After watching the quarterback be pounded over the last couple years, there isn’t a Pitt fan with a pulse unaware of the need to significantly improve the offensive line. Steps have been taken over the last couple of years, but 2014 is the first year Pitt has landed two studs for the O-line in the same year. Mike Grimm committed a while ago, and after a long courtship Alex Bookser verbaled to Pitt.
Mt. Lebanon offensive lineman Alex Booker made a verbal commitment to Pitt. It is a good catch for Pitt as Bookser is rated a four-star offensive lineman by Rivals.com. Bookser also made official visits to Penn State, Ohio State and Tennessee.
Bookser is 6 feet 6, 295 pounds. He was a Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 selection and was named all-state today.
What’s funny about Bookser is he was recruited as an offensive lineman, but coaches in the WPIAL Class AAAA Southeastern Conference selected him first-team all-conference as a defensive lineman.
Yeah, but he is staying on the O-line. Ohio State was considered the other team he was really considering, so this is a big verbal. Bookser isn’t just a 4-star on Rivals.com. He is a universal 4-star on 247, Scout.com and ESPN.
Bookser should not be penciled in as a starter for next year. I don’t think he will redshirt, but he still needs a chance to develop. From the ESPN scouting report:
Bookser is a prospect with good size and ability. With focus on just offense and the same type of fire given on that side of the ball, he can develop into a very good college offensive lineman. We don’t see an immediate contributor as he needs to develop and polish technique, but he has the tools to grow into a fine starter.
Pass protection, especially, is where he needs to improve.
Given the way the regular season ended. The recent misses on recruiting and other questions that percolate when a fanbase is frustrated, this was a very big verbal for Coach Paul Chryst and the rest of the staff.
And now the focus turns to a couple other players.
Four-stars Montae Nicholson of Gateway and Shai McKenzie of Washington list Pitt among their final choices and will announce their plans Thursday and Friday.
It’s reportedly down to Michigan State and Pitt for Nicholson. As for McKenzie, he’s doing a hat tease. Tweeting three hats: Pitt, VT and GT.
Would sting (no pun intended) if Leggett went to GT, while McKenzie (who is also being recruited by GT) heads to Blacksburg.
Yep like sitting Todd Thomas on the bench for all 3rd down plays. Or the entire game cause he wasn’t included in the genius scheme that allowed Old Dominion to score 24 points.
Cause you know TT is only your 2nd best player on your defense and best LB by a wide margin.
This is what the kid’s mother from Aliquippa was talking about.
We can’t even get the top Defensive players to come to PITT …..wait……wait
AFTER we have a Defensive player who has just won,
EVERY FRICKIN NATIONAL AWARD A DEFENSIVE PLAYER CAN WIN !!!
Yeah, “the kids mother from Aliquippa” good point of reference for judging
H2P!
This is exactly is what’s happening. Word out, on the street, in the hood, whatever is:
You don’t want to play for that putz House, who puts his 2nd best defensive player on the bench in most 3rd downs and benched him an ENTIRE game against a FCS bad team who then made it a game with Pitt for all 4 quarters.
So the reality is there as well. And the Perception is a lot worse.
Realistically, getting one more commit out of McKenzie, Kamara or Jennings would still be considered a success.
I remember going into CJ Barney’s once (not sure if it’s still there on Forbes ave or not, right next to Hemmingways). It was like a Tuesday night. It was me, the bartender, Piccotti (who was a freshman or maybe a Sophmore at the time) and Rob Pettiti – who I think turned out to be a pretty good Tackle for us and may have even played a little in the NFL.
So I struck up a conversation.
All I can remember is Piccotti saying how Walt Harris was the worst head coach he’s ever experienced. “A great teacher,” he said, “but a terrible head coach.”
He didn’t go into details, but you know there is always something brewing.
I guess what I’m getting at is that if recruits families are publicly saying that they aren’t comfortable with the defensive staff, then I have to wonder what the players are saying.
I know what the fans are saying.
We’ll be okay next year. We have Vinopal back (experience and he has improved) and there is a transfer from Wisc whose name I can’t remember that will probably step into a starting role.
That being said, it is kinda fun to bitch…
Can’t blame the kid. Strike two for House.
Doesn’t surprise, Justin King, PSU, Dorian Bell OSU, Montae Nicholson, MSU, they like the Big 10.
I’ll be honest you can sort of tell the kinds of kids that gravitate towards Pitt and I don’t know too much about Nicholson’s demeanour but I just don’t get the same vibe from him. IDK maybe I’m the crazy one here…
Who gets Hendricks job?
Granted he did have the best defensive player in the country on his squad.
He needs another year, and will probably learn a ton in the offseason. We have too much invested right now. If he stinks it up after this season, I think then it’s time to go fishing for a new DC.
This guy
Cause let’s face it, you can schedule 2-3 rent-a-wins each and every year. Which means you only have to win 3 or 4 conf games to get to 6.
However based on our past history we only had years where we won double digit wins when we had lots of 4 star recruits. See 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981. Even the 2009 team had more than a couple.
So based on our history, trying to coach up 2’s & 3’s isn’t going to get you to double digit wins.
And the jury is still out on whether this coaching staff can coach up 2’s & 3’s. And don’t say Aaron Donald, that kid is special and he was very good 2 years ago at DE on Graham’s team with 11 sacks that year.
So again, PITT history tells us, we need lots more upper end recruits.
You really remember the star ratings for HS players from the late 70s and early 80s? I don’t even remember star ratings having existed in that era.
Dion Lewis was at best a two star who was “coached up” on that 2009 team.
I don’t understand all the hand wringing. Two years ago everybody was crying about the quality of the o-line. Since then Chryst has successfully recruited Bisnowaty, Johnson, Grimm and Bookser. Three four stars and a five star.
We’ll see whether any or all pan out. Then we can talk about the reliability of the star rankings as a predictor of success. I’d imagine the stance will be based on Pitt’s W-L record if they don’t succeed. The judgement will likely be a reflection that Chryst didn’t coach them to their potential. Since Emel doesn’t like Chryst as a coach, Aaron Donald just succeeded in spite of his poor coaching.
There are guys on here all the time writing about how much Pitt needs to recruit a player that the poster has never even seen play. Really?
For example people have bagged on Elijah Zeise on this board. Have you seen him play? He looks like a really good athlete to me. That’s what Pitt needs. Seemingly teachable kids with skill.
