Looks like another verbal to add to the mix. Scout.com is now reporting that Ryan Turnley, an Guard out of Hopewell High in Aliquippa has committed to Pitt. Scout.com lists him only as a 1-star, while Rivals.com has him as a 2-star recruit. He’s also listed in the Rivals.com PA top 40 recruits at #37. Pittsburgh Sports Report has him as a possible late addition to their top-50.
Hey, even if he’s a project or more raw potential at this time, just good to get offensive linemen committing. He also had offers from Wisconsin, Louisville, Maryland and GT.
Follow-up: Rivals.com is listing Nic DiLillo as a soft verbal to Pitt at this time. Kevin Gorman is also posting that he has comitted.
We seem to be stockpiling a ton of linemen. Are these guys gonna have an instant impact or will we have to wait a few years to notice them?
Comment by Matt 06.25.07 @ 12:44 am
IMO, no instant impact unless you land the very rare Bill Fralic type (are even Jacobsen 2006 or Nix 2007 that good?). IMO, 17-18-19 year old big linemen coming out of HS almost always need time to develop the strength and technique to cope with guys their own size and usually stronger who are 20-21-22 years old. Since they were so much bigger than most others they faced in high school they got by mostly on their size and that’s no longer enough in Div 1A college. In basketball the same scenario typically applies to big men as their adjustment is also to learning to be able to play effectively against guys their own size–something most did not have to do often in HS.
Comment by pitt72 06.25.07 @ 8:35 am
If this kid got offers from all of these schools (including Wisconsin and Louisville) how is he only a one-star?
Comment by Crackbaldo 06.25.07 @ 9:51 am
The kid didn’t even make first or second team in his conference despite being bigger than everybody else and playing on a top team. The real question is, how did he get so many offers to begin with?
Comment by Mark 06.25.07 @ 10:56 am
The one-star ranking only indicates that the recruit has not been analyzed yet by that service. I think Turnley is probably a high 2 or low 3 star right now. Great potential though because of his footwork, but needs a year of Buddy Morris kicking his ass. Turnley definitely needs to get stronger and my advice to him would be to get with Buddy now and figure out a training schedule for this Summer and Fall. Strength is pretty much the only thing really holding him back at this point.
Comment by pittengineer75 06.25.07 @ 1:30 pm
The number of stars he has now doesn’t mean anything. These coaches know what they’re doing. I could understand if there was a lot of doubt if his offers were Akron, Ohio, Temple, and Pitt… but Wisconsin and Louisville aren’t going to all reach on a lineman who doesn’t have a lot of potential. Also, it shouldn’t be hard for a guy of that size to gain some strength. It’ll take some hard work and dedication, but honestly, most likely two years of it because he’s almost definitely going to red shirt.
Comment by Ace 06.25.07 @ 1:54 pm
Matt, to address your initial point, take a look at Joe Thomas and John Malecki last year. Both of them looked solid early on, but then got pushed around a bit once they got in with the likes of Michigan State. I remember watching the Michigan State game and the broadcast team commented on it at one point, but failed to mention that Thomas was blocking high school defensive tackles the year before.
Thomas and Malecki may still struggle some this year…they’re still young and they’re still learning the nuances of the position. Same thing with Nix, Jacobsen, etc. It may take a year or two for some of these kids to really mature physically to the point that they’ll become dominant linemen.
Comment by C.J. 06.25.07 @ 4:39 pm
My nephew is playing for Hopewell and while he’s just a freshman and won’t be on the field for the varsity games, I’m sure we’ll make a handful of varsity games with him. I’ll have to keep an eye on Turnley.
Comment by C.J. 06.25.07 @ 4:42 pm
[…] The newest commit, Ryan Turnley, has created a bit of head-scratching over getting a 1-2-star ranking yet have schools like Wisconsin, Louisville and GT being interested. Not to mention being listed in some rankings for top Pennsylvania players. […]
Pingback by Pitt Blather — The Rantings Continue Permalink » A Bit More Turnley 06.25.07 @ 5:04 pm
Also, keep in mind for Pitt (and Wisconsin and Louisville) to offer this early(and especially for Pitt when the number of ships is a little low–15-18?) means that the coaches really liked what they saw on film and at camp an awful lot. This isn’t a a “plan B” recruit like you sometimes see getting a ship in December or later after the “plan A” guy commits elsewhere.
Comment by pitt72 06.25.07 @ 7:15 pm
Tiny head:
Comment by bill 06.25.07 @ 9:35 pm
We can never have enough linemen. And although it’ll take 2-3 years before a kid is ready to play with jr’s and sr’s in the big east, this is what is needed for us to get better. We can’t expect them to do anything for at least 1-2 years, maybe 3. But you look at programs that have built up over the last few years, you get them in, spend a couple years whipping them into shape, and maybe we won’t give up 300 rushing yds a game, while gaining 50.
Comment by Stuart 06.26.07 @ 3:09 am
