From the desk of Jim Snyder
Friday the 13th
The Panthers play Central Florida tonight on ESPN. Let’s hope that the fact that this game is being played on Friday the 13th brings the Panthers nothing but good luck.
Does Rivals have your correct address?
Rivals.com is scheduled to start mailing their annual recruiting yearbooks on November 1st. Please make sure they have your correct address. There is a link at the top of this board posted by Dallas Jackson. This is very important if you are an annual subscriber and are expecting a yearbook.
Chris Peak on Rivals Radio
Chris Peak will be on the Big East Blitz today which airs from 10:00 am until 11:00 am. This hour is available only on the internet. Chris Peak from the Pantherlair should be on about 10:15 am.
Syracuse video highlights & the Ticker
You can find video highlights on the Syracuse game on the post “Video highlights collection” at the top of the Between Fifth and Forbes Board. There are highlights of five of the first six games there. Not sure what happened to the Toledo highlights. Because the Pitt-Central Florida game is being played on Friday we hope to have highlights early this weekend. Maybe Saturday evening.
Please keep checking the Ticker for recruiting updates. There were something like 215 updates that have crossed the Ticker the last 30 days. We try to bring to your attention some that we think are important but please keep checking the Ticker for players you have an interest in.
The Wire
Rivals.com has slowly been introducing a concept called the Wire. Rivals.com will be launching a new wireless product called the Wire within the new two weeks. You will be able to receive updates on your cell phone. Hopefully we will have more details next week.
Are you ready for some hoops?
The Pitt basketball team starts practice today. Here is how Blue Ribbon Basketball Year Book projects the top teams in the Big East:
1) Pitt (No. 6)
2) Georgetown (No. 7)
3) Connecticut (No. 10)
4) Marquette (No. 12)
5) Syracuse (No. 24)
6) Villanova
7) Louisville
These first seven figure to battle it out for a first-round byes in the Big East tournament. If Paul Harris is as good as his press clippings look for Syracuse to move up on this list. They won the Big East tournament a year ago. Paul Harris should quickly make Orange fans forget Jerry McNamara has graduated.
Pitt plays Wisconsin (No. 13) and Washington (No. 14) in non-conference play. The Panthers also host Florida State and play Oklahoma State so they will be tested before they get to conference play. There should be a lot of exciting basketball at the “Pete” this season.
Pitt will hold their annual Fan Fest at the Pete on Saturday October 28th. The doors open at 2:00 pm and it is free to the general public. If you want an early look at this nationally ranked team here is your chance.
Losing Dele Coker to St John’s was a little disappointing. At least we will get to see him play in the Big East. The same goes for Chris Wright committing to Georgetown.
I could be wrong but DeJuan Blair looks like a perfect fit for the Pitt system as long as his knees hold up. I look forward to following the Schenley Spartans this year.
In case you missed it on the Center Court at Pete board we spoke yesterday to Cloud CC coach Kevin Muff. He said his player, Cassin Diggs, has offers from Pitt and UNLV. He thinks he will decide today but it could be on Monday.
I have no idea if Diggs can play or not. All I know is he is 6 feet 10 inches tall and is left handed. Pitt figures to return Ronald Ramon, Levance Fields, Mike Cook and Sam Young next year. Freshman Gary McGhee (6’ 10”) can not be expected to play 40 minutes at center. It seem logical to me to bring a junior college player in to help him out and let him develop. On the surface this looks like a no brainer except that I heard a rumor yesterday that Coach Muff has some sort of relationship with Coach Kruger at UNLV. We should know soon.
Football injuries mount up
Here is a list of players that for one reason or another are not available to Coach Wannstedt right now. John Bachman(OL), John Simonitis (OL), Kevin Hughes (OL), Mike DeLuca (OL), Dave Weber (OL), Eric Thatcher (DB), John Pelusi (TE), Doug Fulmer (DE), Derron Thomas (LB), Aaron Smith (DB), Dan Loyhede (LB), Justin Hargrove (DE), Nick Williams (DL), Dexter Davidson (QB) and David Abdul (K). I may have missed one or two but I count well over a dozen players. You are only allowed to have 85 players on scholarship so this represents a fairly high percentage of your potential scholarship players. This is not only a young team but it is not a real deep team right now. It is going to take a couple of more recruiting classes to get the Pitt program to where you want it to be. They just have to keep scratching out wins the best they can until they can get there.
The Mustakas’ family tells Gus he was heavily recruited by both Central Florida and South Florida so Pitt’s defensive tackle gets a chance to show off a little the next few weeks. Here’s hoping he has a couple of big games. I’ve booked reservations for the USF game so I will get a chance to watch in live in early November.
Football recruiting summary
We were talking to the Milford Academy coach this week about both wide receiver Aunde Wright and running back LeSean McCoy. He said that both players are making academic progress which is good news. I asked if he thought LeSean McCoy was still committed to Miami. He said he would not rather go down that road. McCoy is currently the second string tailback at Milford behind Craig Cooper who is also verbally committed to Miami. It was pretty clear Shady had no chance of becoming the No. 1 running back at Milford. He said that his program is about the team and not the individual. McCoy got a start in the last game because Cooper was injured. So how did he do? How many yards did he gain? Well I got coach-speak about how Shady was still trying to learn about the game of football and that he was making slow but steady progress in that area. Assuming both McCoy and Cooper qualify I continue to hear rumors that McCoy will probably end up at either Pitt or Penn State.
