I’ve been thinking about this for a couple weeks. Ever since I found out about Georgia basketball coach Dennis Felton’s pledge and follow-through.

Before a January game against Georgia Tech, Georgia Coach Dennis Felton addressed the students. He vowed to shave his mustache if the Bulldogs won the SEC Tournament.

Student interest for the basketball games were flagging — to be kind. Of course Georgia won the SEC Tournament, and Felton kept his word.

“To be honest, I seriously don’t remember making that promise,” Felton, clad in a red jacket, told students gathered around a grassy patch between the student center and the UGA Bookstore. “I’ve had this mustache since it first came when I was 3 or 4.”

Felton’s personal barber, Vernell Wilson of Wilson’s Hair World, did the deed. It took a surprisingly long time, considering the pencil-thin style of mustache Felton wears.

But Wilson, who cuts Felton’s hair at least once a week, said he never had shaved anyone outdoors, encircled by a couple hundred students with a grunge rock band playing in the background.

“I’ve never touched his mustache,” Wilson said. “He’s real particular about it. So this was an honor, and there was some pressure.”

They made it into an event.

Now this brings us to Pitt football, the students and the Wannstache. That which he grew to follow the way of the Bronson.

It’s a big season (hopefully). The team needs the students to turn out in full this year. To really help provide the the home field spark. Last year the student section didn’t even sell out.

My thought is that the Coach Wannstedt make a deal. If the student section sells out — and they attend the games — and if Pitt wins the Big East or wins a BCS bowl, then Wannstedt shaves the ’stache.

How does that not further get things juiced for this season? How do the players themselves not want to make that happen?

You can’t tell me that Schick or Gillette wouldn’t be interested in sponsoring this. There certainly would be ESPN coverage.

I can picture it. Halftime at a Pitt basketball game. A single chair at halfcourt. A small tray with a couple razors and some shaving cream. A barber waiting. Out of the tunnel strides Coach Wannstedt.

The place would go crazy.

This has to happen.

So, it’s been a good week for Ohio State in Western PA, and a lousy week for keeping the local talent. Dorian Bell and Jordan Hall both committed to the Buckeyes. You can guess no one is happy that Ohio State is suddenly a big threat in the region — not Pitt, not Penn State and certainly not Michigan. It was expected that Michigan would continue to recruit the area with Dick-Rod strengthening recruiting ties to the area.

(Brief aside on Dick-Rod. A big hat tip to Gene who forwarded me some of the pics on his old McMansion in Morgantown, by Cheat Lake — you really can’t make this stuff up. Only asking $2 million. I was able to find the actual listing and photo gallery for a post on FanHouse.)

Instead, Ohio State seems to have built off of getting Pryor to commit for this year.
Pitt has been quiet at this point. Part of what has probably added to the quiet is the new NCAA restriction on attending football camps.

Division II, III and NAIA coaches are still permitted to attend camps such as Metro Index, which is held at Pitt’s South Side football facility, and the Nike camp at Penn State. The bylaw on the NCAA Web site states that coaches are limited to visiting high school-sactioned events in the spring, meaning coaches can attend “regular scholastic activities involving prospective student-athletes enrolled only at the institution at which the regular scholastic activities occur.” Division I coaches are not permitted to attend a camp, even if it’s hosted by its own school.

Wannstedt and plenty of coaches backed the new rule, though.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt favors the new rule because it gives coaches a bit of a break in their hectic recruiting and coaching schedules.

“It’s overkill,” Wannstedt said. “It’s too much. We don’t need it.”

So many of the ridiculous NCAA rules occur because the coaches demand it as a way to control themselves. Everyone is looking for the edge. The extra facetime, chance to connect with a recruit. No coach can afford to look like he is not pursuing a recruit. So, the only way they stop is if the rules say they have to.

A recruit Pitt is pursuing in Florida seems to be getting noticed. Josh Elizondo is a 6-2, 280 pound DT recruit in Naples. He’s not ranked as much of a prospect, though, that seems to be because they just don’t know him yet. He holds offers from Pitt and NC State and now South Carolina.

