To round a crazy two days, Chryst and company added three more verbals today. These are verbals eight through ten for the class of 2014. First up is Staunton, VA DT Mike Herndon. Herndon is a 3 star prospect on Rivals, unrated by Scout, and a 2 star on 247. Most importantly, we beat out Virginia Tech for his services. Mike has had a VT offer since his sophomore year. You may see that he’s listed as an OT on the recruiting sites, but the coaches envision him as a DT and you’ll see why below.

The second verbal came from Fox Chapel LB Quintin Wirginis. He’s unrated by all of the scouting sites at the moment but that will change soon. Wirginis got his Pitt offer on Monday and it didn’t take him long to think it over. After an unofficial visit on Wednesday, he called the coaches to give them his commitment.

Last but not least, as I edited, Center/DT Connor Dintino from Wallingford, Connecticut committed. Dintino is a 3 star prospect on Rivals and 247. He had offers from UConn and Buffalo. Dintino, like many recent verbals, got his offer at a recent prospect camp. He’s a consensus top 3 player in the state of Connecticut.

(more…)

Since Chas and Justin are doing such a great job with the day to day recruiting news coming out of the Southside I thought I’d chip in a bit with some background info I have picked up over the last two years…

Now that recruiting has heated up a bit and there have things to discuss here’s some info that pertains to Chryst and his 2013 & 2014 recruiting.  First off, if you didn’t already know, this staff doesn’t formally offer and/or accept a commitment unless;

1) They have seen the recruit in person in a game or in a PITT camp (preferably both) and visited with him personally;

2) They have visited the recruit’s HS and talked with his family, teachers and football staff there and;

3) Have had done a detailed and complete academic and personal background review on the recruit by coaches and members of the PITT Athletic Support Staff.

Let’s be honest here – they are looking at arrest records and asking about previous legal problems for any over 18 also.  How far they can legally go into that depends on the privacy laws of the state the recruit lives in.  All that takes some time especially with kids who might rise up on the recruiting big board after the camps.  

So this is also what Chryst said he would do right after he was hired. This is what fans who complain about “slow play” recruiting don’t understand. It is once they have seen and visited with the kid, determine they actually want him, then feel comfortable about him actually wanting to be at PITT with the standards listed above and do they start the pressure.

That “him actually wanting to be here” is a key component now and one that seems to drive fans crazy because it entails having the recruit take visits elsewhere and then making a solid decision.  The last thing Chryst wants is a disgruntled player on the roster who has second thoughts about his choice and thus will transfer later.  That screws everyone in the long run.  

(more…)