their 3rd year of eligibility and could all go out the door together in two years. The Panthers have already offered LaRod Stephens of Johnstown, Shane Books of Duquesne and Irvan Brown of Central Square, NY. It appears that Pitt is in the hunt for all three of them.
This might be Pitt’s best shot at piecing together an offensive line this fall. It might look like this. Senior Rob Petitti at left tackle, senior Matt Maiers at left guard, redshrirt freshman Chris Vangas at center and redshirt sophomore John Simonitis at right guard.
This leaves us right tackle. This figures to be a battle between redshirt freshman Mike McGlynn and Dale Williams. It could be the one that works the hardest between now and summer camp will get the edge. This one is a tough one because neither player has played much the past two years.
Where is Mike 412 ?
Mike412 has gone into self-imposed exile. We have several thousand registered posters and I have to admit this one is a first for me. Unfortunately Mike412 recently had a very bad habit of getting the story wrong. He was very emphatic in his many posts to give readers the illusion of having the facts and he often came close and then missed with the facts. He was, however, often provocative and sort of interesting in his own kind way and I kind of enjoyed his many raves. Hopefully he will find his way back one of these days.
He did want me to pass on a few messages. Pitt has a verbal commitment from one offensive lineman and has offered scholarships to six others. Mike412 says none of them could possibly be any good because Tom Freeman is still on the staff. He also reports that Jeff Long would have secured a new soccer and track facility by now but has been too preoccupied keeping an eye on Tom Freeman. In addition President George Bush inadvertently invaded Iraq because Tom Freeman told him there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. And finally Tom Ridge would find Osama bin Laden if he would only look in Tom Freeman’s office. To be honest several of his other e-mails were barely readable and did not did not make much sense. Except the one about him stealing the Rival service without paying. That one did catch the attention of the Rivals programmers who will now waste precious hours trying to find a better mousetrap.
Hopefully he will find his way back after a cooling off period.
Let’s go to the video!
Rivals now has over 400 tapes in house and is in the process of editing them. We currently have 14 tapes in the football database on players that have expressed some interest in Pitt. We have also delivered a few others to Rivals for editing and they should be up shortly. One of our goals is to help make you the recruiting expert. By giving you articles and video you can start passing out stars of your own.
About half dozen years ago I was attending a convention and the speaker was the Chief Economist for Union Bank (which I believe is now Wachovia Bank). He urged an audience of close to 1,000 listeners to get a high speed Internet connection.
The speaker said it is like an outhouse versus indoor plumbing. Once you have high-speed Internet service you will not be tempted to go back to the old system. Part of the future of the Internet is video and pictures. Both are a better experience if you have a high-speed connection.
Post responsibly
It is not our job to recruit. Nor is it the job of our readers to recruit. The Pitt staff gets paid to do that.
Many young people today are Internet savvy. It is not unusual for them to sign up for one of the Rivals sites. It has happened the last three years and it has already happened again this year. All of us should engage our brain before posting. I have deleted my own posts on occasion when I thought the readers might miss the point that I was trying to make. Sometimes we all make attempts at humor. I have often get some of my best laughs from a clever poster.
Most of our readers take Pitt sports seriously. They get frustrated over losses and often want to blow off steam. Be careful, however, that you do not become a one trick pony with an agenda. This often results in Pitt, a staff member or a player being harmed.
Close to 95% of our subscribers seldom post. They come to the site to read and get information on Pitt. The 5% that do post have some sort of responsibility to post in a responsible manner.
From the Desk of Harry Psaros
Panthers pursue Northgate HS big men
The University of Pittsburgh is actively looking for large, athletic offensive linemen. It appears there may be a “two for one” deal at Northgate High School. Ryan Bane (6 foot 7 inches, 310 pounds) and Mike Maruscak (6 foot 5 inches, 295 pounds) combine to form one of the top tackle duos in the east. The Panthers covet both prospects and wouldn’t mind having them matriculate in Oakland for the next four to five years.
To gain a better perspective on Bane and Maruscak, the Pantherlair.com spoke with Northgate Head Football Coach Rich Hurley.
“Mike is a big time prospect. Everyone is looking at him. He’s big, has quick feet, great wingspan and a motor that doesn’t quit. Mike is also an exceptional pass blocker,” stated Coach Hurley.
Maruscak is capable of bench pressing 300 pounds, squatting 400 pounds and running a forty-yard dash in 4.9 seconds. He helped Northgate High School achieve a 9-2 record and a berth in the WPIAL AA playoffs as a junior. Mike was named first team All-Century Conference selection as a junior on offense.
“Right now it looks like Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Penn State and Notre Dame is his top schools. I think the Panthers have done a great job pursuing him. He’s doubly attractive to recruiters because of his 3.5 grade point average. I think he will have many offers by the end of summer. He’s going to attend Pitt summer camp and the Metro Index Camp.”
The other half of the Northgate High School duo is towering tackle prospect Ryan Bane. “Ryan is a massive kid but he still is the starting center for the basketball team here. He is just a phenomenal athlete despite his size,” stated Coach Hurley.
“Ryan has been a two was starter for us. He’s only getting bigger, stronger and improving his technique. I have seen a huge improvement with his feet. The kid is going to be a handful on the next level.”
Despite Banes’ ample talent, it appears academics may be his main issue. “Unfortunately, Ryan has a long way to go before he even comes close to qualifying. If his grades were in order, he would have a truckload of offers right now.”
Banes recently attended practice at the University of Pittsburgh South Side facilities. “Ryan really liked what he saw and loved meeting Coach (Bob) Junko, Coach (Tom) Freeman and Coach (Walt) Harris. Meeting them went a long way with him. We’ll see what happens in the future.”
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.