“I think I like Pittsburgh a lot now,” Elizondo said. “My coach knows Dave Wannstedt real well.” Elizondo said he’s been hearing from USC recruiter David Reaves. He has not taken any unofficial visits and doesn’t have any planned. Elizondo expects to get a lots of looks from recruiters during spring practice because many will be coming down to see his highly touted teammate OL Nick Alajajian.

Elizondo is also getting interest (but no offers yet) from Alabama, Florida St. and Wisconsin.

No complaints about a solid 2-hour infomercial for Pitt football. It was fun to watch and nice to just enjoy it rather than try to analyze every little thing and go into heavy angst. It was a spring football scrimmage. The last one of spring practice. The biggest goal should have been to make sure no one got hurt.

Plenty of key players saw little or no time — McKillop, McCoy, Kinder, Mustakas, Collins, Jacobson, Davis and Pinkston — and 7 others didn’t suit up for the game. Plus there are freshmen that will be expected to be in the mix come August. As Coach Wannstedt said in the broadcast and was amply apparent, the defense was bland and didn’t really come hard against the offense too often.

Still, this was the chance for the coaches to get an idea of a rough depth chart and arguably the offense getting to have a chance will help with the confidence.

“Our offense, I thought, needed that,” said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, who did color analysis for the NFL Network telecast. “At our practices this spring, for the most part, our defense probably had the upper hand more times than not. It was good to see our offense respond in that fashion.”

I have no doubt that if this hadn’t been the final scrimmage/practice of the spring that the defense would have been lit into for the way they played. Maybe it was just because they had to lay back up front, that it disrupted them and took their edge. It’s just that the defense I’ve been reading all spring about hardly looked it.

The thing about the spring game is that it does give players a chance to really get noticed. Buddy Jackson, Mo Williams, Shariff Harris and Dorin Dickerson definitely took advantage from what was seen in the Blue-Gold game.

I’m guessing Harris suddenly seems the most intriguing. The redshirt freshman running back made his case to be the #3 RB. Heck, there are plenty of fans probably ready to pencil him in at #2. Kevin Gorman at the Trib can feel good for having a piece on Harris the day before the scrimmage.

“I can see improvement from when he started Day One until where we are, Day 13,” running backs coach David Walker said. “His thing is, he’s a big, physical runner. He got his shoulders turned downhill at times and made it tough for people to hang onto him.”

Despite a strong training camp, when his running style raised eyebrows, Harris was the odd-man out last season and took a redshirt. Turns out, it was the best thing for him. Not only did Harris develop his 6-foot-1 frame from 190 pounds to 225, he matured as a student and an athlete.

“I wasn’t ready last year,” said Harris, who was asked to elaborate. “Reading the defenses and the offense and knowing my plays. I wasn’t ready to play college football.”

He looked ready yesterday.

Dickerson looks very comfortable at the TE spot. Maurice Williams was able to use his size and speed well against the corners.

As for the QB spot, it is still Stull’s. Greg Cross brings a lot of excitement but right now he is a situational, Tim Tebow-in-his-freshman-year change of pace, special package QB. That’s good and will help Pitt’s offense a lot. He’s not, however, going to be the starter on August 30.

Bostick and Smith both looked good. Of course, with the limited pressure they had time. Something neither had last year (in every sense of the word).

Gene Collier joined with those intrigued by Cross.

“I’ve never been in a stadium this big; I loved it, loved the crowd, loved the atmosphere, and I can’t wait to play here in the fall,” said Cross, whose 29-yard scramble up the middle and 37-yard strike to Maurice Williams in the second half were the longest plays of the night.

“All of the quarterbacks are pulling for each other, and we’re all trying to move the team down the field. We’re all about winning.”

There was little doubt what Cross was about when he got to Fort Scott Community College in Kansas two years ago, because suddenly a program that had lost 24 consecutive games started winning more often than not. When he was done, Cross had led Fort Scott to 16 victories in two seasons and into the Valley of the Sun Bowl, where he threw for two touchdowns and ran 85 yards for another.

“When I first got there and the coaches saw how athletic I was — I mean I’d played all kinds of sports my whole life — they told me I was trying to be so perfect as a quarterback that it wasn’t working,” Cross said. “They told me just to be myself. Just to have fun.”

