E-mailed story from Pittsburgh Sports Report.

The University of Pittsburgh had hoped to receive a commitment from Mount Lebanon tight end ANDREW DEVLIN, but the local product opted for the University of Virginia over the weekend.

The Panthers wasted no time finding a replacement, however, adding JORDAN GIBBS out of Penn Manor High School in Millersville, PA. The 6’7” 280 pound Gibbs is being recruited as an offensive tackle, but is athletic enough to be a blocking tight end, which is presumably where he’ll start out with the Panthers.

Gibbs is not rated by Rivals.com and has 1-star from Scout.com. It’s worth noting, though, that he had offers or interest from UVa, Illinois, BC, Md and PSU.

Also, Chris Dokish has some observations on media day courtesy of his editorTony DeFazio.

So, I watched the opening press conference on the All-Access. Here’s what I took note of.

Asst. AD E.J. Borghetti’s reminder to the media to “eat, eat, eat.” Not to mention making note that Joe Bendel showed up. He now works for Clear Channel/Fox Sports Radio 970 not the Trib (he’s still listed, though).

Next AD Long spoke. Welcomed everyone including net denizens watching on All-Access to year 117 of Pitt Football. This year being the anniversary years for Pitt championships from 1916 (90 years), 1936 (70 years) and 1976 (30 years). The 1976 championship will be honored at halftime of the opening game against UVa.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of that monumental season, the University of Pittsburgh will honor its 1976 national title team during halftime of the Panthers’ season-opening contest with Virginia on Sept. 2. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Members of the ’76 squad will appear at Panthers FanFest on Art Rooney Avenue for autographs from 3 to 4 p.m. They will also take part in Pitt’s “March to Victory” at 6 p.m., on General Robinson Street.

Another new feature will be for the students only. A “Panther Zone” for pregame. Featuring entertainment and activities. Twofold purpose would be my guess. Try and get more student involvement, and try to keep booze out of it.

Finally he pimps the new elite seating in the North End. The Endzone Club seats. Can’t find a working link for it, but  nothing like having a billiards table in your seating area along with the TVs.

Then it’s the main event with Coach Wannstedt.

*From the opening remarks.

Talking about leadership on the team, he said the seniors are the leaders. There are only 12 scholarship seniors, so they all play a major part.

On injuries, Kicker David Abdul has not and will not be medically cleared to practice for the duration of training camp. He might be cleared to play and practice by the start of the season itself.

TE John Pelusi is coming off his knee surgery, but will be in camp. He will practice but not any contact drills. DL Mick Williams and OL Dave Weber both have injuries that will delay their camp.

Regarding the NCAA Clearinghouse, Freshmen Aaron Smith and Jason Pinkston haven’t gotten it yet. Coach Wannstedt minimized it as a paperwork issue, that should be resolved very soon — possibly tomorrow.

*Q&A Time

On the split practices, he admitted that it will be a grind for the coaches that first week (5 practices). Looking at starting practice at 6 am and not getting to the coaches meetings until 10 pm.

On how they will work is that with the WR, one day a freshman will practice with the upperclassmen and one upperclassman will be with the freshmen. It will be a rotation that changes daily. Not to single out anyone.

The Offensive line will be better, but the lack of depth there is the biggest problem.

The Defensive line has to be significantly better for the defense and the whole team to take another step.

Big question marks for starters appears to be at WR, RB and the Kicker.

On the subject of the freshment, Defensive End Greg Romeus was singled out by Wannstedt as a very exciting player. The sleeper of training camp it would seem.

At the end of the press conference after Coach Wannstedt left, it was amusing to watch all the reporters go up to the podium to get their recorders. Many of them looked surly and downright dour. I guess the free grub just wasn’t up to snuff or something. No word as to whether Smizik was counting the minutes to see how long he was inconvenienced between the scheduled time and actual starting time.

It would appear the MAC is the biggest beneficiary/victim of ESPN no longer having the Mountain West to plug in during the fall on just about any day they need to fill program space. Miami (Ohio) has found itself playing on Sunday evening — it’s homecoming game this year. This is a Dayton/Cinci area story so the high school coaches aren’t worried. In fact it isn’t their problem.

To many, though, Sundays aren’t the main concern. The idea of playing on Friday night — the customary bastion of high school football — is the big worry.

And that concern continues, as 10 Friday-night college football games will appear on ESPN channels this season. The American Football Coaches Association has gone as far as taking an official stand against college football on Friday nights, said Grant Teaff, the AFCA executive director.

If his membership had its way, he said, college football would be restricted to Saturdays.

“I’ve not talked to one coach who really likes it,” Teaff said of non-Saturday games.

Steve Specht, who coached Cincinnati St. Xavier to the Division I state championship last season, isn’t bothered much by the University of Cincinnati hosting Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 8 for an ESPN2 audience. His team plays on Saturday, Sept. 9, against Lakewood St. Edward at Paul Brown Stadium.

For the teams playing on Friday night, though, Specht said there shouldn’t be concern in Cincinnati about falling attendance. “I honestly believe in this area people care a hell of a lot more about high school football than they do about college football,” Specht said. “I think it hurts the college game playing on Friday nights around here.”

