From the desk of Jim Snyder
New price for Text Alerts
Hopefully you have had a chance to read the post at the top of the message boards regarding the new price for Text Alerts. The new price of this service is $19.95 for six months. Please see our post at the top of this message board for details.
My Fan Page
The last we heard well over 60,000 users have activated their My Fan Page on the Rivals network. Please make sure that yours reflects that the Pantherlair is your home site.
Milestone passed for registered posters
This past week the Pantherlair.com went past the 8,000 mark for registered posters. It is still nowhere near where we would like it to be. Pass the word and help us build the Panther Nation. Yesterday we also set a record for paid subscribers.
Wireless remote access
Did you know you can follow the Pantherlair on your mobile device? Ultimate Ticketholders can access the Pantherlair on their cell phone. Go to http://wireless.rivals.com on your mobile device.
New video search being released
If you have been looking at videos this week you may have noticed that Rivals has been redesigning the video search engine. Hopefully you will not find it too hard to navigate. Not only are all recruiting videos stored for your use but so are the Pitt football and Pitt highlights. You also now have the ability to make the videos Full Screen although you will lose a little in quality. Click on the Orange Button for full screen.
Mini-tickers have not been working
The small min-tickers that have historically been at the top of the message boards have not been working for a week. The Rivals technical staff has its handful right now. They have been rolling out many new features and they are trying to beef up the hardware configurations for the huge volume that they always get around Letter of Intent Day. Until they get it resolved please keeping check our Home Page or Latest Headlines to make sure you are not missing articles.
A new syndication agreement for Rivals.com
Rivals.com will now be syndicating recruiting information to SI.com which is Sports Illustrated’s website. It appears to be similar to agreements they already have in place with MSNBC.com and Yahoo Sports.
How about a show of hands
I hope you caught Chris Peak’s article on the new assistant football coach Chris Ball. If not please check it our under Headlines. Chris was able to spend some time with him at the Georgetown basketball game. How many were surprised that he and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads played together in the same secondary at Missouri West State?
He piles up the honors
As most of you are aware Averin Collier was selected Rochester Player of the Year. We were informed this week that he was also a first team all-state selection in New York in the large school category. Now that Pitt has commitments from LeSean McCoy, Xavier Stinson, Greg Williams and Shariff Harris will it make recruiting another running back next year harder? Collier can play other positions. I hope his heart is not set on running back. He is a talent.
Big recruiting week for Jamie Dixon & staff
Mike Rice has helped Pitt land point guard Travon Woodall from St Anthony’s in Jersey City. St Anthony’s is ranked No. 4 in the country. Coach Bobby Hurley has been pumping out Division 1 prospects for as long as I can remember. You know you are getting a player from a very good program. They will have played against very good competition. Chris Peak will have an interview with him later today. Hope you read Jay Gomes one-on-one interview on the Ticker.
Mike Rice has also landed four-star guard Nasir Robinson from Chester. He played AAU basketball for Team Final as did Mike Cook and Gilbert Brown. I hope you got to see the AMP video piece on him this week. It looks like the guy can play. Jerry Meyer does a good job on the voice over.
In theory Pitt has one scholarship left to give for the Class of 2008. You would like it to be a big man. By the fall of 2008 forwards Sam Young and [/B]Tyrell Biggs[/B] will be seniors. So will JUCO center Cassin Biggs.
So where does this leave Jeannette’s Terrelle Pryor? You will recall Pryor once committed to Pitt as a sophomore.
I am not sure the stars are lining up for Pitt on this one. Pitt will have three freshmen quarterbacks next year in terms of eligibility. If any of these grabs the starting job landing any quarterback might be tough and unwise. You never stop recruiting so I am sure they will continue to chase him but you have to wonder if the train has left the station.
There had been several strands on the message boards about freshman Gilbert Brown wanting to transfer. Our sources say he was very unhappy about being redshirted. A number of staffers including Brandon Knight had to have a very long talk with him. The fact that he did not transfer out in December is good news. You may recall reading that junior guard Keith Benjamin thought about transferring a couple of times. All basketball players crave playing time. Gilbert Brown got behind because of a bout of mononucleosis and an ankle injury. Pitt has a nationally ranked team and simply could not afford to let him catch up. Hopefully this crisis has passed but you never stop recruiting.