Pitt’s offensive coaches should have plenty of fun when they sit down and talk about this because Cross is so fast that he could serve as an occasional fuel injector for Matt Cavanaugh’s standard offense. With steady development in August added to his qualifications, he could be something much more.

Then there are the awards to the players at the end of spring practice.

Wannstedt announced the winners of the Ed Conway Award, annually presented to the most improved players of the spring. This year’s recipients were junior tight end Dorin Dickerson, junior receiver Cedric McGee (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Plantation) and junior defensive tackle Mick Williams.

Pitt also presented its freshman Academic Award, which was shared this year by defensive lineman Myles Caragein (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) and offensive lineman Chris Jacobson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks), both graduates of Pittsburgh’s Keystone Oaks High.

For the truly obsessed, offense and defense stats (PDF).

I know, everyone is waiting for more news on Murdock and Pinkston. At this point there is only speculation, rumor and a little angst. Without even an arrest report or a filed complaint on record, there’s nothing to go on. Stuck with the dreaded, “wait and see” response at this moment. Even the media is stuck.

On the subject of spring practice, I have to apologize for the poor job I’ve done at posting on practice — or more accurately posting on the stories about practice. I’ve read the stories, but trying to interpret them takes more time that I have been lacking the last couple weeks.

The O-line seems to be the biggest issue — and has affected so much of the team that it can be hard to judge. The defense has been great, but how much is it because the O-line is so bad? The running game can’t do anything. The QBs rarely have time to make reads and connect with receivers. It’s such a mess, I don’t see how Lucas Nix doesn’t come in and grab a starting job on the line as a true freshman at this point. Even if he is only half-as-good as advertised.

Really, there isn’t too much concern over the running game. Other than figuring out who will be the #3 back behind LeSean and LaRod. But the O-line concerns are making it that much harder to figure out the starting QB. It seems that Bill Stull is/was the favorite, but JUCO Greg Cross may see more than just packages for Pitt’s “wildcat” formations given his speed and ability to escape a rush. Over the past weekend, Cross really stood out in the scrimmages. He has to work on his passing accuracy. The last thing I want to see is a redux of the first two years of Rod Rutherford — where he would come in in certain packages ostensibly to either pass or run, but everyone knew he was running. But he is showing flashes of what could be.

Cross, who is an excellent athlete, was brought in specifically to be a dual-threat quarterback in the Panthers’ Wildcat package and some spread formations, but yesterday he was effective in the Panthers’ standard West Coast offense.

“He did some really nice things today, for three weeks he has just been learning,” offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh said. “We’ve tried to put him into situations where he is doing the things he knows how to do because he is obviously not where [the other quarterbacks] are as far as knowing things. But, his package is expanding every week. And every time he gets the ball in his hands he is a threat, because he can run and he is now starting to show he can pass it.

“It was good to see him have the kind of day he had, it will do a lot for confidence. He hasn’t had a lot of work throwing it, but today we let him show some things and he still has some mechanical flaws and some things he has to work on, but he is working on them and he’s improving.”

Cross’ first drive was impressive yesterday because it was the first time the Panthers scored a touchdown and he did it against virtually the entire Pitt starting defensive unit. Cross’ touchdown run was a quarterback draw but he had an impressive 10-yard run on a bootleg in which he made a number of defenders miss and picked up a first down.

Still, it is probably Stull’s job to lose. If the O-line doesn’t get him killed.

And, while much has been made about the fact that the defensive line is playing well and that there are two starters — left guard C.J. Davis and left tackle Jason Pinkston — sitting out, the bottom line is the unit that is left has a long way to go.

As things stand, the right tackle spot will be manned by either junior Joe Thomas or redshirt freshman Jordan Gibbs. While both have had some good moments, they also have struggled in trying to handle the Panthers’ speedy defensive ends. Center Robb Houser has been consistent, but the revolving door at left guard — Davis’ spot — has not spoken well of the Panthers’ depth.

The one positive development has been the smooth transition of junior John Malecki from defensive tackle to offensive guard. He clearly has been one of the most consistent performers on the line this spring.

