There’s an article today about Pitt’s most recent QB commit, Wade Freebeck. Primarily how, for his senior season, he will be playing at a new school that is a notable step-up in power.

What Pitt coaches are eager to see is how Freebeck responds to the dramatic upgrade in competition this season. Freebeck transferred from Western High School to St. Thomas in Ft. Lauderdale after last season.

“He needs to have this year under his belt to gain experience at the highest level,” said Congemi, who quarterbacked St. Thomas’ first undefeated team in the early 1980s.

St. Thomas won its seventh state championship last season in Florida’s second-highest classification. It is No. 16 in MaxPreps’ preseason national rankings and has scheduled games this year at two NFL venues. The first will be against Miami Northwestern at Sun Life Stadium, home of the Dolphins, before St. Thomas ventures into the Superdome in New Orleans where the opponent will be defending national champ John Curtis (La.) Christian.

“There is a lot of pressure at St. Thomas,” coach Rocco Casullo said.

Even at a lower level school, Freebeck managed to be classified a 3-star QB. So his stock could rise.

(more…)

When Elijah Fields first came to Pitt, there was never any disputing his talent or potential. Anyone and everyone spoke glowingly of that aspect. It was the other stuff that gave people pause. The academics. The people with whom he stayed tight. Questions of how much he actually cared. Those were the things that could derail him. And eventually they did.

He missed time for academic issues. He missed time for “violating team rules.” He would make mistakes on the field because he was solely relying on his natural ability.

A week after Pitt freshmen check out the Mel Blount Youth Home for a bit of reality checking, a piece on Elijah Fields trying grow-up and make the NFL.

“I was 19, 20 years old back then and I know I made some real bad decisions and did some dumb things, but that was a long time ago,” said Fields, who was dismissed from Pitt’s football team in the spring of 2010 before his senior season.

“You go through stuff, you grow up, you mature and you have to move on. I’ve learned a lot through it all, I’m just ready for what is next for me.”

Fields was suspended several times and in the coaches’ doghouse many times at Pitt for various violations of rules. He was late for meetings, had a poor attitude and used marijuana.

But Fields, 25, said he has been on the straight and narrow for three years and recently completed an excellent season with the Green Bay Blizzard of the nine-team Indoor Football League. He hopes his performance will lead to an opportunity to achieve his ultimate dream: playing in the NFL.

To say Fields was a mess off-the-field is putting it mildly. He was suspended for the entire 2007 season after being suspended during spring practices. He gave Pitt no choice but to give up on him by the end. It wasn’t the immediate wake-up call. As sadly expected he couldn’t get his academics in shape enough to qualify at California University of Pennsylvania or North Alabama. Instead he began his minor league football career.

He’s said the right stuff before.

Three years later he may get a chance to at least try for that opportunity in the NFL. I hope he makes it. Even more, I hope his words of maturing and being focused are more than just words this time. He’s had the chances before, but blown them. For a football career, there isn’t much time left.