If you have been following the Big East for a long time (as I have) it feels good for Pitt to be 3-0 against Syracuse, Georgetown and UConn. The Panthers have handled the old guard. Next up us for Pitt is Marquette (16-4) who is clearly the best of the newcomers right now. The speed of the Marquette guards worries me. Dominic Jones and Wes Matthews can flat out play. The Pitt guards could have their hands full Sunday at the Pete.
Football recruiting recap
Obviously the big news of the week is the fact that Pitt got a commitment from LeSean McCoy. Hopefully you caught Chris Peak’s article on McCoy. It was very good. McCoy has been heavily covered over the past three years but this might have been one of the best articles on McCoy during that period. It makes Shady a little more human. The Nike Camp at State College after McCoy’s sophomore year featured LeSean McCoy, West Virginia’s Steve Slaton and Rutger’s Ray Rice. Wow! That is a lot of talent at one camp. McCoy ran a 4.25 in the 40 while Slaton ran a 4.34. Chris Peak was teasing a Pitt staffer that they could move to McCoy to defense to chase Slaton down. What was the phrase about getting faster? Everyone got a good laugh but they said no way, no thanks. Ray Rice did not have one of the better times in the 40 at that Nike Camp but did have the best time in the shuttle with a 3.86.
It could be very interesting at fall camp. Pitt not only has LaRod Stephens, Kevin Collier and Conredge Collins returning as running backs but you can now add LeSean McCoy, Xavier Stinson, Shariff Harris, Greg Williams and Henry Hynoski to the mix. I can hardly wait. It should be fun.
We always thought Pitt had a good chance of landing McCoy even though McCoy told others he was leaning to Penn State. Pitt had a plan. They were going to do it the old fashion way with hard work. At one point a staffer told one of our reporters they were a little surprised how hard Penn State was recruiting him. They thought they could just out work everyone else. It may have gotten the competitive juices flowing. In addition to LeSean Pitt recruited the family.
Right now the top three Pitt targets are Sherod Murdock, Derek Moye and Brandon Walker. They are in the hunt for all three. If they get them all they will take 25+2.
It will be interesting to see how Derek Moye plays out. Something tells me there are more than a few on the Southside that would not mind winning another Pitt-Penn State battle. It is our understanding that a decision should come next week.
Sherod Murdock is scheduled to visit Alabama this weekend. He loved his visit to Pitt. It remains to be seen if the Crimson Tide can bring him back into the fold. He will choose between Pitt and Alabama. Right now we think he is a Pitt lean. This one should also come down next week.
We expect Brandon Walker to choose between Pitt and Louisville. Notre Dame has made a late run and is a long shot at best. Walker has been taking exams this week. Once the exams are done he should focus on making a decision so this too should be decided next week.
Valley Forge’s Bryan Williams is scheduled to make his official visit to Pitt this weekend. He is dying to commit to Pitt so if they tell him a firm offer is on the table it will be a done deal. I am a big Bryan Williams fan as a football player so I hope it works out for him. I think he can help Pitt on the field. It might also help them balance out these classes. It often is hard for us to read where the staff’s head is on this one. It seems to change like the weather. We are rooting for Bryan to land on both feet but he still could be position slightly below the three listed above.
We reported on Bishop McCort’s Wayne Jones. Pitt has been talking to him about a grayshirt. However, they had not yet offered the last we heard. Jones has developed late. He was first team all-state player as a senior and has been named to the Big 33 team.
There are a number of other possibilities out there like defensive end Jabaal Sheard from Hollywood, Florida. There are also a few other players out there with academic issues. It is always possible you could sign one knowing they would probably be off to a prep school or junior college. Auburn often signs a bunch and then sends them to Hargrove Military Academy figuring it is easier to get them back if you signed them the first time around.
If Pitt can sign Murdock, Moye and Walker they will go the 25+2 route. If not it is very possible that they could take one less that that.
If you are a Panther fan this has been a very good week. Dave Wannstedt lands running back LeSean McCoy. Coach Dixon lands four-star guard [/B]Nasir Robinson[/B] and St Anthony’s point guard Travon Woodall. The basketball team beats Georgetown and Connecticut in the same week. Let’s see if they can get the new week off to a good start by beating Marquette on Sunday.
NTOP just might be right. Maybe these are the good old days.
Editor’s note: We will have several articles today in addition to the War Room. The first one up is on Max Gruder. It is an interesting read because he is a very articulate teenager (many are not). It is also interesting because it was his very first look at the Pitt campus so he sees things through fresh eyes. Very good article. Check it out and the others today as well.
