From the desk of Harry G. Psaros
Pantherlair.com to be featured on KDKA Television
The Pantherlair.com has grown exponentially over the years. KDKA Television in Pittsburgh recently recognized the popularity of our site and ventured to my house for an interview about the Pantherlair.com and myself. The story on the ‘lair will air on Monday during their 6:00 sports segment. We would like to thank KDKA for their interest in our site. Stay tuned to KDKA news on Friday and let us know what you think of the segment on our Fifth and Forbes Message Board.
From the desk of Jim Snyder
Let’s talk football recruiting
It sure was a very big week for Dave Wannstedt and his staff. The Panther staff has landed eleven players in total and 7 in 7 days. I have heard of 7 on 7 passing camps but I am not sure if I remember a school landing 7 recruits coming out of the summer camp period.
Obviously the two plums in the group are Dorin Dickerson from West Allegheny and Jason Pinkston from Baldwin. These two had many scholarships to choose from and the chose Pitt. I was talking to the editor of the Michigan site at the Rivals conference. He said he really likes these two and felt Rivals.com could have ranked them higher. He said the concern about what position Dickerson would play held him back a little bit. Pinkston did not attend the combines and there is a limited amount of game film available. Despite their limitations these two had to have 45 offers between them.
Kevan Smith and Justin Hargrove fall into the “sleeper” category because injuries held them back in their junior years. The AMP editor at Rivals was at the Nike Camp at State College. He told me he thought Kevan Smith arm was every bit as good as Pat Devlin and Jeremy Ricker and maybe better. He has a gun and can make the tough throws to the outside. The only thing Kevan Smith lacks is game experience and he should pick that up in his senior year at Seneca Valley. I have been in discussion with the folks that run the AMP service. I hope to talk them into doing a piece on Kevan. They have file footage from the Nike Camp that you would love to see. Let’s hope they can find the time to edit it for showing.
One of the Rivals reporters was talking to Jared Oderik about 10 days ago. He told them he thought Pitt would land Dickerson, Pinkston, Hargrove and Aaron Smith from Gateway. He has gotten 3 out 4 right. We may have to wait longer to see if he gets the fourth one right.
Some folks seem to undervalue Tyler Tkach. We are not sure why. He is the son of a coach as is Tyler Palko. This type of player often does well in college. He had offers from North Carolina State, Georgia Tech and Virginia. He picked Pitt over three ACC schools. Score one win for the Big East Conference.
Our sources indicated that Pitt gave Joe Flacco his hearing and that they are now proceeding on the assumption that he will not return to Pitt. You can assume he is gone. We have removed him from our roster. This means they will take two quarterbacks. They will continue to pursue Pat Devlin, Thaddeus Lewis and Dexter Davidson although they may have lost ground with Devlin. If so they will turn to the two Florida quarterbacks.
So how many scholarships does Pitt have left? They have verbal commitment from eleven new players plus they must still account for gray-shirt Kevin Hughes. If you did a scholarship count right now you would come up with a number in the mid-teens. However, our sources say the staff may be planning to take approximate 18- 20 players. This means they could take about eight more. You can never be sure about recruiting but we would expect Pitt to intentionally slow the train down a little bit so they can take a read on where they stand with a number of the higher ranked player. They have also hit a point where they must be concerned about filling needs. As an example they have taken three linebackers. They will not take another one unless it is an athlete that could play another position.
After getting commits at a dizzy pace things might slow down. After each school has its summer camp many of the coaches take vacation time. They leave one or two behind to man the phones but they try to get some down time. Once the month of August starts college colleges seldom get a day off until after Letter of Intent Day in February. It is a seven-day a week job. They might also want to wait a little to see where they stand with a few of the higher ranked players.
As I write this running back Kevin Collier from Rochester, New York is visiting Pittsburgh. The staff loves this guy. This is one guy they will put pressure on for a commitment (the sooner the better). We spoke to his father today and will check on his visit upon his return from Pittsburgh.
Some TV and convention odds and ends
Pitt announced this week that ESPN2 will televise the Ohio University game. The game has been moved to Friday night at 8:00 PM. This means that all road games will be televised. The Big East Game of the Week has to pick last by contract. Once the networks have sorted out which games they want Pitt should get a few on the Big East network. It would not surprise me if every game but Youngstown were on television.