As we write this the ESPN networks have not given Pitt a start time for the Rutgers game. There are a number of Floridians talking about coming north for Pitt’s Homecoming game but it is tough to get them here for a Noon start. Pitt likes them to sit in on pre-game meetings and meals so they have a chance to mingle with the players. Those that co-ordinate the recruiting effort will be rooting for both Pitt and Rutgers to win so there is a 5:45 PM start time for Pitt’s game with Rutgers the following week. Some of the players talking about coming to Pittsburgh for the Rutgers game include defensive end Adewale Ojomo, offensive tackle Branden Curry, running back Xavier Stinson, safety Eain Smith and running back Greg Williams. Stinson committed to Pitt recently without visiting. We also hear he may have some work to do academically. We think Pitt will take at least one more running back and maybe two.
Pitt now has 14 prospects verbally committed. You have to assume that at some point down to road punter Dave Brytus and Conor Lee are both candidates to go on scholarship. Dave Wannstedt said in an interview this week he thought Pitt would still take 5 or 6 more players. This number is always a moving target but we hear they will take more than 20 this year. Pitt continues to recruit a number of players in-state that have already committed to other schools. Players usually do not change their minds once they are committed but you never stop recruiting. We still have a long way to go until February. A lot can happen. You keep hearing rumors that Cameron Holland might be someone that could have second thoughts but there might be another. Pitt just needs to keep piling up wins and keep on pitching. These are usually long shots but you never know.
Yesterday we wrote about Bryan Williams from Valley Forge. He is having another great year on the football field and seems to be making steady progress in the classroom but he could get caught in the scholarship squeeze. At the end of the day the staff might want to take high school players with four years of eligibility. They seem to be taking a long term view these days which may be the best way to build the program.
Over the past ten days we have reported that Pitt offered scholarships to Da’Von Moore from Brentwood and Tristan Roberts from Pennridge recently. Pitt has been recruiting these two for a long time. Neither is being recruited by a host of other schools. The staff had to know that offering this two at this time means it is highly likely that these two will probably commit to Pitt before the recruiting season is over. We will follow both of their teams the rest of this season.
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 10/13 8:56 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
Friday the 13th
The Panthers play Central Florida tonight on ESPN. Let’s hope that the fact that this game is being played on Friday the 13th brings the Panthers nothing but good luck.
Does Rivals have your correct address?
Rivals.com is scheduled to start mailing their annual recruiting yearbooks on November 1st. Please make sure they have your correct address. There is a link at the top of this board posted by Dallas Jackson. This is very important if you are an annual subscriber and are expecting a yearbook.
Chris Peak on Rivals Radio
Chris Peak will be on the Big East Blitz today which airs from 10:00 am until 11:00 am. This hour is available only on the internet. Chris Peak from the Pantherlair should be on about 10:15 am.
Syracuse video highlights & the Ticker
You can find video highlights on the Syracuse game on the post “Video highlights collection” at the top of the Between Fifth and Forbes Board. There are highlights of five of the first six games there. Not sure what happened to the Toledo highlights. Because the Pitt-Central Florida game is being played on Friday we hope to have highlights early this weekend. Maybe Saturday evening.
Please keep checking the Ticker for recruiting updates. There were something like 215 updates that have crossed the Ticker the last 30 days. We try to bring to your attention some that we think are important but please keep checking the Ticker for players you have an interest in.
The Wire
Rivals.com has slowly been introducing a concept called the Wire. Rivals.com will be launching a new wireless product called the Wire within the new two weeks. You will be able to receive updates on your cell phone. Hopefully we will have more details next week.
Are you ready for some hoops?
The Pitt basketball team starts practice today. Here is how Blue Ribbon Basketball Year Book projects the top teams in the Big East:
1) Pitt (No. 6)
2) Georgetown (No. 7)
3) Connecticut (No. 10)
4) Marquette (No. 12)
5) Syracuse (No. 24)
6) Villanova
7) Louisville
These first seven figure to battle it out for a first-round byes in the Big East tournament. If Paul Harris is as good as his press clippings look for Syracuse to move up on this list. They won the Big East tournament a year ago. Paul Harris should quickly make Orange fans forget Jerry McNamara has graduated.
Pitt plays Wisconsin (No. 13) and Washington (No. 14) in non-conference play. The Panthers also host Florida State and play Oklahoma State so they will be tested before they get to conference play. There should be a lot of exciting basketball at the “Pete” this season.
Pitt will hold their annual Fan Fest at the Pete on Saturday October 28th. The doors open at 2:00 pm and it is free to the general public. If you want an early look at this nationally ranked team here is your chance.
Losing Dele Coker to St John’s was a little disappointing. At least we will get to see him play in the Big East. The same goes for Chris Wright committing to Georgetown.