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.
New price for Text Alerts
Hopefully you have had a chance to read the post at the top of the message boards regarding the new price for Text Alerts. The new price of this service is $19.95 for six months. Please see our post at the top of this message board for details.
My Fan Page
The last we heard well over 60,000 users have activated their My Fan Page on the Rivals network. Please make sure that yours reflects that the Pantherlair is your home site.
Milestone passed for registered posters
This past week the Pantherlair.com went past the 8,000 mark for registered posters. It is still nowhere near where we would like it to be. Pass the word and help us build the Panther Nation. Yesterday we also set a record for paid subscribers.
Wireless remote access
Did you know you can follow the Pantherlair on your mobile device? Ultimate Ticketholders can access the Pantherlair on their cell phone. Go to http://wireless.rivals.com on your mobile device.
New video search being released
If you have been looking at videos this week you may have noticed that Rivals has been redesigning the video search engine. Hopefully you will not find it too hard to navigate. Not only are all recruiting videos stored for your use but so are the Pitt football and Pitt highlights. You also now have the ability to make the videos Full Screen although you will lose a little in quality. Click on the Orange Button for full screen.
Mini-tickers have not been working
The small min-tickers that have historically been at the top of the message boards have not been working for a week. The Rivals technical staff has its handful right now. They have been rolling out many new features and they are trying to beef up the hardware configurations for the huge volume that they always get around Letter of Intent Day. Until they get it resolved please keeping check our Home Page or Latest Headlines to make sure you are not missing articles.
A new syndication agreement for Rivals.com
Rivals.com will now be syndicating recruiting information to SI.com which is Sports Illustrated’s website. It appears to be similar to agreements they already have in place with MSNBC.com and Yahoo Sports.
How about a show of hands
I hope you caught Chris Peak’s article on the new assistant football coach Chris Ball. If not please check it our under Headlines. Chris was able to spend some time with him at the Georgetown basketball game. How many were surprised that he and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads played together in the same secondary at Missouri West State?
He piles up the honors
As most of you are aware Averin Collier was selected Rochester Player of the Year. We were informed this week that he was also a first team all-state selection in New York in the large school category. Now that Pitt has commitments from LeSean McCoy, Xavier Stinson, Greg Williams and Shariff Harris will it make recruiting another running back next year harder? Collier can play other positions. I hope his heart is not set on running back. He is a talent.
Big recruiting week for Jamie Dixon & staff
Mike Rice has helped Pitt land point guard Travon Woodall from St Anthony’s in Jersey City. St Anthony’s is ranked No. 4 in the country. Coach Bobby Hurley has been pumping out Division 1 prospects for as long as I can remember. You know you are getting a player from a very good program. They will have played against very good competition. Chris Peak will have an interview with him later today. Hope you read Jay Gomes one-on-one interview on the Ticker.
Mike Rice has also landed four-star guard Nasir Robinson from Chester. He played AAU basketball for Team Final as did Mike Cook and Gilbert Brown. I hope you got to see the AMP video piece on him this week. It looks like the guy can play. Jerry Meyer does a good job on the voice over.
In theory Pitt has one scholarship left to give for the Class of 2008. You would like it to be a big man. By the fall of 2008 forwards Sam Young and [/B]Tyrell Biggs[/B] will be seniors. So will JUCO center Cassin Biggs.
So where does this leave Jeannette’s Terrelle Pryor? You will recall Pryor once committed to Pitt as a sophomore.
I am not sure the stars are lining up for Pitt on this one. Pitt will have three freshmen quarterbacks next year in terms of eligibility. If any of these grabs the starting job landing any quarterback might be tough and unwise. You never stop recruiting so I am sure they will continue to chase him but you have to wonder if the train has left the station.
There had been several strands on the message boards about freshman Gilbert Brown wanting to transfer. Our sources say he was very unhappy about being redshirted. A number of staffers including Brandon Knight had to have a very long talk with him. The fact that he did not transfer out in December is good news. You may recall reading that junior guard Keith Benjamin thought about transferring a couple of times. All basketball players crave playing time. Gilbert Brown got behind because of a bout of mononucleosis and an ankle injury. Pitt has a nationally ranked team and simply could not afford to let him catch up. Hopefully this crisis has passed but you never stop recruiting.
