The long reported, discussed and dissected have now been addressed by Pitt and Coach Wannstedt. While there is no official press release on the Pitt website (at this time), Coach Wannstedt did discuss transfers, some more recruiting and early starts.
First the good is that Jovani Chappel out of the Dayton, Ohio area has already enrolled and begun taking classes. Chappel is a cornerback who will be eligible for spring drills. He will be one of many competing to take the place of Josh Lay.
Then there are the departures. Again, no surprises, just becoming official. Rashad Jennings is heading to Liberty.
Jennings, the Panthers’ second-leading rusher last season, has enrolled at Liberty, a Division I-AA school in Lynchburg, Va. He will be eligible to play this fall.
“It’s home,” said Jennings, who wanted to go to school closer to his family in Forest, Va. “The campus is 10 minutes away from my house. I took time to pray over it, and I believe I’m fulfilling my calling.”
At Liberty, Jennings will be play for first-year head coach Danny Rocco, a graduate of Fox Chapel High School and Penn State. Rocco replaced Shaler native Ken Karcher, who was fired with one game left in what turned out to be a 1-10 season.
WR Terrell Allen is heading to Coastal Carolina or Gardner-Webb and TE Robbie Agnone is going to Delaware. A fresh start and playing time are the issues.
And, of course, there is Greg Lee entering the NFL Draft.
“I want to recruit potential first-round draft picks every year,” he said. “The more guys that make the NFL, the better for our program and for recruiting. But in Greg’s situation, I’d like to see him stay because I think he could have helped himself with another year. I think it really would have been good for his opportunities. I spoke with his dad and he also wanted him to stay, but sometimes there is more involved than it would seem.
“More time would have certainly helped him, but I wish him the best and hope he succeeds.”
When it first became known that Lee was heading to the NFL, there were reports that Wannstedt had a confrontation with Lee’s agent, Michael Huyghue, about the situation. Wannstedt said that his interaction with Huyghue was not confrontational, but certainly wasn’t cordial either.
“I’m not really going to comment on that stuff,” Wannstedt said. “It was a difference of opinion. I’m going to take care of my guys, the players that committed to Pitt. It is my job to help them achieve their dreams. And I want them all to better themselves, but if I think they need more time, I couldn’t in good conscience sit back and not voice my opinion.
“I know what it takes to play in the NFL and I’ve been around enough to know that I can help my players if they listen to good advice and put themselves in the best situation to succeed.
“Losing Greg and Rashad hurts, but it doesn’t change one thing about our preparation for the season. All it means is that all of the young running backs and receivers are going to get a bigger opportunity this year. They are all one step closer to the field.”
Very interesting.
Pitt still has a couple more recruiting weekends and several more targets.
Pitt’s remaining targets include two WPIAL players — Duquesne wide receiver Elijah Fields and Trinity tackle Andy Miller — defensive back Aaron Berry from Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg, defensive ends Geno Atkins (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), McKenzie Mathews (Syracuse, N.Y.) and Audie Augustine (Oakland Park, Fla.), wide receiver Tamarcus Porter (Pahokee, Fla.), quarterback Thaddeus Lewis (Hialeah, Fla.) and Perry wide receiver Aundre Wright.
Most of these players have already been to Pitt for official visits. Right now Wright is the only scheduled visitor for this weekend, and Augustine for next.
There’s also a shot taken in the P-G at recruiting sites. Sure it’s 6 months or so behind the stuff from the summer, but this kind of bashing is year-round. The usual stuff about how they aren’t really experts, cheerleaders for the school they cover, etcetera.
Oh, and PantherReport (the Scout.com site) is now PantherDigest.com.
