Pitt has a big basketball game tomorrow at Washington, yet I am still writing about recruiting stuff. That’s messed up.
USA Today had a story on Pitt recruiting after the WVU win among other things.
During the West Virginia game, Wannstedt, who recently had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, pitched his crutches in frustration. His annoyance peaked with two horrendous penalties against Pitt in the second half that could have reversed the outcome on the road.
“I ended up breaking one of them,” he said. “The next day I was in the training room with the players. I set myself back a week, but it was worth it.”
My wife was glaring at me for most of the week for leaving her with the sick kids while I went to the game. It was worth it.
Getting the right players is paramount. Wannstedt recalled what USC’s Pete Carroll told him when he considered the job at his alma mater: “Get a good offensive and defensive coordinator. And you better have seven guys who can recruit.”
Today, he will host 14 recruits at the school. Two days ago, one of the top recruits in western Pennsylvania, Cameron Saddler, verbally committed to the Panthers in the wake of their upset of the Mountaineers after he appeared to be a lock to attend Virginia, or possibly WVU.
“We’ve been talking about turning the corner with this program with recruiting good players and getting Pitt back to where it was in the ’70s,” Wannstedt said. “The win over West Virginia really gave us a big shot in the arm. That was a big recruiting game for all the local kids. We’ll see when it’s all said and done in February how many we actually end up with.”
Wannstedt does say he’s planning to review the assistant coaches and players – as would be standard at this point — to see what can improve. No surprise the biggest concern is the O-line.
The area hit hardest by graduation is the offensive line, and it will be an area of concern yet again for the Panthers with left tackle Jeff Otah, center Chris Vangas and right tackle Mike McGlynn moving on. Jason Pinkston, who will be a redshirt sophomore after shoulder surgery this season, could move from right to left tackle. A junior-college center will attempt to be signed as well, so a tackle must emerge. Wannstedt did not rule out moving some defensive linemen to offense, but he wouldn’t confirm anything.
“We’ve got to bring the offensive line together,” Wannstedt said. “We’ve got to determine the five starters, and then we’ve got to get them playing together as fast as we can. … That’s our top priority in the spring.”
Getting that JUCO Center to verbal this weekend would be huge for Pitt. Not only is Vangas gone, there wasn’t much behind him (which was why he kept the job).
Brief aside, anyone else just a little concerned that even at this point Wannstedt refers to Elijah Fields as “week to week?” I can’t help but worry he will never make it back when the structure of the regular season — even if he was suspended for the season — is not in place.
But looks like he is not interested:
http://sports.aol.com/ncaafb/story/_a/rutgers-schiano-turns-down-michigan/20071207104209990001
That is unless Dickerson, Byham, Martin, and Romeus get in trouble for something that happened on tuesday. A minor offense, but a problem none the less.
Dickerson is a possible. Especially with Wanny sitting down with him to see where he goes. Dickerson could be a redshirt actually
Explain. You have to post more than that…
The local news reports tonight that Shayne Hale is considering PITT.
Does anybody know what these recruits actually do on a visit? I’m sure they tour southside, northside and the cathedral. Where do they take them to eat? Where do they stay?
Also, I think it was Dokish that said Hale would be the middle LB of the future. I read somewhere that he may grow into a DE. Dokish usually is close to being right all the time although he will never admit when he’s wrong.
They’ll just have to run some extra laps this offseason…
Gardiner grabbed a greyshirt offer from OSU. that may mean that pitt is going to throw the house at recruiting Hale, and really really recruit him as a linebacker. I can really see Gardiner taking the offer from OSU even if it is a greyshirt.. On the other hand his teammate is now at Pitt.
The QB issues are going to be really weird. Cross could commit as early as sunday. remember he has to decide by jan so he can enroll for next semester. I have heard alot of rumors. I have heard that Wanny will take three or two. The situation would be Bostick would redshirt if cross came in, or would most likely redshirt depending on how well Cross actually does in the Spring. The other situation i heard is if Wanny does in fact take the first two to commit and it ends up being Tino and Stoudt Bostick may likely play next year and those two would redshirt. Stoudt is a lock for a redshirt. He is still somewhat raw. Tino would most likely get redshirted, but scouts seem to think he would be ready quicker than stoudt.
Rivals is reporting Marcus Sales is another guy that might commit this weekend. ( Not too exciting to me since i would like to see Baldwin, Alexander, and Shanahan and then address other positions)
It seems like rivals feels that almost all the guys coming to visit minus one or two should lean towards Pitt.
