From the desk of Jim Snyder
Construction in progress
Earlier this week Rivals.com revamped the Pantherlair Home Page. In some ways it is still a page that is in the midst of being rebuilt. Other features will be added to the Home Page as time goes on. This project will last several months. The network is being rebuilt page by page. Eventually most pages will have a similar feel making negation of the network easier for all of us. Later in project they will add features that will benefit the high-end computer user.
We thought we would give some navigational hints in part because there have been a lot of changes but also because we have a significant number of new subscribers now that fall camp has started.
On the Home Page we have introduced the “Wire”. We will have news tidbits on the Wire so check it from time to time. This concept will be expanded as time goes on. It may take many months to get this feature to its full potential. You can find the “Wire” near “Latest Headlines” on the Home Page.
Some of the “Quick Links” still need to be updated but we have added a new one you might find interesting. Under Quick Links on the Home Page you will find television listings. This one should give you a list of all the college games around the nation that will be televised that week. See TV Listings under Quick Links.
One of the new links being put on all the redesigned pages is the Big East Channel. This will give you headlines from other Big East schools. Over time this can be a helpful tool. You can find it near the top of the Home Page and any other page that has been redesigned.
Some of the navigational features are now more horizontal. Quite frankly I think it is starting to have the look and feel of the ESPN.com site and I guess that is not all bad.
There are still many things they are trying to fix and upgrade while at the same time keeping the system up and going. Some of the football schedules have Central Standard Times right now. Be careful when reading them we would not want you to miss a valuable hour of tailgating time.
Server problems
Over the past week or two Rivals.com has experienced server problems. These are unrelated to the software changes. It appears a very heavy increase in volume with the start of fall camps exposed some sort of technical flaw. They are working hard to get it corrected.
Some Hoops tidbits
Tony Greco reports Moon’s Brian Walsh met with Pitt head basketball coach Jamie Dixon yesterday and that Pitt has made him an offer. We will have an article later today.
Who is running this offense?
By now I am sure you have read that Coach Wannstedt has added veteran coach Charlie Taafffe to the staff to replace Bob Junko who will be on leave. Coach Taaffe has been both an offensive coordinator and a head coach during his long coaching career. Earlier this year Coach Wannstedt added Brian Angelico to his staff as a graduate assistant. Angelica will coach the tight ends this year but he was the offensive coordinator at Ithaca last year. When Matt Cavanaugh holds meetings with the offensive coaches he will have plenty of company from former offensive coordinators. Let’s hope the net result is a little more offensive scoring punch.
Just how many tight ends do we need anyhow?
Pitt received a verbal commitment from tight end Nick Krupa (6’ 4” 225) in mid-July. They kept pursuing Mount Lebanon tight end Andrew Devlin (6’ 6” 255). As it became came apparent they were not going to get Devlin they offered tight end Jordan Gibbs (6’ 7” 290) from North Penn in the Lancaster area and he quickly committed to Pitt.
Starting tight end Steve Buches will graduate after this season. There are rumors that Darrell Strong may not return and might want to try his luck with the NFL in a manner similar to Greg Lee. Nick Krupa and Nate Byham are both passing catching tight ends. It appears they want Jordan Gibbs to help out with two tight end sets for a couple of years although in the long run he almost assuredly will grow into an offensive tackle.
It now appears the Rivals 250 prospect Rob Gronkowki will transfer into Woodland Hills. He has an offer from Pitt but so far has shown little interest in the Panthers. Recruiting can take some strange turns at times. Who knows after living in Pittsburgh for a few months the teenager might come to like the area. His transfer puts Woodland Hills right in there with Central Catholic and Harrisburg as state title contenders.
Tony Greco will have an article this weekend on tight end Nick Krupa. Krupa was not covered extensively and Tony has talked to his high school coach so we get a chance to know him a little better.
Some visitors to practice this week
So far this week Chris Peak reports seeing the following prospects at fall camp. Keystone Oaks Chris Jacobson, Aliquippa’s Brandon Lindsey, Penn Hills Joe Rash, Thomas Jefferson’s Dom DeCicco, and Rochester’s Derek Moye. This group is from the Class of 2007. Tony Greco will have an article on Derek Moye’s visit later today.