One of our well connected “birdies” tells us that it appears that Pitt has an 80% chance of getting ESPN’s Game Day coming to Pittsburgh for the Notre Dame on Labor Day weekend. They are also considering Auburn’s game with Georgia Tech. They will not made a final decision until about 10 days before the game is played. It is looking very good but the “birdie” cautions it is not a done deal. It certainly would be a boost for the football program if they show up and Pitt wins.
Chris Peak and I spent a few days late last week at the annual Rivals conference. It could not have come at a worse time with the Pitt summer camp going on but hopefully it will benefit our subscribers long term.
One of the writers from the North Carolina State site said he was talked to Reggie Redding who told him he had a “bad visit” to Pitt. Redding subsequently committed to Villanova. Players are seldom willing to say they had a bad visit so it took the NC State writer by surprise. I have no idea why Redding made that statement.
We were talking to the Louisville editor. They are trying to get a new arena built. The school wants it out on campus and the city wants it downtown. He said he thinks it will probably end up downtown but the University is trying to get assurance that they will not pursue an NBA tam as happened in Memphis.
The Louisville editor is not crazy about Memphis joining the conference. He feels they often lack the will and resources to win consistently. I know the point he is trying to make but when you are a conference that is trying to get the best television deals possible it might take the best TV market available.
Rivals.com has upgraded the “commitment list” page in the database. It is now on two (2) pages to give you more info. Don’t forget to look at page 2 occasionally. They have also made it easier to toggle to other schools. Pretty slick. The technology folks at Rivals.com are the very best.
I worked with Myron Cope for about a dozen years during a period when he had his talk show on WTAE-AM. He used the term “birdies” to refer to sources that did not want to be identified. In his case it was often a member of the Steelers staff. It was not one person but several people that Myron knew well. We use it in the same way. There is not one birdie but a small flock that hangs out on the Southside. We are telling you we know the person and he should know the answer to the question. We hope that Myron’s health improves. He was a city treasure. He helped make Pittsburgh sports a little special.
Based info gathered at the Rivals convention the Pantherlair has a smaller percentage of annual subscriptions than the network as a whole. It is you best value. You get a lower monthly rate so you save money. You get the annual yearbook, which comes out in the fall plus you get the AMP service. You get more for less. It is a good deal. Call 1-866-274-8247 during business hours for more information.
From the desk of Chris Peak
It’s been rumored for some time now that Gateway athlete Aaron Smithhas Pitt and Maryland as his final 2. When he spoke to the Pantherlair this week he said the list was Pitt, Maryland, Penn State, and Michigan State. He hoped to visit Virginia this week and possibly make a trip to MSU at some point in July. Despite the listed top 4, Aaron confirmed that Pitt and Maryland are the front-runners, and that the recent WPIAL commitments will play heavily in Pitt’s favor. He hopes to announce his decision prior to the start of Gateway’s summer practice (mid-August) but he certainly looks like a guy who could end up at Pitt. He says Dorin Dickerson and Jason Pinkston have already been calling him about going to Pitt.
Many have wondered how the commitment of Seneca Valley QB Kevan Smithwill affect the Pitt staff’s recruiting strategy with signal-callers. For one thing, the transfer of Joe Flacco appears to be as good as done; as a result the staff is intent on signing two QB’s in this class. At this point, Dave Wannstedt and co. seem to be focusing on four QB targets: Smith (who committed), Pat Devlin, Thaddeus Lewis, and Dexter Davidson. You may have noticed that in the database Pitt is now indicated as “low” with Pat Devlin. The Panthers may have lost momentum with him. On the assumption he may now be looking elsewhere they will look to Thaddeus Lewis and Dexter Davidson. The big trick here might be can they get Lewis up to Pittsburgh for a visit?
Just how good is Nate Byham? When his Franklin team participated in the Pitt 7-on-7 camp they played against Woodland Hills. In that game Byham was initially covered by linebacker (and recent Pitt commit) Greg Webster. With his speed, Byham scored three touchdowns on Webster. Then Woodland Hills tried to counter the force that is Nate Byham by assigning the Rivals #1 cornerback in the country, Darrin Walls, to cover him. Byham’s size became the factor and he scored another touchdown. Afterwards, Webster reportedly said Byham was the best player he had ever tried to guard.
Odds and ends: It was a busy night at the South Hills Country Club for Dave Wannstedt: he was the host of the Baldwin alumni golf outing, he was preparing for the commitment announcement of Jason Pinkston and Justin Hargrove, and in the midst of it all Eric Rodemoyer called him to say he was coming to Pitt. Talk about an action-packed evening!