Regarding what a recruit does on his official visit - I don’t know exactly what is laid out for them (pun intended) but this Sunday is the football team awards banquet so I’m sure they will be invited guests of honor for that - and you can be damn sure DW will sit these kids down and show them tape of the WVU game. He’ll trot out our next stand up comedian in Cameron Saddler also I bet - that kid’s motor runs a mile a minute it seems and he’s always talking.
I get more and more impressed with Stoudt every time I read anything while researching him. If he’s still ‘raw’ then watch out PITT, because this kid did it all last season for his HS team. Watch tapes of him on YouTube and you’ll see what I’m talking about. His stats were outstanding and he lead a winning team at a very high level. Re: comparisons to Brady Quinn… Let’s remember Quinn really benefited from being coached by Charlie Weis at ND - Quinn’s start there wasn’t that great.
Regarding DW’s comments about Elijah Fields; the thing that troubled me the most was the off handed reference to “he’s keeping his weight down” ???? WTF? That came out of left field, and Elijah might be the only kid I know that gains weight AFTER he quits smoking reefer.
That really is why he didnt have big time offers… He finally started his senior year… Teams werent sure what they are getting and one year is a little chancy. Combines are nice and all, but you have to see what the kid does in a game situation.
I attended a combine yesterday, and there was one kid that the guys were raving about in the combine, but all the coaches said he is poor in games.
You can be sure if stoudt played his junior year and did even close to what he did this year he would have offers BC, Rutgers, Syracuse, North Carolina, Tenn, and Michigan State. Those are the types of schools that would be after him
Might be old news for some, but it’s new to me — haven’t logged on since the Wvu game.
Sure, the kid chose Pitt over Virginia (and Wvu), and recently “upgraded” to 4 Star status in recruiting rankings that henceforward, therefore “upgrade” Pitt’s standings therein, as well.
So while it’s pretty impressive work by the staff (on paper, in print), one has to wonder if this Pitt team needs another generously-listed 5-foot-7, 165 pound RB?
If his contribution is limited to special teams (as punt-kick returner), I’m okay with it. And if he adds another 2-3 inches of height, some play in the secondary might be warranted.
Where things get scary-out-of-control, though, is when you contemplate the kid running the ball up-the-middle aka Stephens-Howlings.
It’s a frightening proposition but, IMO, DW just can’t stand the thought of losing Larod to injury or graduation.
So lets just hope the kid’s utilized appropriately, within limits of sanity.. not imagination.
I understand the concern regarding his lack of offers. I think Adams point was that he only got offers his senior season because it was the first time he has played as a started. I highly doubt many schools would offer a back-up but I’m not a expert.
I’m JUST KIDDING of course. Hey, a couple of the top QBs in the NFL right now were MAC players. They aren’t garbage schools and they wouldn’t offer garbage. Maybe he’s not the top prospect but then again, we aren’t elite enough to expect that with every recruit, either. The kid has great size and got some serious accolades in a great high school football state. With the relatively few number of scholarships to offer this year, maybe for once we (especially I) should have some faith the coaches know what they’re doing.
Big basketball game in a bit against UW. I think the number is 31 straight non-con wins at home for the Huskies. We could snap that but I’m a bit worried still. We can’t turn the ball over like we did in the first half vs Duquesne. Brockman is gonna go apeshit today and hopefully that Appleby kid stays on the bench.
We are taking a lot of QBs it seems - that is if Sunseri and Cross sign on.
Stoudt’s offers: Romeus was offered by Akron, Central Florida, Uconn, Delaware, and Rutgers. Enough said.
So many QBs: I think Wannstedt is serious about not getting stuck having to play a certain QB due to injury ever again. Who knows which of these QBs will turn out to be the best - he’ll have an open competition, and if one is ineffective in the game, he’ll have options.
Someone make Cook stop shooting…
And a cheap chippy foul on Blair…awesome…
And Blair destroyed that kids jaw boxing him out…
Now the otherway, all those are fouls. It’s amazing we’re still within 10.
How about a couple of guys are laying out of bounds fighting for the ball - NO OUT OF BOUNDS CALL - instead a “push” on us. Unbelieveable.
Pitt will settle down and win this.
What a terrible call on Cook — total bullshit… LET THEM PLAY!!!
Ramon cannot create his shot…nothing new here
3 point shooter killing us…ditto
Biggs missing dunks…ditto
Pitt sleep walking 1st half…ditto..
shooting % poor
foul shooting atrocious…ditto
But there is something exciting about this team.
Cannot figure it out but Fields last shot says a lot….
I think we pull this one out…Go Pitt
If they can pull things together and settle down — they have the athleticism to do something in March.