Aliquippa’s Jonathan Baldwin, Gateway’s Shane Hale and Gateway’s Cameron Sadler were also there from the Class of 2008. We will probably see a few more the next day or two but then high school football teams start practicing in Pennsylvania and they will be tied up with their own teams. Shane Hale has a verbal offer from Pitt. Schools can not give written offers to juniors until September 1st but we now show him with an offer in the database.
Who’s up next?
Southern Columbia’s Henry Hynoski told his local newspaper he hoped to decide by Monday when his team went to camp so we could get a decision any day. I use to think Hynoski was a lock to come to Pitt but with Iowa in the mix it could go either way. I think I passed on that one of the reporters that covers Iowa thinks he is coming to Pitt but his guess is probably as good as yours.
Nordonia’s Jordan Mabin indicated he hopes to make a decision before the start of his high school season (August 25th) so we should know within a couple of weeks. Unless something’s changed you have to think Pitt is the favorite in this one.
Findley kicker Brandon Walker should make a decision in the next six weeks. Rivals.com received video of Walker kicking yesterday so we should see video next week. Tony Greco reports Walker is from Ben Roethlisberger’s home town in Ohio.
Pennsylvania starts practicing next week. Florida has been practicing for sometime. Many of the football players Pitt is recruiting will be busy getting ready for the fall season. The Pitt staff will also be working 24/7 trying to get the Panthers ready to play Virginia. As a result recruiting will slow a little.
Schools can not offer official paid visits until the fall semester starts. Eventually the schools will begin jocking to see who gets one of the prospects five official visits.
Pitt linebacker Dan Loyhede
It’s too bad about the knee injury to Gateway linebacker Dan Loyhede. He will have season ending surgery early next week. Dan was the first to commit to Pitt in the Class of 2006. He was a frequent visitor to Pitt practices. Dan figured to redshirt this year. I am wondering if a “grayshirt” isn’t a better idea. Trying to make it around Oakland as a full-time student would be tough. Just wondering if being a part-time student in the fall and then going fulltime in January might not be best.
Recap from this weeks Ticker
Florida running back Bo Williams indicated that Pitt was one of four schools that would get an official visit. Many other schools have offered and they will battle for the fifth slot.
Aliquippa’s Brandon Lindsey told Bill Kurelic Ohio State would get an official visit. He is high on Pitt’s target list. He visited Pitt yesterday.
Valley’s Toney Clemons refuses to get pinned down. His two sisters are scheduled to go to Pitt this fall. His cousin, Steve Breaston, plays for Michigan. You get the impression he would like to see how schools do on the playing field this fall before declaring himself. Pitt would like to get two from the following list (Toney Clemons, Mo Williams and Dereck Moye). Pitt has a number of young receivers in the pipeline. Not sure if getting just one wouldn’t work.
Florida running back Xavier Stinson told Tony Greco of the Pantherlair this week he hopes to visit Pitt this fall but did not have a date.
Last week we indicated that Pitt only had 14 seniors on the roster. This means Pitt will not be able to recruit the full compliment this year. The commitment by Penn Manor's Jordan Gibbs gives Pitt ten (10) commitments. Two scholarships will probably go to kickers next fall and one to Baldwin’s Justin Hargrove. Should Pitt land Hynoski and Mabin there would not be a lot left and they still must address bring in a running back and a linebacker.
They look great in shorts
We have had several photo galleries over the past few weeks. We had 90 photos from summer workout sessions and over 225 from fall camp. If you have watched Pitt’s All Access service this week and the Pantherlair’s photo galleries you should know who looks good in shorts by now. On Saturday the NCAA allows the Pitt football team to go at it with full pads on. The coaching staff will have to quickly decide who continues to gets the reps as the Panthers prepare to play the Virginia Cavaliers. The new clock on the Between Fifth & Forbes message board tells us there is not much time left.
Pitt figures to rotate defensive linemen this year. They will young up front with a lot of first a second year players. One of those the will be in the rotation is Gus Mustakas. Tony Greco has an article today on the Pantherlair Home Page about Gus.
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.
