From the desk of Jim Snyder
Its been a couple of tough couple of weeks
Two weeks ago Manheim Twp. quarterback Pat Bostick held a press conference to announce he would be coming to the University of Pittsburgh. The spirit of Pitt fans was lifted and hopes were high that maybe a bandwagon effect might occur.
Since that time we have watched offensive lineman Josh Marks and linebackerJonathan Stupar commit to Penn State. Offensive lineman Donny Barclay committed to West Virginia. [/B]Max Suter[/B] committed to Syracuse and [/B]Steve Paskorz[/B] committed to Notre Dame. All five of these players were members of the Pantherlair’s PA Top 50 and all but Suter had offers from Pitt.
To Dave Wannstedt’s credit he took a shot at a couple of players that figured to be Penn State recruits from the very beginning. Geographically both Stupar and Marks looked like Nittany Lions from Day One. They put some calories into Marks and gave it their best shot but it was not enough. He has also offered Central Catholic’s Stefen Wisnewski who also has strong ties to Penn State. It will not come as a big shock if he ends up in State College although Notre Dame is also a possibility.
The only one in this group that hurt a little was Steve Paskorz. Pitt had put calories into this one even though Paskorz is a player that might not have a natural position. Some see him as a linebacker. Michigan told him he looked like a H-back. Different observers look at Paskorz and see different things. Some are very high on him while others wonder about his natural position. Still it is not fun to watch Notre Dame offer and get this quick of a response.
One of our posters perhaps said it best. It is not who you miss out on that counts its who you actually sign that really counts. Pitt figures to take approximately 20 football prospects this year. You want to make sure this group has the credentials to help the program move forward.
Pitt has commitments from QB Pat Bostick, OL Chris Jacobson and DB Jared Williams. All three of the players look like they have the ability to help the program.
We think Pitt has a very good shot at Henry Hynoski (if Penn State does not offer). Hynoski was measured at the Nike Camp at 6 feet and ½ inches. He weighed in at 235 pounds. I interviewed him at State College and he appeared taller and thinner than that. He did 30 reps with 185 pounds. He looks like a player that has spent a lot of time in the weight room. It gives him a more solid and slender appearance than 235 pounds might suggest.
Pitt also should have a very good shot at Nordonia’s Jordan Mabin (if Ohio State does not offer). Dorin Dickerson’s cousin has some speed. He seems to want to be a running back but probably projects to a defensive back in college. Both Mabin and Hynoski would be very good additions to the Pitt program.
We also think Pitt will take Valley Forge’s Bryan Williams if he gets his academic affairs in order. Williams should be home for the summer in a few weeks and we will follow up with him once he is back in Akron.
Greensburg Central Catholic wide receiver Nick Sukay would be a great catch but he now has almost 30 offers with Notre Dame and Michigan both now in the mix. Sukay had a great workout at the Elite camp in New Jersey before more than 100 coaches so who knows how many offers he will have before the process runs its course.
Pitt’s 5-6 record last fall has made recruiting more difficult. To compound matters Penn State, West Virginia, Notre Dame and Ohio State all had very strong seasons and are recruiting in Pennsylvania. There have been years in the past where Notre Dame and Ohio State did not come into the state that often. Historically, however, many schools have recruited Pennsylvania over the years. Its seems to me that Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Arizona State are recruiting the area harder than before.
Cameron Heyward would also be a great pickup. He had a pretty good showing at the Nike Camp at Clemson. Ironhead’s son now has 20 scholarship offers so this one will not be easy. That number now figures to grow with his appearance at the Nike Camp. He currently has Pitt in his top 5 or 6.
The Pitt staff appears to be headed to Florida in the search of a running back. We had an article on Zach Brown this week. We hear he may get an offer in the next week or two. Greg Williams also looks like an interesting candidate. Bo Williams also looks nifty but Florida State has now offered. Bo is piling up the offers so the competition will be fierce.
Thomas Jefferson's Dom DeCicco is a workout warrior. He put up some of the best workout numbers at a combine at the UPMC complex in February. In May he went to the Columbus Nike Camp. He put up one of the highest Pro SPARQ numbers in the country. Through the first eight Nike Camps only a player from Georgia had better numbers. Unfortunately for Dom the spelled his name wrong on the Pro SPARQ report so he may not be getting the credit he deserves although Vanderbilt ands Arizona State both offered this week.
There are still a number of good recruits from the State of Pennsylvania that have not yet committed. Dave Wannstedt knows you must recruit and he is not afraid to be involved personally. He often talks about needing to recruit 3 or 4 players to get 1. He also appears to be back pounding the pavement in Florida again.