Besides getting murdered with the foul calls, our biggest problem is leaving the short white kid open to bury 3’s all day…didn’t they get the scouting report on him? Ramon is ENTIRELY TOO SLOW to chase that kid around all day…Benjamin refuses to guard him for more than 10 seconds at a time before he wanders off…and when we double Brockman, they just rotate the ball around until he’s open. What is funny is the one time they made him drive, he shot like a girl. This is going to be a long day…
spur - you think our guys are firing up those “wild uncontrolled” shots because they’re falling over by themselves? Good luck with that. Gee, they also have twice the foul shots as us… I can’t believe they didn’t call as for an offensive foul when that kid took a dive…what an embarassment.
You can see it in how pissed off field’s is and cooks demeanor…what a joke…
I’m not a Stillers fan - i could care less about the game 2 years ago.
It doesn’t have to “go for us” - i just want it called even, consistently both ways.
Like i said, the officiating is poor in this game, rewind the Tivo, take a look.
I’ll stop pointing it out when you admit you’re wrong.
WOW! Fields with the shot while getting hit - and a foul call! AMEN!
Please make these levance…
I still don’t think this is over…i imagein a 3 here…
And on cue…terrible…
…i still can’t believe we were in that position…
Dammit though we still need a clutch FT shooter… 2/10ths from losing….
But it is a huge win, something UCLA and 30 other teams haven’t done the last couple years…
Blair …a man child!!
Need to work on stopping that three or the Dukies will have us for breakfast!!!
Wow, I wonder if the Washington fans will pull a “Seahawk” and cry about this one?
But it was obvious that the clock was at 0.0 when he got rid of it.
I guess the Huskies would’ve won that one if College Basketball games were 40:00.2 long!
Thank god they shot that a tenth too late…that’s the ONLY thing that went our way today…
Louisville lost to Dayton. Dayton apparently isn’t anything to scoff at, and we have to go there in a few weeks.
And the Dookies kicked the crap out of Michigan. Our non-con schedule this year is shaping up to be the toughest in…. well I can’t remember when!
Refs were a complete joke…
We still continue to suck against full court pressure..
Im a little worried against a guy like hibbert… There big men arent that good and we didnt look extremely comfortable against them. Not horrible, but these big men are not roy hibbert
At least the officials got the big call right.
I feel realy good about what I saw from Blair, Fields and the rest of the team today. Slow start, away game, against a talented team on the west coast while the refs make horrendous calls and yet we still pull out a strong win…GO PITT!
I understand the concern regarding his lack of offers. I think Adams point was that he only got offers his senior season because it was the first time he has played as a started. I highly doubt many schools would offer a back-up but I’m not a expert.
Comment by dan 12.08.07 @ 1:16 pm”
My reply:
1. There is reason to think the QB’s already on the roster aren’t good or the staff wouldn’t be getting three more.
2. I said many times that Cross will start next year and I think he is going ot be good.
3. I never said Stoudt wouldn’t be good down the road. What I said was that it’s ludicrous that a First Team Big School QB in Ohio was somehow under the radar and that colleges stopped offering people for the last four months.
I wouldnt agree with the fact that you hate all qb’s and you have reason to be critical of them mark.
Im just saying that i really do believe that the reason he didnt get the big time offers had to do with the fact that teams didnt really start giving him close looks until a few months ago.
Stoudt is nothing Amazing, but he is a good three star qb. He is a guy that could go either way. It is so difficult to measure a qb, because it is a position that mental toughness must factor in to.
I really still like Tino more. and he said if his parents feel comfortable he will commit monday. He said his mom met with DW and he talked with Louisville the other day.
Easy on mark guys. Its not hard to understand why he would be critical on our qb’s.
Im in complete agreement with you on Cross- he looks like a huge upgrade over anything we have now. Frankly, I understand your concerns over Stoudt and agree with you on Stull and Smith- they have very limited potential.
Nothing wrong with MAC teams either. Roethisberger played there. So did Charlie Batch. The Panthers need depth and promise at the QB slot. Stoudt offers both. So will hopefully Sunseri and Cross.
Me: Huge expletive with kids in the room, nearly tear my hat in half. I keep ranting about crappy refs as I immediately go straight upstairs without looking back at the TV to grab a shower (going straight out to dinner).
A few minutes later, my wife opens the bathroom door, me in the shower with shampoo in my hair, still fuming big time.
Wife: “Hey, the shot didn’t count.”
Me: “What?”
Wife: “The shot didn’t count.”
Me: “He didn’t get it off in time?”