You know, Cinci better do its best to make sure the Friday game is a sellout. You would hate to be outdrawn by a high school game.

While inching closer and closer to full-fledged Friday night football, some athletic directors are still drawing lines, they say. Pitt’s Jeff Long has given the Big East Conference his position on putting a Friday-night game at Heinz Field.

“My commitment has been we would not play a home game on a Friday night, and our conference has respected that,” said Long, a Kettering native. “The conference does have the ability to say, ‘You’re going to play on Friday night, and you’re going to play at home.’ But they haven’t done that.”

…Yet.

Sooner or later it will happen. The other BE football programs are not going to say, that Pitt should be given special treatment to never have to host a Friday night game. This year Cinci, UConn and USF will all host Friday night games. Last year Rutgers, Louisville and UConn hosted them. Sooner or later the Big East will go to Syracuse, WVU and Pitt and tell them it’s their turn.

As AD Long pointed out, the conference can compel them. So he can say that the school won’t but if ESPN and the Big East say otherwise, Pitt will find itself hosting a home game. Whether it’s “under protest” or not.

Friday games don’t just “compete” with the high schools, it hurts the hosting team with local recruits. They won’t be at the games or seeing the team play because they have their own games to play that night. It’s one less opportunity to get them to see a game.

[Editor Note: Okay, Lee not only lives in Altoona, he works in State College. His office, of course is just slightly filled with Penn State homers. Lee, graduated from Pitt and did masters work at Ohio State, so he carries dual loyalties, and completely annoys his co-workers with his teams. Rather than do real work, they demanded his analysis of the season from Penn State, Ohio State and Pitt. What follows is all Lee, and thus is credited as his post.]

But enough about me and the pride of the Big Ten. Let’s first focus on what I’m technically being graded on here.

You are… Penn State

Offense: Penn State’s surprising season last year has made many college football fans forget that it is still coached by the same staff that refused to play the eventual 2005 league MVP Michael Robinson at quarterback for at least two years and then barely started him over Anthony Morelli last fall (remember that?). For most of what could have been a great career, MRob sat behind the slow, immobile, pocket-passer Zack Mills and watched him get literally no protection from his offensive line (a mobile QB like MRob could have helped such a situation, I’m told). For the life of me, Anthony Morelli reminds me a lot of Zack. A great arm, but somewhat limited mobility. So ask yourself, can Jay “I’m here because I’m the best quarterbacks coach available” Paterno do a better job of coaching Morelli than he did the fellow pocket-passer Mills? Somehow, I doubt it. Hopefully, Morelli will spend more time with my boy, Williamsburg (Blair Co.) native Galen Hall, than JayPa.

As a former offensive lineman, I can’t help but focus on the trenches. And I question whether Morelli’s o-line in 2006 will be a whole lot better than some of Zack Mills’ lines. I agree with Bob that Levi Brown is probably going to wind up first team All Big Ten. But you can’t hide the fact that every other person on that line will be new. And experience counts with o-lines. Just ask Pitt. I always hated lining up with a sophomore beside me. So I think that Morelli’s going to be running for his life some this fall — especially against some of the better defensive lines of Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Michigan. Surely, Morelli can’t run like MRob. But, maybe some quick-outs or screens to those wonderful wide receivers or Hunt will help. Those receivers remain the one tool that Mills never had.

(this is borderline epic, so) and, much, much,

(more…)

Today is the local media day for Pitt. It is also time for the free preview of Panthers All-Access. It runs to the 15th before payment will be required. Right now there are 4 clips for viewing. A profile/interview with H.B. Blades and three with Coach Wannstedt talking about the team overall and expectations and the offense and defensive units.

Coach Wannstedt’s press conference will be carried live on the All-access at 9:15 am.

All-Access uses Windows Media Player, so Apple owners will feel discriminated and persecuted.

Story today focuses on how many players came from successful high school programs and never experienced a losing season until last year.

Given the pedigree of three of Pitt’s most important players, it is easy to understand why all three gave a puzzled look when they were recently asked at Big East media day what’s the best way to recover from a losing season. The Panthers were 5-6 last season, which marked their first losing campaign since 1999 — the same year Palko led West Allegheny to the first of three consecutive WPIAL crowns.

There’s some stuff about how last year with a couple good bounces the team could have been 8-3 and how the prior year the 8-3 regular season could have been 5-6. Which is essentially rebutted as an acceptable excuse.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt understands better than any of his players. Good teams might be a couple of bounces from a losing record, but great teams, the kind Wannstedt is trying to build, dominate most of their opponents and leave little to luck or chance.

“We are just starting to try and reload and build enough depth at every position that we can compete regardless of our injuries or whatever,” Wannstedt said. “I need to find the 22 best football players very quickly in camp this year, the 22 guys who give us the best chance to win, then fill in the spots behind them and go from there. We need to get to the point where we line up and beat people because we are better than they are.”

3 1/2 weeks to opening night kickoff.