We are nearing the end of the Evaluation Period. Coach Wannstedt is schedule to head to Pebble Beach for a little down time next week. He will golf in an event, which annually attracts many college football coaches.
During the month of June many colleges (including Pitt) will host summer camps. Historically colleges will offer a few additional players after watching them workout at their camps. Pitt needs to find or a least feel comfortable enough with a few more line candidates. They must build some depth up front. It is priority No. 1 right now.
In theory Pitt is done recruiting quarterbacks now that they have signed Pat Bostick but what happens if Seneca Valley’s Kevan Smith is drafted and heads off to try his hand at professional baseball? One of our colleagues was talking this week to an assistant coach at a Big Ten school. He felt there might be three or four Division 1 quarterback possibilities in Western PA.
Basketball recruiting update
Pitt is hosting forward Dan Werner this weekend. This four-star forward is from Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New Jersey. He originally signed with NC State but wants out after Coach Herb Sendek took off for Arizona State. I have talked his athletic director and his coach Ed Weislinski over the past week or so. They tell me NC State has agreed to allow him to look at other schools but wants another chance to pitch him before they will agree to a release. If he is smart he will keep his mouth shut until he gets the release from NC State.
Dan Werner visited Notre Dame and Kentucky the past two weekends. He also visited St Joseph’s this week and now is in Pittsburgh. He still may visit Florida next week. We will check with the Werner family and his coach after his visit to Pitt but if they are smart they will not say much until they are sure that a release is in hand. I full well expect NC State to grant the release if he plays it smart.
New ESPN/ABC deal in the works
We pinned an article from Any Katz of ESPN.com on the Between Fifth & Forbes Message Board. Please take time to read it. Rumors swirl that a new television deal for the Big East with a substantial increase in rights fees is in the works. One report has it that every Big East game will be televised. I assume that means every conference game. It will be interesting to watch this one play itself out. Who knows Mike Tranghese might keep the 16-team league together?
Pantherlair Top 50
This past week we released the Pantherlair’s PA Top 50. We could easily have included another dozen or so players that we think could end up with Division 1 scholarships. We will update this list later this summer. One area that is always tough is the academic side. Sometimes you see a good prospect only to later discover his academic status is holding him back. We have a link at the top of the Fifth & Forbes message board. It is just above the Rivals Radio link. It is a quick way to get a good overview of what is going on in the state.
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.
Its been a couple of tough couple of weeks
Two weeks ago Manheim Twp. quarterback Pat Bostick held a press conference to announce he would be coming to the University of Pittsburgh. The spirit of Pitt fans was lifted and hopes were high that maybe a bandwagon effect might occur.
Since that time we have watched offensive lineman Josh Marks and linebackerJonathan Stupar commit to Penn State. Offensive lineman Donny Barclay committed to West Virginia. [/B]Max Suter[/B] committed to Syracuse and [/B]Steve Paskorz[/B] committed to Notre Dame. All five of these players were members of the Pantherlair’s PA Top 50 and all but Suter had offers from Pitt.
To Dave Wannstedt’s credit he took a shot at a couple of players that figured to be Penn State recruits from the very beginning. Geographically both Stupar and Marks looked like Nittany Lions from Day One. They put some calories into Marks and gave it their best shot but it was not enough. He has also offered Central Catholic’s Stefen Wisnewski who also has strong ties to Penn State. It will not come as a big shock if he ends up in State College although Notre Dame is also a possibility.
The only one in this group that hurt a little was Steve Paskorz. Pitt had put calories into this one even though Paskorz is a player that might not have a natural position. Some see him as a linebacker. Michigan told him he looked like a H-back. Different observers look at Paskorz and see different things. Some are very high on him while others wonder about his natural position. Still it is not fun to watch Notre Dame offer and get this quick of a response.
One of our posters perhaps said it best. It is not who you miss out on that counts its who you actually sign that really counts. Pitt figures to take approximately 20 football prospects this year. You want to make sure this group has the credentials to help the program move forward.
Pitt has commitments from QB Pat Bostick, OL Chris Jacobson and DB Jared Williams. All three of the players look like they have the ability to help the program.
We think Pitt has a very good shot at Henry Hynoski (if Penn State does not offer). Hynoski was measured at the Nike Camp at 6 feet and ½ inches. He weighed in at 235 pounds. I interviewed him at State College and he appeared taller and thinner than that. He did 30 reps with 185 pounds. He looks like a player that has spent a lot of time in the weight room. It gives him a more solid and slender appearance than 235 pounds might suggest.
Pitt also should have a very good shot at Nordonia’s Jordan Mabin (if Ohio State does not offer). Dorin Dickerson’s cousin has some speed. He seems to want to be a running back but probably projects to a defensive back in college. Both Mabin and Hynoski would be very good additions to the Pitt program.