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 7/1 7:59 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
This post was edited on 7/1 8:15 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
This post was edited on 7/1 3:08 PM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
Pantherlair.com to be featured on KDKA Television
The Pantherlair.com has grown exponentially over the years. KDKA Television in Pittsburgh recently recognized the popularity of our site and ventured to my house for an interview about the Pantherlair.com and myself. The story on the ‘lair will air on Monday during their 6:00 sports segment. We would like to thank KDKA for their interest in our site. Stay tuned to KDKA news on Friday and let us know what you think of the segment on our Fifth and Forbes Message Board.
From the desk of Jim Snyder
Let’s talk football recruiting
It sure was a very big week for Dave Wannstedt and his staff. The Panther staff has landed eleven players in total and 7 in 7 days. I have heard of 7 on 7 passing camps but I am not sure if I remember a school landing 7 recruits coming out of the summer camp period.
Obviously the two plums in the group are Dorin Dickerson from West Allegheny and Jason Pinkston from Baldwin. These two had many scholarships to choose from and the chose Pitt. I was talking to the editor of the Michigan site at the Rivals conference. He said he really likes these two and felt Rivals.com could have ranked them higher. He said the concern about what position Dickerson would play held him back a little bit. Pinkston did not attend the combines and there is a limited amount of game film available. Despite their limitations these two had to have 45 offers between them.
Kevan Smith and Justin Hargrove fall into the “sleeper” category because injuries held them back in their junior years. The AMP editor at Rivals was at the Nike Camp at State College. He told me he thought Kevan Smith arm was every bit as good as Pat Devlin and Jeremy Ricker and maybe better. He has a gun and can make the tough throws to the outside. The only thing Kevan Smith lacks is game experience and he should pick that up in his senior year at Seneca Valley. I have been in discussion with the folks that run the AMP service. I hope to talk them into doing a piece on Kevan. They have file footage from the Nike Camp that you would love to see. Let’s hope they can find the time to edit it for showing.
One of the Rivals reporters was talking to Jared Oderik about 10 days ago. He told them he thought Pitt would land Dickerson, Pinkston, Hargrove and Aaron Smith from Gateway. He has gotten 3 out 4 right. We may have to wait longer to see if he gets the fourth one right.
Some folks seem to undervalue Tyler Tkach. We are not sure why. He is the son of a coach as is Tyler Palko. This type of player often does well in college. He had offers from North Carolina State, Georgia Tech and Virginia. He picked Pitt over three ACC schools. Score one win for the Big East Conference.
Our sources indicated that Pitt gave Joe Flacco his hearing and that they are now proceeding on the assumption that he will not return to Pitt. You can assume he is gone. We have removed him from our roster. This means they will take two quarterbacks. They will continue to pursue Pat Devlin, Thaddeus Lewis and Dexter Davidson although they may have lost ground with Devlin. If so they will turn to the two Florida quarterbacks.
So how many scholarships does Pitt have left? They have verbal commitment from eleven new players plus they must still account for gray-shirt Kevin Hughes. If you did a scholarship count right now you would come up with a number in the mid-teens. However, our sources say the staff may be planning to take approximate 18- 20 players. This means they could take about eight more. You can never be sure about recruiting but we would expect Pitt to intentionally slow the train down a little bit so they can take a read on where they stand with a number of the higher ranked player. They have also hit a point where they must be concerned about filling needs. As an example they have taken three linebackers. They will not take another one unless it is an athlete that could play another position.
After getting commits at a dizzy pace things might slow down. After each school has its summer camp many of the coaches take vacation time. They leave one or two behind to man the phones but they try to get some down time. Once the month of August starts college colleges seldom get a day off until after Letter of Intent Day in February. It is a seven-day a week job. They might also want to wait a little to see where they stand with a few of the higher ranked players.
As I write this running back Kevin Collier from Rochester, New York is visiting Pittsburgh. The staff loves this guy. This is one guy they will put pressure on for a commitment (the sooner the better). We spoke to his father today and will check on his visit upon his return from Pittsburgh.
Some TV and convention odds and ends
Pitt announced this week that ESPN2 will televise the Ohio University game. The game has been moved to Friday night at 8:00 PM. This means that all road games will be televised. The Big East Game of the Week has to pick last by contract. Once the networks have sorted out which games they want Pitt should get a few on the Big East network. It would not surprise me if every game but Youngstown were on television.
One of our well connected “birdies” tells us that it appears that Pitt has an 80% chance of getting ESPN’s Game Day coming to Pittsburgh for the Notre Dame on Labor Day weekend. They are also considering Auburn’s game with Georgia Tech. They will not made a final decision until about 10 days before the game is played. It is looking very good but the “birdie” cautions it is not a done deal. It certainly would be a boost for the football program if they show up and Pitt wins.
