There are drumbeats along the Monongahela, albeit hearsay I’ll remind readers, saying that four transfers “depending on what happens during the spring practices” might happen. The gist of this is that two TEs and two QBs might be thinking there are greener pastures elsewhere given that Coach Graham is instituting a new system on offense. Hell, with just the tempo at which they are practicing I’m surprised players aren’t walking away in droves – it would kill 99% of us PITT fans.
So, let the speculation begin!! One fact that floats to memory is that Todd Graham mentioned a while back that Chris Mike had been moved from FB to TE. Perhaps the HC sees the TE position more like an H-Back as opposed to the traditional TEs we are used to. Another thing to keep an eye on as the practices are reported. But those are the two offensive positions that will be impacted the most by the new system.
We probably all expected transfers to happen given the turmoil of the December – January personnel moves and the different approach to football that Todd Graham has brought into the program. We also had to be aware that it is a fact that the pro-style system the players were recruited to play in no longer exists for the most part. Wannstedt was able to sell to recruits and their families the number of players he put into NFL camps each year, which may not be the case so much any longer.
I think it is safe to say that all of us PITT fans hope this isn’t true and it may not be, but if it is… so be it. Life rears its ugly head sometimes and these players certainly have a right to choose whatever college football career path they want. Personally, I hate it when a kid transfers away from the University of Pittsburgh because, aside from football, I think they are missing out on what could be a wonderful educational opportunity in a vibrant city… but that’s just me. However, these players do have high aspirations of continuing on in professional football after college and it is natural for a young man to chase that dream.
That said, sometimes what a kid feels in the beginning of a change isn’t necessarily what he’ll feel after he gets accustomed to it. This may well be chatter from some players who just don’t know what the immediate future holds so they are anxious about it.
On another note – the 2011 PITT Football Spring Prospectus has hit the street. It is a large download and already events are making some info outdated, but it holds a ton of interesting stuff about the program.
QB needs to be quick thrower, well… I assume thats true either way
Its obvious Graham isnt going to run the summaer day camp that Wanny was running and you better be all in if you are going to be successful in this program. Those that dont buy in or that arent willing to work should probably look elsewhere. Its about time we get a coach in here that is looking to put the best and hardest working players on the field and stop rewarding potential. If this means having a slightly down year then so be it.
In 1973, a group of young men began their first football practice in the wake of a one-win season the year before. Those who survived the new head coach’s intense drills formed one of the best college football teams—ever. This year marks the 30th anniversary of a stellar season in Pitt football history.
A Season to Remember
The players aren’t even off the buses, but they’re already sweating. The head coach stands at the front of a school bus and looks down the aisle, past the nervous, shiny faces of fresh recruits, through the rear window to the line of buses beyond. There are six buses in all, and within them sits the future of the University of Pittsburgh football program.
It’s the summer of 1973, and newly recruited coach Johnny Majors has brought the returning members of last year’s team (with its dismal record of 1 win-10 losses) to Pitt’s Johnstown, Pa., campus. He also has brought along nearly a hundred new recruits. Majors intends to forge a team that will wipe out nine years of losing records. His plan is simple: He will work this team harder than any team he has ever coached. He has enough recruits to make the competition at each position three, four, even five players deep, and he will subject the players to punishing drills in sweltering heat. The ones who don’t quit will be the toughest, best-conditioned, and most dedicated. With temperatures close to triple digits, the fields of Pitt-Johnstown form the perfect crucible.
The days burn through. Majors works his plan, prowling among wide receivers who dart through crossing patterns and hovering near offensive linemen as they lower their shoulders into blocking pads. He’s everywhere. Shrill whistles and barked orders from assistant coaches tunnel through the heavy summer air. Majors chews on chunks of ice, a habit that cools him during practice—and helps him keep his cool on the sidelines on game day. The players he intently observes will eventually form the nucleus of a team that ESPN.com will, in 2001, rank among the best ever. But now, most are just struggling to put one foot in front of the other.
“I called my dad and said, ‘I think I’m over my head here,’” recalls nose tackle Al Romano (CAS ’77), a new recruit in ’73. “My brother was in the Marines. After I finished with Pitt, I thought the Marines had nothing on us.”
AND FINALLY AN INTERESTING QUOTE FROM THE STACHE:
“After that camp, everybody was on board,” says current Pitt head football coach Dave Wannstedt (EDUC ’76G, ’74), who sweated out the days alongside the recruits as a senior captain and offensive lineman. “Those who were left were committed to the cause.” That cause was to bring pride back to Pitt football.
