Who are your top "The ones that got away"

[Censt62001]

So I have an awful habit of going back and looking at past commits that didn't pan out. Flips, Non-qualifiers, etc. There are more than a few that stick out.

K'Von Wallace is a guy that I think fits the mold of a Michael Smith. A late under the radar add that would have been a huge get. He started most of the season last year for Clemson. I think OSU and Clemson both offered late. It was looking like he was a heavy Pitt lean before that.

Davon Hamilton who is now at OSU after flipping from Kentucky. Narduzzi almost had him. I still think he would have been a game changer in this defense.

Going way back for this one and it would have been a snowball effect here that would have been fun to see play out. So Shai McKenzie, I know the kid messed up in a an awful way at VT. However he was so fun to watch in HS. Have to wonder how that would have changed things with Conner maybe playing DE. I think we also had Shell at the time.

Who are your top few?

 

[Pittparade]

Be nice to have Khaleke Hudson and Chase Winovich in the PITT program right about now.

 

[Dr. von Yinzer]

I don’t play that game - it leads to nowhere.

You don’t lose because of the guys you miss out on, you lose because of the guys you get but who aren’t good enough.

 

[daminals76]

Shai Mackenzie sucks at football... every RB on our roster is better than he is.

 

[BFo8]

Anthony Morelli.

His contributions on the field would’ve been second only to his accomplishments in the classroom.

To lose out on that type of scholar athlete will always sting a bit.

 

[PhPanther2]

Keysheon Jarrett
Terrelle Pryor
Lavar Arrington
Justin King
Dorian Bell

 

[Swervin27]

Breaston and poslunsky (sp?), Hull from psu and canon Mac actually game to pitt during the psu sanctions and obviously stuck at psu, sucks we whiffed on him twice.

Breaston in Walt’s offense would have been sick. him and larry fitz in the same class? Fuhgetaboutit. some more names, in hindsight, that would have been nice to hit on: Nicholson, henry, hooker..

 

[WiseAndGlorious]

Easy #1 for me: Marc Bulger. He was right at the end of JMII so I have no idea if he would've come to Pitt. But he was down the street and he has said that Pitt never even offered. Imagine him having the keys to Walt's offense instead of Lytle, O'Connor etc. But this one hurt doubly as we then got to watch him drop 1,000 yards passing and about a dozen TD passes on Pitt over his time in Morgantown.

 

[lilspainishflea]

I liked Alphonso Smith. Wouldn't have been a program maker but he played at a high level at Wake and I think they won the ACC one year while he was a starter. He would have been a piece here and maybe helped stop Cinci in 2009.

 

[Las Panteras]

Sean Lee

 

[h2p_5150]

Breaston and poslunsky (sp?), Hull from psu and canon Mac actually game to pitt during the psu sanctions and obviously stuck at psu, sucks we whiffed on him twice.

Breaston in Walt’s offense would have been sick. him and larry fitz in the same class? Fuhgetaboutit. some more names, in hindsight, that would have been nice to hit on: Nicholson, henry, hooker..

One of my college roommates was good friends with Hull. He claims that Hull had his bags packed and was going to transfer here, but O'Brien talked him out of it.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Okay, I will play along.
Carson Wentz
Antonio Brown.
Julio Jones.
Eric Fisher.
Andrew Whitworth
Travis Kelce
David DeCastro.
Fletcher Cox
Von Miller
Jalen Ramsey
Harrison Smith
Earl Thomas

 

[rockypanther]

Robert Foster.

 

[PhPanther2]

Ron Powlus!!! and Ty Law

But honestly, Pryor could have changed everything here at Pitt. Damn.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Swervin27]

Ron Powlus!!! and Ty Law

But honestly, Pryor could have changed everything here at Pitt. Damn.

Matt cavanaugh and Dave wannstedt were the coaches. Pryor wasn’t doing anything at pitt, had he come here.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Matt cavanaugh and Dave wannstedt were the coaches. Pryor wasn’t doing anything at pitt, had he come here.

You’re misremembering.
He’d have been with Tyler Boyd playing for chryst.

 

[WiseAndGlorious]

You’re misremembering.
He’d have been with Tyler Boyd playing for chryst.

He’s actually correct. Pryor’s final year in CFB was 2010 - Wanny’s as well.

Pryor was in the 2008 recruiting class. Boyd was in 2013.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

He’s actually correct. Pryor’s final year in CFB was 2010 - Wanny’s as well.

Pryor was in the 2008 recruiting class. Boyd was in 2013.

Oops
Was thinking foster.

 

[LeftCoastPanther]

Thaddeus Lewis.

A big miss for Wannstedt in the 2006 class. He redshirts and starts all four seasons at quarterback. Pitt wins more games and plays in BCS games in his final three seasons. The 2007 campaign is much better with him, too.

 

[WiseAndGlorious]

Oops
Was thinking foster.

Yeah wrong message board wet dream.