The one thing I’d like to know is since the 1st team O-line is so patchwork and key players out, how is the 2nd team O-line doing against the 2nd team defense? That would probably tell a good deal about the depth at O-line and the drop-off on talent on both the offensive line and the D-line.

Gauging the drop-off on defense has been an issue for new Defensive Coordinator Phil Bennett.

Bennett said that coaching with enthusiasm is the only way he knows how to do his job, but that if players don’t know it is genuine, it is a waste of energy. And he also believes his job has been made much easier because he has inherited a lot of good football players to work with.

“I’ve quickly figured out that our first-line players are definitely good players,” Bennett said. “So that’s helped, and now we’re trying to develop a second group so that the drop-off is minimal. We have some quality depth, but we need to build on it. And I guess my coaching style is such that college football is a lot about emotion and passion, and I think you have to bring that with you when you coach, and I always have.”

No shock that he isn’t trying to change the defensive philosophy from last year.

Back to the depth issue, the one area on defense where there is a clear problem, only exacerbated by Murdock’s indefinite suspension, is at Safety. Eric Thatcher will be the starter at free safety, and while Dom DeCicco and Elijah Fields battle for the strong safety starting spot, it’s safe to say the back-up will see plenty of action spelling both starters. And that means any injuries or suspensions would make this a very, very thin position.

After that, it’s all walk-ons: Michael Toerper. Austin Ransom. And one guy who’s not even on the roster. Murdock switched from cornerback to safety this spring to replace Irvan Brown, who was excused for “personal reasons.”

…

Problem is, Pitt doesn’t have any safeties in its recruiting class. Manny Williams played safety but is projected as an outside linebacker and is coming off an ACL tear. Antwuan Reed could move from corner. Or Pitt could elect not to greyshirt Andrew Taglianetti.

Possibilities from the current roster to move to safety could include Aaron Smith, a cornerback last season who has been a pleasant surprise at receiver this spring; Tristan Roberts (a high school safety) or Greg Williams, but both have looked good at outside linebacker this spring; and Jovani Chappel, who played safety last season but is now starting at the boundary corner.

Safe to say, safety should be a priority for Pitt’s recruiting efforts for the Class of 2009.

He’s probably 25-30 pounds too light for the spot, but CB Buddy Jackson has reportedly been very physical and done well this spring. He might be a desperation option.

The last link was to Kevin Gorman’s blog post after the last practice. Some other key things from his typical must-reads on practice.

– The teams didn’t give a good effort yesterday, and Wannstedt let them know.

– O-line issues kill the running game (again)

– Cross is looking more comfortable in the offense every practice

– Even Wannstedt is unsure about how good the D-line is versus the O-line problems

– Dan Matha will miss the rest of spring practice, but won’t need surgery on a knee that was “sprained” last week. Cedric McGee is already back practicing with the receivers

A big Pitt/Wannstedt puff piece from Yahoo!/Rivals.com to start off the day.

The upset of West Virginia may not have been a fluke, but Wannstedt – ever the cautious coach – warns that it won’t matter when the Panthers open the 2008 season against Bowling Green on August 30.

“That will be the focal point, but it won’t have a darn thing to do with us beating Bowling Green,” he said. “Beating West Virginia reinforced that we could be good and reaffirmed to the kids we were recruiting that you could win at Pitt.”

There are a lot of reasons to anticipate a successful season for Pitt this fall. Seven starters return from a defense that ranked fifth in the nation last season. The return of Stull and Kinder should boost the passing game, which will benefit McCoy.

…

You also need a reliable quarterback. Stull, who has thrown only 30 college passes, doesn’t figure to challenge for All-American honors, but he should be an upgrade at quarterback. His presence is another reason many Pitt fans can’t wait for the season to start.

But Wannstedt can. “I can wait,” he said. “We need to work. The season will get here soon enough.”

When it arrives, Wannstedt will have a team with eight offensive starters returning. He’ll have a dynamic tailback, an All-American linebacker, a junior quarterback and an all-conference receiver returning from injury. He’ll have a team with one of the best defensive lines in America. He’ll have emerging stars, like strong safety Elijah Fields or defensive end Greg Romeus.

