No official word from Pitt (yet), but yesterday was the start of the college basketball early signing period.

24/7 Sports is reporting (though the story is behind a paywall), that both Mike Young and Josh Newkirk have signed with Pitt.

Josh Newkirk also tweeted out a photo of his signing day late last night.

With John Johnson’s departure, Pitt will definitely have one extra scholarship available. Pitt is still pursuing center BeeJay Anya. Regardless of whether Pitt gets Anya or not, Coach Jamie Dixon has shown he won’t just sit on a scholarship for a year. So, expect it to be used for 2013.

Only a two or three regular season games left on the schedule for many teams. The coaching carousel is getting warmed up for the latest whirl.

In Tennessee where, um, clearer heads are mostly aware that they won’t get Kevin Sumlin, Urban Meyer, and of course Jon Gruden; that leaves speculating on who they can get. And to what lengths they are willing to stoop (they are also not getting Bob Stoops).

Arizona State coach Todd Graham doesn’t need a dream to change jobs after a year. He already has Kiffined two programs, first Rice in 2006 and then Pittsburgh in 2011.

After last season, he told Panthers players goodbye via email and rushed off to Arizona State. All he left behind was a nickname: “Mr. All Talk Then Walk.”

Actually, he’s not all talk. He was 7-6 at Rice, 36-17 at Tulsa, and is now 5-5 at Arizona State, which returned only eight starters and has had four consecutive losing seasons.

If the Vols’ coaching search turns desperate — and they’re not above Kiffining somebody — Graham could be their guy.

/derisive snort

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