Well, new Coach Mike Haywood is trying to work while the whole situation remains weird.
While Haywood is working hard to get off to a running start on recruiting, he has had some challenges. Pitt (7-5) is playing in the BBVA Compass Bowl against Kentucky (6-6) on Jan. 8, which means Wannstedt and his staff are still working at least through that day. Haywood and Elias, who came to Pitt with Haywood from Miami (Ohio), had to get special waivers from the NCAA to be able to begin recruiting for Pitt because of limits on the number of full-time coaches permitted on a staff.
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Haywood has not gone to the office until the evening and has worked into the early hours of the morning because he wants the players to understand it is still Wannstedt’s team until after the bowl game. He also wants to make sure the Panthers have every opportunity to end things on a positive note with a win against Kentucky.“It is really important for me and for everyone, really, to give coach Wannstedt the respect which he deserves for the job he’s done,” Haywood said. “I never had the opportunity to meet him before, but now I’ve had two chances to sit down and talk with him and I even got a chance to sit back and watch a practice.
“Coach was really open and forthcoming. I wanted to find out his perspective on things, on the program, on what we need to do in recruiting, on who the key people are around the state — all of those things, and he was really open with information and extremely helpful.”