Wife: “Yeah.”
Me: “[Bleepin'] yeah! We deserved after those mother [bleepin'] calls!”
Seriously, I’ll admit we played terribly in the first half. But the second half that was a great performance. The refs were atrocious! Missed travels, that missed foul on the oop to Blair, that ticky-tacks on our guys, including that one on Young when he’s just freaking standing there with his arms up. Should he turn and run away next time, ref? And UW was freaking out of their heads from behind the arc.
Yes, Levance missed that last front end, but he nailed those two FTs the possession before, which was huge. He was clutch all second half. As was Sam and Blair. That’s one of the best halves of Pitt hoops I’ve seen in several years.
Great freakin’ win.
I’m glad i’m not the only one that thought that reffing was down right awful…it was making me sick watching it…you’d hear a whistle, start to clap, and then realize we were getting hammered with a terrible call….unbelieveable…
go pitt.
“DW treated me badly,” wah wah wah. You quit on the guy and screwed him. Seems like it’s going to work out for you just fine. You did well in a lower division and got some attention. You’ll get that tuition you had to pay back times 100,000. Had you gotten the ‘fair shake’ I’m sure you think you didn’t get at Pitt, you might have become the next John Ryan. If you were lucky.
Same with freakin’ Luke Getsy. These kids act like they had no clue there would be competition at the position. They committed to a program with a guy seen as the biggest recruit at Pitt since Dan Marino, so I’m sure they figured they were 8-balled (or 3-balled as it were) — but (1) given Palko’s status, what did they expect? and (2) even given the situation, coaches aren’t dumb enough to sit you if you’re THAT much better. Notice that Dorin Dickerson sits more than he plays in favor of kids that were afterthought recruits at multiple positions. I saw each of those guys play in Blue/Gold games, and they simply didn’t outplay Palko. But of course, the press treats them like Pitt gave them the Austin Scott date treatment. I wish them no ill will but in my eyes, they are just two kids who quit on my favorite program, so I ain’t feeling bad for them.
he threw mostly deep routes. That is why he was picked off. They had him throwing a lot of jumpballs because he had such a cannon of an arm. Dont expect a great player by any means. I would say his passing will be a little worse than rod rutherford was, so nothing amazing, but an average guy. He should be a nice scrambler though.
This kid is challenging for a starting spot and if he isnt good enough just giving depth incase something like this year happens again.
everyone is so down on stull… Im really not sure why..
stull hasnt had the opportunity to do anything yet.
Some guys are saying just based on the fact that he had to compete with kevan smith and bostick for a starting spot that he sucks, but you never know guys. some kids are gamers, and i just dont think its fair to judge bill YET…
Kevan Smith and Bostick will improve in the offseason. The problem is with all their improvement they should still be below average qbs for next year. Stull and Cross i think will battle for the starting job, and Stoudt (and tino if he commits) will redshirt.
The word is that Stoudt committed with a soft verbal… Alot of guys think that he felt the pressure from Tino and thought he would lose his only BCS conference scholarship, so he committed really fast. Alot of recruiting analysts think schools that dont get the qb they are holding out on are going to pursue him late and he may decommit from Pitt. I Think that is why Dave is still really pursuing Tino.
its going to get real interesting here. We have alot of guys that want to play Qb and Wr for us…
Note - this is not to be construed as me giving up on Bostick - i still think the kid has a foundation, he just needs to practice for a year or so…
Geez, Carmen, as long as you’re sure that you’re sure, there couldn’t be a problem; in the broad scheme of things, it shouldn’t matter to anyone in particular if you’re a girl but not a guy, or a guy but not a girl, or something btw — albeit let’s consider for a second that people are, in fact, sorta particular nonetheless, and that particularities are hard not to come by in folks’.
So that given-taken, if I read comments regularly and, even if for fault of memory, recall those authored by “Carmen,” how does-should one differentiate comments from “Carmen” at this here site from others linked to, … well
As for his stats, he was the MVP in the best JC conference in the country and turned a team that lost 18 straight before his arrival into one of the best JC teams in the country. What more proof do you need of his talent?
p.s. Honestly, has anyone actually seen him play?
They know he has the talent to be better than any other qb. Like i said before he throws deep routes which equal interceptions. He played in a good juco conference.
but yeah, you never know how a qb especially will turn out. I do love his scrambling though. his arm is absolutely unbelievable… The thing is though, like i said before rutherford had a cannon and he never was that impressive
WE NEED BYHAM HEALTHY NEXT YEAR
we have no depth at te… It would be nice to have mike cruz to commit