From the Desk of Jim Snyder
This weekend Pitt will host a 7 on 7 passing camp at the UPMC complex. This is virtually an invitational camp so many teams will have one or two Division 1 prospects. They are scheduled to have 40 high schools participating. We interviewed Greg Webster this week and he indicated that Woodland Hills would be one of the teams participating.
Next week they will also host a number of players at their summer camps. They expect a number of local quarterbacks to attend their camps including Seneca Valley’s Kevan Smith, South Park’s Connor Dixon and Perry’s Desmond Brentley. They are also expecting a fourth local quarterback. We are not sure on the fourth one but it is probably Tyler Huether from Penn-Trafford. We think a local QB will get an offer once the camps are over. You can be sure Matt Cavanaugh will be watching closely. They are also expecting a few big linemen from Florida.
There have been reports that Joe Flacco will transfer to Delaware. We have talked to a number of our contacts at Pitt and they simply say he is not here working out at Pitt this summer but they have not give up hope that he will change his mind. We have also called the Flacco residence on numerous occasions but so far we have not been able to reach a family member. We think he is gone but simply have not been able to confirm it yet on either end. Quite frankly Pitt is giving every indication that they will take two quarterbacks so while they are publicly saying we have not given up, privately they are behaving as though they do not expect him back. They will take two quarterbacks if he is in fact gone.
I am not sure who is recruiting the state of Pennsylvania for Minnesota this year but there have been several recruits that have said the Golden Gophers are in their top 6 or 8. They are not often at the top of the list but they are often a school players want to know more about. Some assistant is doing a good job. One top prospect wanted Minnesota listed in his database listed over Southern Cal and Nebraska. Go figure.
We interviewed Woodland Hills’ Greg Webster this week. This will probably be a Pitt-Virginia battle with the Cavaliers holding a slight edge right now. If you asked Darrin Walls for his to 2-3 right now Pitt would not be a school that he mentioned. We think Pitt is in his top 5 or 6. Our “birdies” say Pitt has not given up on landing both of these players. Their best shot is for them to wait for their official visits late this year and for Pitt to have a solid year on the playing field.
It is always tough to predict just when players will commit. There are many factors including the fact that most of the prospects are only 17 years old. We still believe Pitt’s best shots for an early commitment are with Nate Nix and Tyler Tkach. We also still like their chances with Justin Hargrove later this summer even though he has said that he will wait until later this year.
Don’t forget to check out the AMP service. It is available to annual subscription holders and Gold Members. They have had interviews recently with LeSean McCoy, Jared Odrick and quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. Pitt has offered all three. The AMP service gives you a good opportunity to listen to the recruit himself without having to worry about the bias presentation of a reporter.
Rivals.com issued their PA Top 50 this past week. We are not in total agreement. In fact we think the Pantherlair Top 50 needs to be updated and we will issue an updated version next week. These days we tend to look at the state from Pitt’s point of view. We look from the western side of the state. This leaves us vulnerable to over looking players from the east. I lived in Bucks County for many years. My school district played in the Suburban One League, which featured CB West, North Penn and Neshaminy. Many think it is the best conference in the league in the state. In Western PA only the Quad East is roughly comparable. I know there are good football players in the east but if they don’t hit the camps and you do not get a chance to see them on film you run the risk of under valuing a few of them. It is a big country. No one sees them all. Over 3,400 players attended the Nike Camps. No one person can accurately evaluate them all. You simply work hard and do the best you can. Mel Kipper of ESPN has made a good living predicting who will be drafted. He often says that he has never accurately predicted the first round and he acknowledges that there is no way he ever will. People often look at prospects and see different traits. It is true in the NFL and it is true at the college level. The fact that there are a wider variety of offenses and defenses in college leads to coaching staffs having different reads on players.
On the basketball front the B_Man reports that Gilbert Brown (6’ 6”) will be in Pittsburgh for a visit this weekend. He thinks Jamie Dixon has a good shot a landing him.
Next week Rivals.com will be holding their annual conference in Nashville. Publishers, reporters and recruiting experts from around the country will be in attendance. Chris Peak and I will be tied up at the conference so we will not have a War Room.
As a trade off, Rivals Radio is going to cover Pitt on Thursday. The producer of Rivals Radio has been working with the folks in the Sports Information Department at Pitt and we hope to have an interview with Pitt Head Coach Dave Wannstedt this coming Thursday.