This post was edited on 8/11 11:34 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
Construction in progress
Earlier this week Rivals.com revamped the Pantherlair Home Page. In some ways it is still a page that is in the midst of being rebuilt. Other features will be added to the Home Page as time goes on. This project will last several months. The network is being rebuilt page by page. Eventually most pages will have a similar feel making negation of the network easier for all of us. Later in project they will add features that will benefit the high-end computer user.
We thought we would give some navigational hints in part because there have been a lot of changes but also because we have a significant number of new subscribers now that fall camp has started.
On the Home Page we have introduced the “Wire”. We will have news tidbits on the Wire so check it from time to time. This concept will be expanded as time goes on. It may take many months to get this feature to its full potential. You can find the “Wire” near “Latest Headlines” on the Home Page.
Some of the “Quick Links” still need to be updated but we have added a new one you might find interesting. Under Quick Links on the Home Page you will find television listings. This one should give you a list of all the college games around the nation that will be televised that week. See TV Listings under Quick Links.
One of the new links being put on all the redesigned pages is the Big East Channel. This will give you headlines from other Big East schools. Over time this can be a helpful tool. You can find it near the top of the Home Page and any other page that has been redesigned.
Some of the navigational features are now more horizontal. Quite frankly I think it is starting to have the look and feel of the ESPN.com site and I guess that is not all bad.
There are still many things they are trying to fix and upgrade while at the same time keeping the system up and going. Some of the football schedules have Central Standard Times right now. Be careful when reading them we would not want you to miss a valuable hour of tailgating time.
Server problems
Over the past week or two Rivals.com has experienced server problems. These are unrelated to the software changes. It appears a very heavy increase in volume with the start of fall camps exposed some sort of technical flaw. They are working hard to get it corrected.
Some Hoops tidbits
Tony Greco reports Moon’s Brian Walsh met with Pitt head basketball coach Jamie Dixon yesterday and that Pitt has made him an offer. We will have an article later today.
Who is running this offense?
By now I am sure you have read that Coach Wannstedt has added veteran coach Charlie Taafffe to the staff to replace Bob Junko who will be on leave. Coach Taaffe has been both an offensive coordinator and a head coach during his long coaching career. Earlier this year Coach Wannstedt added Brian Angelico to his staff as a graduate assistant. Angelica will coach the tight ends this year but he was the offensive coordinator at Ithaca last year. When Matt Cavanaugh holds meetings with the offensive coaches he will have plenty of company from former offensive coordinators. Let’s hope the net result is a little more offensive scoring punch.
Just how many tight ends do we need anyhow?
Pitt received a verbal commitment from tight end Nick Krupa (6’ 4” 225) in mid-July. They kept pursuing Mount Lebanon tight end Andrew Devlin (6’ 6” 255). As it became came apparent they were not going to get Devlin they offered tight end Jordan Gibbs (6’ 7” 290) from North Penn in the Lancaster area and he quickly committed to Pitt.
Starting tight end Steve Buches will graduate after this season. There are rumors that Darrell Strong may not return and might want to try his luck with the NFL in a manner similar to Greg Lee. Nick Krupa and Nate Byham are both passing catching tight ends. It appears they want Jordan Gibbs to help out with two tight end sets for a couple of years although in the long run he almost assuredly will grow into an offensive tackle.
It now appears the Rivals 250 prospect Rob Gronkowki will transfer into Woodland Hills. He has an offer from Pitt but so far has shown little interest in the Panthers. Recruiting can take some strange turns at times. Who knows after living in Pittsburgh for a few months the teenager might come to like the area. His transfer puts Woodland Hills right in there with Central Catholic and Harrisburg as state title contenders.
Tony Greco will have an article this weekend on tight end Nick Krupa. Krupa was not covered extensively and Tony has talked to his high school coach so we get a chance to know him a little better.
Some visitors to practice this week
So far this week Chris Peak reports seeing the following prospects at fall camp. Keystone Oaks Chris Jacobson, Aliquippa’s Brandon Lindsey, Penn Hills Joe Rash, Thomas Jefferson’s Dom DeCicco, and Rochester’s Derek Moye. This group is from the Class of 2007. Tony Greco will have an article on Derek Moye’s visit later today.