He has a team that lost three games by a touchdown or less last season and is seeking redemption. He has a team coming off that win over West Virginia. There are a lot reasons to like Wannstedt’s team in 2008. And he does, although not for the reasons listed above.

Looks like Pitt is set to be the trendy media favorite “darkhorse” team to “suddenly” jump from losing record to top-25 team at least. This always begs that deep philosophical question of whether a team can truly be considered a sleeper or darkhorse when everyone is picking them to be that team?

Paul Zeise has had a week to watch practices and the P-G beat writer has had daily Q&As. The first one, to the shock of no one was all questions on the O-line. The now annual concerns for the O-line.

Dickerson has looked great at TE by all reports, and that was another major topic for a Q&A. It was also the topic of this story.

“It feels good catching the ball again,” Dickerson said. “I worked real hard in the offseason. I knew this is what I wanted to do, and me and Bill went in there and started throwing every day.”

What has caught Wannstedt’s attention is Dickerson’s willingness and effort to take on defenders with blocks, even though Dickerson likened the difficulty of blocking linebackers to hitting a moving target.

“I was impressed with how he made an attempt to block. That’s usually the biggest transition for these kids,” Wannstedt said. “Catching the ball and running is an easy thing. Everybody wants to do that. Very few guys want to get in there and get their nose bloodied up. Dorin showed that he’s not afraid to do that. If he can keep that attitude, I think he’ll be an asset for us at tight end.”

At least he is willing and working on the blocking. If he can, then he has huge potential to be a key player in the offense.

The latest Q&A addresses Bostick’s wind-up motion –like everyone and their mother, Zeise believes Bostick will be redshirted — and then questions about the linebackers. Especially the young ones: Brandon Lindsey, Tristan Roberts and Greg Williams. And what do you know? A story on the linebacker corps to tie-in to this.

Now, the coaches seem to have found linebackers capable of delivering that speed. That group includes four redshirt freshmen in Max Gruder (middle), Greg Williams, Tristan Roberts and Brandon Lindsey, as well as redshirt sophomore Nate Nix.

Williams, who is 6 feet 3, 220 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, is the most intriguing prospect, mostly because he is physically gifted. He is a converted running back who seems to have picked up his new position well and continues to make plays in every practice.

“The competition we have at linebacker, I really like our young linebackers,” head coach Dave Wannstedt said. “I am really impressed with the progress all of them have made in two weeks. It looks like that will be a good competition and they’ll only continue to improve.”

Of the group, Gruder is the one who likely won’t see the field much this fall, because he is behind McKillop at middle linebacker and also is battling Steve Dell for the backup spot. But Gruder has been a surprise and looks like he might be a fixture at the position when McKillop graduates.

At this point, Shane Murray and Adam Gunn look to remain the starters at the WIL and SAM spots. The rotation, though, should be a little more frequent which means a lot more speed and energy regardless of who is out there.
Finally, there was recap article from Zeise at the start of the week on key obsrvations from spring practices so far. Most of them have already been mentioned in this and previous posts — Dickerson at TE, Stull will be the QB, WR is deep, Defense is strong, O-line [sigh] — but this stood out to me.

Buddy Morris is worth whatever they pay him — Morris was brought in last year as the strength and conditioning coach and he has transformed the program. His grueling schedule has instilled a mental toughness the team seemed to lack in recent years, and more importantly, they are stronger and in better shape this spring then they have been. The Panthers seemed to get stronger as the season wore on last year and played some of their best football down the stretch. That has carried over into the spring, and it is clear his contributions are making a difference.

This is a radical shift from his view on the whole matter in February 2007.

My point? Strength and conditioning is an easy target when things go bad, but I’d be willing to bet most strength and conditioning coaches are roughly the same and their success or failure is almost always commensurate with the talent they have to work with.

I agreed with his viewpoint back then, and I think there is something to be said for the change in players. The majority of the players now, are recruits Wannstedt has brought in. If we agree that the players are better physical, athletic talents, then it stands to reason that they will respond to most strength and conditioning better and probably faster.

Still, that he would change positions like this suggests that what Morris is doing has had a significant and noticeable impact on the players.