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.
This weekend Pitt will host a 7 on 7 passing camp at the UPMC complex. This is virtually an invitational camp so many teams will have one or two Division 1 prospects. They are scheduled to have 40 high schools participating. We interviewed Greg Webster this week and he indicated that Woodland Hills would be one of the teams participating.
Next week they will also host a number of players at their summer camps. They expect a number of local quarterbacks to attend their camps including Seneca Valley’s Kevan Smith, South Park’s Connor Dixon and Perry’s Desmond Brentley. They are also expecting a fourth local quarterback. We are not sure on the fourth one but it is probably Tyler Huether from Penn-Trafford. We think a local QB will get an offer once the camps are over. You can be sure Matt Cavanaugh will be watching closely. They are also expecting a few big linemen from Florida.
There have been reports that Joe Flacco will transfer to Delaware. We have talked to a number of our contacts at Pitt and they simply say he is not here working out at Pitt this summer but they have not give up hope that he will change his mind. We have also called the Flacco residence on numerous occasions but so far we have not been able to reach a family member. We think he is gone but simply have not been able to confirm it yet on either end. Quite frankly Pitt is giving every indication that they will take two quarterbacks so while they are publicly saying we have not given up, privately they are behaving as though they do not expect him back. They will take two quarterbacks if he is in fact gone.
I am not sure who is recruiting the state of Pennsylvania for Minnesota this year but there have been several recruits that have said the Golden Gophers are in their top 6 or 8. They are not often at the top of the list but they are often a school players want to know more about. Some assistant is doing a good job. One top prospect wanted Minnesota listed in his database listed over Southern Cal and Nebraska. Go figure.
We interviewed Woodland Hills’ Greg Webster this week. This will probably be a Pitt-Virginia battle with the Cavaliers holding a slight edge right now. If you asked Darrin Walls for his to 2-3 right now Pitt would not be a school that he mentioned. We think Pitt is in his top 5 or 6. Our “birdies” say Pitt has not given up on landing both of these players. Their best shot is for them to wait for their official visits late this year and for Pitt to have a solid year on the playing field.
It is always tough to predict just when players will commit. There are many factors including the fact that most of the prospects are only 17 years old. We still believe Pitt’s best shots for an early commitment are with Nate Nix and Tyler Tkach. We also still like their chances with Justin Hargrove later this summer even though he has said that he will wait until later this year.
Don’t forget to check out the AMP service. It is available to annual subscription holders and Gold Members. They have had interviews recently with LeSean McCoy, Jared Odrick and quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. Pitt has offered all three. The AMP service gives you a good opportunity to listen to the recruit himself without having to worry about the bias presentation of a reporter.
Rivals.com issued their PA Top 50 this past week. We are not in total agreement. In fact we think the Pantherlair Top 50 needs to be updated and we will issue an updated version next week. These days we tend to look at the state from Pitt’s point of view. We look from the western side of the state. This leaves us vulnerable to over looking players from the east. I lived in Bucks County for many years. My school district played in the Suburban One League, which featured CB West, North Penn and Neshaminy. Many think it is the best conference in the league in the state. In Western PA only the Quad East is roughly comparable. I know there are good football players in the east but if they don’t hit the camps and you do not get a chance to see them on film you run the risk of under valuing a few of them. It is a big country. No one sees them all. Over 3,400 players attended the Nike Camps. No one person can accurately evaluate them all. You simply work hard and do the best you can. Mel Kipper of ESPN has made a good living predicting who will be drafted. He often says that he has never accurately predicted the first round and he acknowledges that there is no way he ever will. People often look at prospects and see different traits. It is true in the NFL and it is true at the college level. The fact that there are a wider variety of offenses and defenses in college leads to coaching staffs having different reads on players.
On the basketball front the B_Man reports that Gilbert Brown (6’ 6”) will be in Pittsburgh for a visit this weekend. He thinks Jamie Dixon has a good shot a landing him.
Next week Rivals.com will be holding their annual conference in Nashville. Publishers, reporters and recruiting experts from around the country will be in attendance. Chris Peak and I will be tied up at the conference so we will not have a War Room.
As a trade off, Rivals Radio is going to cover Pitt on Thursday. The producer of Rivals Radio has been working with the folks in the Sports Information Department at Pitt and we hope to have an interview with Pitt Head Coach Dave Wannstedt this coming Thursday.
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.