I could be wrong but DeJuan Blair looks like a perfect fit for the Pitt system as long as his knees hold up. I look forward to following the Schenley Spartans this year.
In case you missed it on the Center Court at Pete board we spoke yesterday to Cloud CC coach Kevin Muff. He said his player, Cassin Diggs, has offers from Pitt and UNLV. He thinks he will decide today but it could be on Monday.
I have no idea if Diggs can play or not. All I know is he is 6 feet 10 inches tall and is left handed. Pitt figures to return Ronald Ramon, Levance Fields, Mike Cook and Sam Young next year. Freshman Gary McGhee (6’ 10”) can not be expected to play 40 minutes at center. It seem logical to me to bring a junior college player in to help him out and let him develop. On the surface this looks like a no brainer except that I heard a rumor yesterday that Coach Muff has some sort of relationship with Coach Kruger at UNLV. We should know soon.
Football injuries mount up
Here is a list of players that for one reason or another are not available to Coach Wannstedt right now. John Bachman(OL), John Simonitis (OL), Kevin Hughes (OL), Mike DeLuca (OL), Dave Weber (OL), Eric Thatcher (DB), John Pelusi (TE), Doug Fulmer (DE), Derron Thomas (LB), Aaron Smith (DB), Dan Loyhede (LB), Justin Hargrove (DE), Nick Williams (DL), Dexter Davidson (QB) and David Abdul (K). I may have missed one or two but I count well over a dozen players. You are only allowed to have 85 players on scholarship so this represents a fairly high percentage of your potential scholarship players. This is not only a young team but it is not a real deep team right now. It is going to take a couple of more recruiting classes to get the Pitt program to where you want it to be. They just have to keep scratching out wins the best they can until they can get there.
The Mustakas’ family tells Gus he was heavily recruited by both Central Florida and South Florida so Pitt’s defensive tackle gets a chance to show off a little the next few weeks. Here’s hoping he has a couple of big games. I’ve booked reservations for the USF game so I will get a chance to watch in live in early November.
Football recruiting summary
We were talking to the Milford Academy coach this week about both wide receiver Aunde Wright and running back LeSean McCoy. He said that both players are making academic progress which is good news. I asked if he thought LeSean McCoy was still committed to Miami. He said he would not rather go down that road. McCoy is currently the second string tailback at Milford behind Craig Cooper who is also verbally committed to Miami. It was pretty clear Shady had no chance of becoming the No. 1 running back at Milford. He said that his program is about the team and not the individual. McCoy got a start in the last game because Cooper was injured. So how did he do? How many yards did he gain? Well I got coach-speak about how Shady was still trying to learn about the game of football and that he was making slow but steady progress in that area. Assuming both McCoy and Cooper qualify I continue to hear rumors that McCoy will probably end up at either Pitt or Penn State.
As we write this the ESPN networks have not given Pitt a start time for the Rutgers game. There are a number of Floridians talking about coming north for Pitt’s Homecoming game but it is tough to get them here for a Noon start. Pitt likes them to sit in on pre-game meetings and meals so they have a chance to mingle with the players. Those that co-ordinate the recruiting effort will be rooting for both Pitt and Rutgers to win so there is a 5:45 PM start time for Pitt’s game with Rutgers the following week. Some of the players talking about coming to Pittsburgh for the Rutgers game include defensive end Adewale Ojomo, offensive tackle Branden Curry, running back Xavier Stinson, safety Eain Smith and running back Greg Williams. Stinson committed to Pitt recently without visiting. We also hear he may have some work to do academically. We think Pitt will take at least one more running back and maybe two.
Pitt now has 14 prospects verbally committed. You have to assume that at some point down to road punter Dave Brytus and Conor Lee are both candidates to go on scholarship. Dave Wannstedt said in an interview this week he thought Pitt would still take 5 or 6 more players. This number is always a moving target but we hear they will take more than 20 this year. Pitt continues to recruit a number of players in-state that have already committed to other schools. Players usually do not change their minds once they are committed but you never stop recruiting. We still have a long way to go until February. A lot can happen. You keep hearing rumors that Cameron Holland might be someone that could have second thoughts but there might be another. Pitt just needs to keep piling up wins and keep on pitching. These are usually long shots but you never know.
Yesterday we wrote about Bryan Williams from Valley Forge. He is having another great year on the football field and seems to be making steady progress in the classroom but he could get caught in the scholarship squeeze. At the end of the day the staff might want to take high school players with four years of eligibility. They seem to be taking a long term view these days which may be the best way to build the program.
Over the past ten days we have reported that Pitt offered scholarships to Da’Von Moore from Brentwood and Tristan Roberts from Pennridge recently. Pitt has been recruiting these two for a long time. Neither is being recruited by a host of other schools. The staff had to know that offering this two at this time means it is highly likely that these two will probably commit to Pitt before the recruiting season is over. We will follow both of their teams the rest of this season.
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 10/13 8:56 AM by Jim Pantherlairif(GetAdminCookie() != 0) {document.write(' (Revisions[/URL])');}