 

[Swervin27]

Wannstedt would have had Pryor as a backup DE.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

OK, I will play for real. Biggest "true losses" where we were in it or should have been in it are, with the last decade or so.....
Sean Lee. Walt, what were you thinking? I mean, his brother went here.
Steve Breaston. My god, imagine Breaston and Fitz as your WR's? OH we can, we say the AZ Cards go to the Super Bowl with these two.
Dwayne Jarrett. Again, imagine him and Fitz at WR.
Miles Sanders. You could have been our starting back last year.
Alphonso Smith. Would have been a great CB for us.
Dravon Henry. Would again be a nice starter for us, and may have stopped this nonsense going on in the Beaver Valley.

 

[Swervin27]

Solid as Oak dude was a damn good center, Mangold. he'd have been nice. I remember Pozlunsky (sp?) loving pitt and then all of a sudden, committing to psu. that one hurt.

 

[WiseAndGlorious]

Solid as Oak dude was a damn good center, Mangold. he'd have been nice.

Wrong guy. "Solid as oak" was Mike Mangold, a defensive lineman that flipped to Florida circa Ron Zook and subsequently was never heard from again. Nick Mangold was the Ohio State center that played for the Jets. I don't recall Pitt ever getting a sniff from him.

However, "Pig" Smith might be near the top of this list if Narduzzi can't get him to commit.

 

[Swervin27]

Wrong guy. "Solid as oak" was Mike Mangold, a defensive lineman that flipped to Florida circa Ron Zook and subsequently was never heard from again. Nick Mangold was the Ohio State center that played for the Jets. I don't recall Pitt ever getting a sniff from him.

However, "Pig" Smith might be near the top of this list if Narduzzi can't get him to commit.

ouch, my bad. thanks for correction..

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Solid as Oak dude was a damn good center, Mangold. he'd have been nice. I remember Pozlunsky (sp?) loving pitt and then all of a sudden, committing to psu. that one hurt.

While on that note, we completely overlooked Dan Mozes of Washington and didn't even recruit him, he went to WVU and became an All American Center.

 

[jason21psu]

I don’t play that game - it leads to nowhere.

You don’t lose because of the guys you miss out on, you lose because of the guys you get but who aren’t good enough.

If you listen to ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM, this is almost exactly what Rick Neuheisel says.

 

[PittFanDan17]

I like these kind of threads during the offseason. Lee and Pryor. In regards to this season, Hudson and Sanders.

 

[Swervin27]

Hudson is a big one. Hudson last year and this year, at the boundary safety, would have really been nice. could have freed up Whitehead and going into this year, the safety spot is probably the one im most worried about. Campbell sounds promising but we wont know for sure.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Hudson is a big one. Hudson last year and this year, at the boundary safety, would have really been nice. could have freed up Whitehead and going into this year, the safety spot is probably the one im most worried about. Campbell sounds promising but we wont know for sure.

Hudson. And Winovich. Those are the two I was thinking of but couldn't remember.

 

[Jakey_John]

OK, I will play for real. Biggest "true losses" where we were in it or should have been in it are, with the last decade or so.....
Sean Lee. Walt, what were you thinking? I mean, his brother went here.
Steve Breaston. My god, imagine Breaston and Fitz as your WR's? OH we can, we say the AZ Cards go to the Super Bowl with these two.
Dwayne Jarrett. Again, imagine him and Fitz at WR.
Miles Sanders. You could have been our starting back last year.
Alphonso Smith. Would have been a great CB for us.
Dravon Henry. Would again be a nice starter for us, and may have stopped this nonsense going on in the Beaver Valley.

Steve Breaston is my top pick because like you said he and Fitz would have been unbelievable and there’s no denying it. People still talk about Fitz getting jobbed for the Heisman. Imagine what they’d be saying if he had another #1 WR playing on the other side of him.

 

[Las Panteras]

The kid mangold.......

I thought he ended up at virginia tech?

 

[WiseAndGlorious]

The kid mangold.......

I thought he ended up at virginia tech?

I don't think so, but who knows. Here is an ESPN blog post from 2014 on his UF class with a mention. (Tip: scroll down to "The Letdowns")

 

[Las Panteras]

Here are two names that would have changed the program. Both offensive linemen....in walts last or second to last year.


Gosder Cherilous and Jeremy Zuttah...both had Pitt and BC and Rutgers respectively as their finalists......and we lost out on both

Gosder went on to become a first round pick and Zuttah went in the third round.

Great college players that were anonymous as linemen and played at less than football factories.

 

[DiehardPanther]

The question was who got away. To me that means the recruit wanted to attend Pitt, and we botched it. Major Harris would be my answer. He fits that criteria.

The humorous reply is obvious. Vernon “Pig” Smith.

 

[rockypanther]

Barry Alvarez

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Barry Alvarez

Jimmy Johnson

 

[WiseAndGlorious]

Jimmy Johnson

Jock Sutherland

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

Jimmy Johnson

Kirk Ferentz