If you have been following the Big East for a long time (as I have) it feels good for Pitt to be 3-0 against Syracuse, Georgetown and UConn. The Panthers have handled the old guard. Next up us for Pitt is Marquette (16-4) who is clearly the best of the newcomers right now. The speed of the Marquette guards worries me. Dominic Jones and Wes Matthews can flat out play. The Pitt guards could have their hands full Sunday at the Pete.
Football recruiting recap
Obviously the big news of the week is the fact that Pitt got a commitment from LeSean McCoy. Hopefully you caught Chris Peak’s article on McCoy. It was very good. McCoy has been heavily covered over the past three years but this might have been one of the best articles on McCoy during that period. It makes Shady a little more human. The Nike Camp at State College after McCoy’s sophomore year featured LeSean McCoy, West Virginia’s Steve Slaton and Rutger’s Ray Rice. Wow! That is a lot of talent at one camp. McCoy ran a 4.25 in the 40 while Slaton ran a 4.34. Chris Peak was teasing a Pitt staffer that they could move to McCoy to defense to chase Slaton down. What was the phrase about getting faster? Everyone got a good laugh but they said no way, no thanks. Ray Rice did not have one of the better times in the 40 at that Nike Camp but did have the best time in the shuttle with a 3.86.
It could be very interesting at fall camp. Pitt not only has LaRod Stephens, Kevin Collier and Conredge Collins returning as running backs but you can now add LeSean McCoy, Xavier Stinson, Shariff Harris, Greg Williams and Henry Hynoski to the mix. I can hardly wait. It should be fun.
We always thought Pitt had a good chance of landing McCoy even though McCoy told others he was leaning to Penn State. Pitt had a plan. They were going to do it the old fashion way with hard work. At one point a staffer told one of our reporters they were a little surprised how hard Penn State was recruiting him. They thought they could just out work everyone else. It may have gotten the competitive juices flowing. In addition to LeSean Pitt recruited the family.
Right now the top three Pitt targets are Sherod Murdock, Derek Moye and Brandon Walker. They are in the hunt for all three. If they get them all they will take 25+2.
It will be interesting to see how Derek Moye plays out. Something tells me there are more than a few on the Southside that would not mind winning another Pitt-Penn State battle. It is our understanding that a decision should come next week.
Sherod Murdock is scheduled to visit Alabama this weekend. He loved his visit to Pitt. It remains to be seen if the Crimson Tide can bring him back into the fold. He will choose between Pitt and Alabama. Right now we think he is a Pitt lean. This one should also come down next week.
We expect Brandon Walker to choose between Pitt and Louisville. Notre Dame has made a late run and is a long shot at best. Walker has been taking exams this week. Once the exams are done he should focus on making a decision so this too should be decided next week.
Valley Forge’s Bryan Williams is scheduled to make his official visit to Pitt this weekend. He is dying to commit to Pitt so if they tell him a firm offer is on the table it will be a done deal. I am a big Bryan Williams fan as a football player so I hope it works out for him. I think he can help Pitt on the field. It might also help them balance out these classes. It often is hard for us to read where the staff’s head is on this one. It seems to change like the weather. We are rooting for Bryan to land on both feet but he still could be position slightly below the three listed above.
We reported on Bishop McCort’s Wayne Jones. Pitt has been talking to him about a grayshirt. However, they had not yet offered the last we heard. Jones has developed late. He was first team all-state player as a senior and has been named to the Big 33 team.
There are a number of other possibilities out there like defensive end Jabaal Sheard from Hollywood, Florida. There are also a few other players out there with academic issues. It is always possible you could sign one knowing they would probably be off to a prep school or junior college. Auburn often signs a bunch and then sends them to Hargrove Military Academy figuring it is easier to get them back if you signed them the first time around.
If Pitt can sign Murdock, Moye and Walker they will go the 25+2 route. If not it is very possible that they could take one less that that.
If you are a Panther fan this has been a very good week. Dave Wannstedt lands running back LeSean McCoy. Coach Dixon lands four-star guard [/B]Nasir Robinson[/B] and St Anthony’s point guard Travon Woodall. The basketball team beats Georgetown and Connecticut in the same week. Let’s see if they can get the new week off to a good start by beating Marquette on Sunday.
NTOP just might be right. Maybe these are the good old days.
Editor’s note: We will have several articles today in addition to the War Room. The first one up is on Max Gruder. It is an interesting read because he is a very articulate teenager (many are not). It is also interesting because it was his very first look at the Pitt campus so he sees things through fresh eyes. Very good article. Check it out and the others today as well.
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.