We also think Pitt will take Valley Forge’s Bryan Williams if he gets his academic affairs in order. Williams should be home for the summer in a few weeks and we will follow up with him once he is back in Akron.
Greensburg Central Catholic wide receiver Nick Sukay would be a great catch but he now has almost 30 offers with Notre Dame and Michigan both now in the mix. Sukay had a great workout at the Elite camp in New Jersey before more than 100 coaches so who knows how many offers he will have before the process runs its course.
Pitt’s 5-6 record last fall has made recruiting more difficult. To compound matters Penn State, West Virginia, Notre Dame and Ohio State all had very strong seasons and are recruiting in Pennsylvania. There have been years in the past where Notre Dame and Ohio State did not come into the state that often. Historically, however, many schools have recruited Pennsylvania over the years. Its seems to me that Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Arizona State are recruiting the area harder than before.
Cameron Heyward would also be a great pickup. He had a pretty good showing at the Nike Camp at Clemson. Ironhead’s son now has 20 scholarship offers so this one will not be easy. That number now figures to grow with his appearance at the Nike Camp. He currently has Pitt in his top 5 or 6.
The Pitt staff appears to be headed to Florida in the search of a running back. We had an article on Zach Brown this week. We hear he may get an offer in the next week or two. Greg Williams also looks like an interesting candidate. Bo Williams also looks nifty but Florida State has now offered. Bo is piling up the offers so the competition will be fierce.
Thomas Jefferson's Dom DeCicco is a workout warrior. He put up some of the best workout numbers at a combine at the UPMC complex in February. In May he went to the Columbus Nike Camp. He put up one of the highest Pro SPARQ numbers in the country. Through the first eight Nike Camps only a player from Georgia had better numbers. Unfortunately for Dom the spelled his name wrong on the Pro SPARQ report so he may not be getting the credit he deserves although Vanderbilt ands Arizona State both offered this week.
There are still a number of good recruits from the State of Pennsylvania that have not yet committed. Dave Wannstedt knows you must recruit and he is not afraid to be involved personally. He often talks about needing to recruit 3 or 4 players to get 1. He also appears to be back pounding the pavement in Florida again.
We are nearing the end of the Evaluation Period. Coach Wannstedt is schedule to head to Pebble Beach for a little down time next week. He will golf in an event, which annually attracts many college football coaches.
During the month of June many colleges (including Pitt) will host summer camps. Historically colleges will offer a few additional players after watching them workout at their camps. Pitt needs to find or a least feel comfortable enough with a few more line candidates. They must build some depth up front. It is priority No. 1 right now.
In theory Pitt is done recruiting quarterbacks now that they have signed Pat Bostick but what happens if Seneca Valley’s Kevan Smith is drafted and heads off to try his hand at professional baseball? One of our colleagues was talking this week to an assistant coach at a Big Ten school. He felt there might be three or four Division 1 quarterback possibilities in Western PA.
Basketball recruiting update
Pitt is hosting forward Dan Werner this weekend. This four-star forward is from Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New Jersey. He originally signed with NC State but wants out after Coach Herb Sendek took off for Arizona State. I have talked his athletic director and his coach Ed Weislinski over the past week or so. They tell me NC State has agreed to allow him to look at other schools but wants another chance to pitch him before they will agree to a release. If he is smart he will keep his mouth shut until he gets the release from NC State.
Dan Werner visited Notre Dame and Kentucky the past two weekends. He also visited St Joseph’s this week and now is in Pittsburgh. He still may visit Florida next week. We will check with the Werner family and his coach after his visit to Pitt but if they are smart they will not say much until they are sure that a release is in hand. I full well expect NC State to grant the release if he plays it smart.
New ESPN/ABC deal in the works
We pinned an article from Any Katz of ESPN.com on the Between Fifth & Forbes Message Board. Please take time to read it. Rumors swirl that a new television deal for the Big East with a substantial increase in rights fees is in the works. One report has it that every Big East game will be televised. I assume that means every conference game. It will be interesting to watch this one play itself out. Who knows Mike Tranghese might keep the 16-team league together?
Pantherlair Top 50
This past week we released the Pantherlair’s PA Top 50. We could easily have included another dozen or so players that we think could end up with Division 1 scholarships. We will update this list later this summer. One area that is always tough is the academic side. Sometimes you see a good prospect only to later discover his academic status is holding him back. We have a link at the top of the Fifth & Forbes message board. It is just above the Rivals Radio link. It is a quick way to get a good overview of what is going on in the state.
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.