Aliquippa’s Jonathan Baldwin, Gateway’s Shane Hale and Gateway’s Cameron Sadler were also there from the Class of 2008. We will probably see a few more the next day or two but then high school football teams start practicing in Pennsylvania and they will be tied up with their own teams. Shane Hale has a verbal offer from Pitt. Schools can not give written offers to juniors until September 1st but we now show him with an offer in the database.
Who’s up next?
Southern Columbia’s Henry Hynoski told his local newspaper he hoped to decide by Monday when his team went to camp so we could get a decision any day. I use to think Hynoski was a lock to come to Pitt but with Iowa in the mix it could go either way. I think I passed on that one of the reporters that covers Iowa thinks he is coming to Pitt but his guess is probably as good as yours.
Nordonia’s Jordan Mabin indicated he hopes to make a decision before the start of his high school season (August 25th) so we should know within a couple of weeks. Unless something’s changed you have to think Pitt is the favorite in this one.
Findley kicker Brandon Walker should make a decision in the next six weeks. Rivals.com received video of Walker kicking yesterday so we should see video next week. Tony Greco reports Walker is from Ben Roethlisberger’s home town in Ohio.
Pennsylvania starts practicing next week. Florida has been practicing for sometime. Many of the football players Pitt is recruiting will be busy getting ready for the fall season. The Pitt staff will also be working 24/7 trying to get the Panthers ready to play Virginia. As a result recruiting will slow a little.
Schools can not offer official paid visits until the fall semester starts. Eventually the schools will begin jocking to see who gets one of the prospects five official visits.
Pitt linebacker Dan Loyhede
It’s too bad about the knee injury to Gateway linebacker Dan Loyhede. He will have season ending surgery early next week. Dan was the first to commit to Pitt in the Class of 2006. He was a frequent visitor to Pitt practices. Dan figured to redshirt this year. I am wondering if a “grayshirt” isn’t a better idea. Trying to make it around Oakland as a full-time student would be tough. Just wondering if being a part-time student in the fall and then going fulltime in January might not be best.
Recap from this weeks Ticker
Florida running back Bo Williams indicated that Pitt was one of four schools that would get an official visit. Many other schools have offered and they will battle for the fifth slot.
Aliquippa’s Brandon Lindsey told Bill Kurelic Ohio State would get an official visit. He is high on Pitt’s target list. He visited Pitt yesterday.
Valley’s Toney Clemons refuses to get pinned down. His two sisters are scheduled to go to Pitt this fall. His cousin, Steve Breaston, plays for Michigan. You get the impression he would like to see how schools do on the playing field this fall before declaring himself. Pitt would like to get two from the following list (Toney Clemons, Mo Williams and Dereck Moye). Pitt has a number of young receivers in the pipeline. Not sure if getting just one wouldn’t work.
Florida running back Xavier Stinson told Tony Greco of the Pantherlair this week he hopes to visit Pitt this fall but did not have a date.
Last week we indicated that Pitt only had 14 seniors on the roster. This means Pitt will not be able to recruit the full compliment this year. The commitment by Penn Manor's Jordan Gibbs gives Pitt ten (10) commitments. Two scholarships will probably go to kickers next fall and one to Baldwin’s Justin Hargrove. Should Pitt land Hynoski and Mabin there would not be a lot left and they still must address bring in a running back and a linebacker.
They look great in shorts
We have had several photo galleries over the past few weeks. We had 90 photos from summer workout sessions and over 225 from fall camp. If you have watched Pitt’s All Access service this week and the Pantherlair’s photo galleries you should know who looks good in shorts by now. On Saturday the NCAA allows the Pitt football team to go at it with full pads on. The coaching staff will have to quickly decide who continues to gets the reps as the Panthers prepare to play the Virginia Cavaliers. The new clock on the Between Fifth & Forbes message board tells us there is not much time left.
Pitt figures to rotate defensive linemen this year. They will young up front with a lot of first a second year players. One of those the will be in the rotation is Gus Mustakas. Tony Greco has an article today on the Pantherlair Home Page about Gus.
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.
This post was edited on 8/11 11:34 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