Chris Peak and I spent a few days late last week at the annual Rivals conference. It could not have come at a worse time with the Pitt summer camp going on but hopefully it will benefit our subscribers long term.
One of the writers from the North Carolina State site said he was talked to Reggie Redding who told him he had a “bad visit” to Pitt. Redding subsequently committed to Villanova. Players are seldom willing to say they had a bad visit so it took the NC State writer by surprise. I have no idea why Redding made that statement.
We were talking to the Louisville editor. They are trying to get a new arena built. The school wants it out on campus and the city wants it downtown. He said he thinks it will probably end up downtown but the University is trying to get assurance that they will not pursue an NBA tam as happened in Memphis.
The Louisville editor is not crazy about Memphis joining the conference. He feels they often lack the will and resources to win consistently. I know the point he is trying to make but when you are a conference that is trying to get the best television deals possible it might take the best TV market available.
Rivals.com has upgraded the “commitment list” page in the database. It is now on two (2) pages to give you more info. Don’t forget to look at page 2 occasionally. They have also made it easier to toggle to other schools. Pretty slick. The technology folks at Rivals.com are the very best.
I worked with Myron Cope for about a dozen years during a period when he had his talk show on WTAE-AM. He used the term “birdies” to refer to sources that did not want to be identified. In his case it was often a member of the Steelers staff. It was not one person but several people that Myron knew well. We use it in the same way. There is not one birdie but a small flock that hangs out on the Southside. We are telling you we know the person and he should know the answer to the question. We hope that Myron’s health improves. He was a city treasure. He helped make Pittsburgh sports a little special.
Based info gathered at the Rivals convention the Pantherlair has a smaller percentage of annual subscriptions than the network as a whole. It is you best value. You get a lower monthly rate so you save money. You get the annual yearbook, which comes out in the fall plus you get the AMP service. You get more for less. It is a good deal. Call 1-866-274-8247 during business hours for more information.
From the desk of Chris Peak
It’s been rumored for some time now that Gateway athlete Aaron Smithhas Pitt and Maryland as his final 2. When he spoke to the Pantherlair this week he said the list was Pitt, Maryland, Penn State, and Michigan State. He hoped to visit Virginia this week and possibly make a trip to MSU at some point in July. Despite the listed top 4, Aaron confirmed that Pitt and Maryland are the front-runners, and that the recent WPIAL commitments will play heavily in Pitt’s favor. He hopes to announce his decision prior to the start of Gateway’s summer practice (mid-August) but he certainly looks like a guy who could end up at Pitt. He says Dorin Dickerson and Jason Pinkston have already been calling him about going to Pitt.
Many have wondered how the commitment of Seneca Valley QB Kevan Smithwill affect the Pitt staff’s recruiting strategy with signal-callers. For one thing, the transfer of Joe Flacco appears to be as good as done; as a result the staff is intent on signing two QB’s in this class. At this point, Dave Wannstedt and co. seem to be focusing on four QB targets: Smith (who committed), Pat Devlin, Thaddeus Lewis, and Dexter Davidson. You may have noticed that in the database Pitt is now indicated as “low” with Pat Devlin. The Panthers may have lost momentum with him. On the assumption he may now be looking elsewhere they will look to Thaddeus Lewis and Dexter Davidson. The big trick here might be can they get Lewis up to Pittsburgh for a visit?
Just how good is Nate Byham? When his Franklin team participated in the Pitt 7-on-7 camp they played against Woodland Hills. In that game Byham was initially covered by linebacker (and recent Pitt commit) Greg Webster. With his speed, Byham scored three touchdowns on Webster. Then Woodland Hills tried to counter the force that is Nate Byham by assigning the Rivals #1 cornerback in the country, Darrin Walls, to cover him. Byham’s size became the factor and he scored another touchdown. Afterwards, Webster reportedly said Byham was the best player he had ever tried to guard.
Odds and ends: It was a busy night at the South Hills Country Club for Dave Wannstedt: he was the host of the Baldwin alumni golf outing, he was preparing for the commitment announcement of Jason Pinkston and Justin Hargrove, and in the midst of it all Eric Rodemoyer called him to say he was coming to Pitt. Talk about an action-packed evening!
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 7/1 7:59 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
This post was edited on 7/1 8:15 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
This post was edited on 7/1 3:08 PM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