I’m going to share (one of) the dark thoughts in my mind. That little voice of doom and despair that goes against all this optimism and expectations for this coming season. The puff pieces and encouraging news of how the team is developing. Everything. And then that little voice whispers:

Remember 2005?

That first spring of the Wannstedt era. When everything looked so promising. All the national attention. The darkhorse talk of what that team might do? How good it could be?

I know, on a micro- level this is no where near the same. Players have changed, style, the departure of Rhoads. All that. Then that little voice gets louder when I read pieces foreshadowing in national mags.

I’m here in Pittsburgh and just finished a nice chat with Panthers’ coach Dave Wannstedt. As I got on the elevator at my hotel — a Roberto Clemente long ball from PNC Park — a few Pirates fans hopped on and were grousing about losing to the Cubs in the home opener.

Guy No. 1: “I’m done with the Pirates. Fifteen straight years of losing home openers.”

Me: “You guys know there are 150-something games left, right?”

Guy No. 2: “I can see the end from here.”

And I can see the beginning for the Pitt Panthers. It’s all starting to fall into place for this team, and I’ll address that more next week in SN Magazine.

I really get nervous when the other darkhorse teams Matt Hayes likes include: NC St., Mississippi St., Stanford and Michigan St.

Unsurprisingly, the defense looked great in the first scrimmage. Everyone healthy, more depth, cohesion and not a lot of losses from the starting D-line. That versus an offense that was a mess last year except for McCoy. That still has lots of key players out with injuries and a 1st round O-lineman gone. So nothing too shocking to this point. Still waiting on an O-line to show up.
Everyone’s probably read the stories and the way individual players like Safety Dom DeCicco has done to this point. Dorin Dickerson has looked good at TE, but then no one is asking him to block a this point. Every bit of good news, should come with some dark caveat. Or at least a “but…”
I can’t help but be optimistic, but then I’m always optimistic about the football team in April.

Some unconnected links.

A little late, but Rivals.com spring practice preview.

Pittsburgh missed playing in a bowl for the third consecutive season under Dave Wannstedt, but all signs point to 2008 being a turnaround year with recent recruiting classes coming to fruition. With other teams in the Big East in transition, Pitt could make a run at the league title. The Panthers need to settle on a new offensive line and find new starters at defensive line and in the secondary this spring.

A ranking of BE Coaches. Wannstedt comes in 6th. I understand Wanny being in the lower half based on what he’s done, but seeing Kragthorpe 4th and Leavitt 5th is ridiculous.  Kragthorpe may have a solid body of work prior to Louisville, but he can’t compare to what Leavitt has been doing. I can at least see the argument for nos. 1-3 (even if I don’t agree with the order — Edsall, Schiano, Kelly), but if body of work counts for Kragthorpe, Leavitt blows him out with how he’s built USF.

Joe Starkey writes that Pitt is embracing expectations on this team from national speculation.

“I’m kind of surprised,” says Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, whose team began spring workouts Tuesday. “You know, coming off a five-win season.”

That said, Wannstedt welcomes the pressure. The Sporting News’ Matt Hayes and SI.com’s Stewart Mandel have Pitt pegged at No. 25; ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach and CBS Sportsline’s Dennis Dodd at No. 22.

“We don’t dodge the issue,” Wannstedt said. “You meet it head on - but, really, it doesn’t have any bearing on anything. One of the early lessons you learn playing this game is that you have to prove yourself every week.”

There’s also some talk of the possible LeSean McCoy and the Heisman talk. Let’s make sure there’s an O-line first.

Finally, I mentioned that Rod Rutherford is in af2. In his debut, he threw for 4 TDs and ran for 2 more. Of course, in what had to take him back to his Pitt days the O-line let him get sacked 7 times and there was little defense as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Pioneers lost 48-41. Ah, memories.

Well Pitt’s pro-day for the NFL scouts was Monday. The main attraction, Jeff Otah, was unable to go because of a lingering high ankle sprain.

There were other seniors who worked out — Mike McGlynn, Joe Clermond, Darrell Strong and Kennard Cox.

McGlynn (6-4, 310), a four-year starter, started two games at right guard and nine at right tackle last season for the Panthers. But he is being projected as a guard by NFL scouts and coaches because of his height and arm length. However, what makes him an attractive mid-round prospect is that he has what Tomlin called “position flexibility.”

“That’s the good thing about him — he can play three positions,” said Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach/assistant head coach Russ Grimm, a former Steelers assistant who attended the workout. “He was a center before he played guard and tackle.”

Strong is an intriguing prospect because of his size (6-4, 268), athleticism and big hands, yet he is not ranked among the top tight end prospects in the draft. Part of the reason is that Strong began his college career as a quarterback, was switched to wide receiver and has only been a tight end for three years.

“It went good,” Strong said of his workout. “I think I did good in all the drills. I improved on all the things I did at the combine.”

Size likely will be a deterrent for defensive tackle Joe Clermond (6-3, 250), who was a productive player at Pitt and led the team last season with 10.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and was second team All-Big East. Colbert said Clermond would be an outside linebacker in the 3-4 style of defense the Steelers employ, but he could play end for a 4-3 team.

The more Pitt players drafted, the better.
Today is the start of spring practice. As is usual, there is a sense of optimism and excitement. This despite a slew of questions and upheaval.

Pitt opens spring football drills Tuesday with a four-way competition at quarterback, an overhaul on the offensive line and a coaching staff that features five new assistants.

That would be cause for alarm at some schools, but the Panthers’ 13-9 victory at No. 2 West Virginia in the season finale and 100th Backyard Brawl has provided optimism.

The challenge for Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is to build on the momentum of that monumental victory, when the Panthers finally played the way he had long envisioned.

“We’ve got to get coaches and players feeling that confidence that we finished the year with,” said Wannstedt, whose Panthers are a preseason top-25 team in some polls.

The biggest issue will be the position battles. QB, Center, all along the O-line, Linebacker spots outside of McKillop still look open, CB, depth chart issues at WR.

There’s nothing like the spring practices to challenge the cynicism. There’s the anticipated — almost standardized — stories of off-season workouts; new coaches and new perspectives; position changes; players ready to step up; blind optimism; players coming back from injury and so on.

God help me, every year I get sucked into it and believe this year will be different. Can’t wait.

Why wait? Scott McKillop gets the first national puff-piece in the week before spring practice.

It’s a defender’s version of nature vs. nurture. Are good tacklers born or are they made? Good tackling may be all about technique. Ask any safety who has to listen to a coach berate him for lunging at a tailback. But if the player doesn’t have “a nose for the ball,” as coaches are wont to say, it doesn’t matter how good his technique is.

Take the case of Scott McKillop, the Pittsburgh senior linebacker who, in his first season as a starter, led his team in tackling. He led every other team in tackling, too. McKillop made more tackles per game than any player in the nation last season. His 12.58 stops per game is more than 1½ tackles higher than any other returning player averaged in 2007. That adds up to 151 tackles, or 91 more — that’s right, 91 — than Pitt’s runner-up, linebacker Shane Murray.

Let the unbridled optimism flow.

Video podcasts. They’re apparently all the rage. The P-G and Paul Zeise have one that combines with Dave Wannstedt’s announcement of the recruiting class. Then there’s the Dave Wannstedt interview on CSTV. Good that they have these podcasts. I totally skipped the CSTV signing special because of the creepiness factor of Tom Lemming — though they did give Pitt the highest recruiting ranking of all lists to date at #19.

ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. rates Pitt’s recruiting class as a “B-” on a national scale.

During his three-year tenure, head coach Dave Wannstedt has a losing record and has yet to take the Panthers to a bowl game. Despite that, he has recruited very well, especially in western Pennsylvania. He landed four ESPN 150 prospects, including No. 8-rated wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin (Aliquippa, Pa.). Pitt may have finished near the bottom of the Big East standings, but it is the only program in the conference with a top-25 recruiting class.

Silly grading, as they give Cinci and WVU “C”s, USF, Rutgers, Louisville and Syracuse get “C-” and UConn a “D+”.

The local newspaper stories summarize the recruiting success and highlight some of the big gets, throw in some quotes from Coach Wannstedt’s press conference announcing the class, and point out the  successful local recruiting. The usual.

Paul Zeise did a couple Q&As around signing day. Seems like John Brown isn’t doing well in recovery.

Q: With Pitt now standing at 20 scholarships, and the word a month or so ago was that the number could be 17 or 18 with a few defections from the current team, where are the extra scholarships coming from? Will we see more gray shirts like Taglianetti, or are there players whose illnesses will keep them from returning?

ZEISE: Well there are a couple of guys, like a John Brown, who have chronic injuries and are candidates for medical hardship which would mean, he’s not physically able to finish his career but he keeps his scholarship to finish school. Those kinds of players don’t count towards your 85 and Pitt has at least three of them possible. Also, a couple of players who are fourth-year juniors will likely graduate in April and not use their fifth season. I don’t see any other gray shirts other than Taglianetti but frankly, if you take a look at what happened with Wayne Jones last year, it is possible there could be enough scholarships free’d up that he could start in September with the rest of the class.

I think he’s probably right that this class won’t have an immediate impact.

Q: Now that signing day has come and gone, how many of these incoming freshman do you actually see having an impact on the team THIS year? They don’t have to lead the league in their category, but anyone you think will fight for a starting position?

ZEISE: Great question - I think the best way to answer it is to use some common sense and look at the depth chart. Obviously Rob Houser (a JC kid, not a freshman but an incoming player nonetheless) was brought in to fill a void at center. And as I said, Cross will be a part of it in some capacity as well. Beyond those two — and perhaps Lucas Nix (the tackle from Thomas Jefferson) who is at a position of need so he might be thrust into action if he can prove he is ready - there really isn’t a NEED for any of these guys to play, which shows the progress Wannstedt has made in acquiring talent and building depth. That doesn’t mean some of them couldn’t beat out older guys or earn playing time - or a player like Cameron Saddler won’t step in as a returner because he is simply too talented to not play - but for the first time in the Wannstedt era the coaches have the luxury of bringing along their recruiting class at their own pace and won’t be forced to rush guys on to the field in order to fill a gaping hole. That’s a good thing.

We’ve already seen that even when there is a crying need, Coach Wannstedt has held off as long as he could. I think over half the class from last year ended up with redshirts.

First things quickly:

– If you haven’t heard or read about Kevin Hart, Google his name and read all about his story. Holy crap it’s amazing — he had a big event where he committed to Cal over Oregon. He wore the hat, people clapped for him, all was good. Until it was discovered he’s had no contact with either school, neither head coach knows who he is, and he basically made the whole thing up. Only in Nevada… (Part I, Part II)

– I think it’s great to see other Pitt blogs that offer more and more outlets for fans to look in to. Check out Pitt Panther Prowl, which is filled with intelligent posts and makes a good point about Wannstedt’s recruiting compared to Howland/Dixon.

Since Ben Howland took over at Pitt (Jamie Dixon being his primary recruiter), and on into Dixon’s tenure, name one McDonald’s All American who has signed with the basketball team. There is no doubt that there have been a few studs, such as Chris Taft and DeJuan Blair. But who are the top 10 recruits the basketball team has had? … But Dixon certainly took players that, as high schoolers, were believed to be inferior athletes, and he got them to play at an elite level. This is the trademark of Dixon’s teams. He takes players that have the skills to fit his system, and he squeezes every last ounce of talent out of most of them. His coaching has made up for the fact that he can’t get the same recruits that Duke, or even UConn can. And if he continues with the success he has had, the future will hold better and better recruits wanting to come play at Pitt.

When Wannstedt becomes a better game day coach (and I think he started to turn that corner near the end of this season), the recruits will be put into better situations to succeed. If not, we’re going to have very good players under a bad coach, and we’ll continue to see these 5-7 type seasons.

Now, to tonight’s game against West Virginia. You’re wondering about the “42 Weeks” thing, right? That’s how many consecutive weeks the Pitt basketball team has been ranked, reaching as high as #2. A loss tonight will certainly end that. WVU plays well against ranked teams:

Now, they get a visit from the Mountaineers (16-6, 5-4), who have performed well against the three ranked opponents they’ve faced. They’re just 1-2, but their losses came by a combined three points — 74-72 to No. 7 Tennessee on Nov. 24, and 58-57 to No. 9 Georgetown on Jan. 26 after a controversial non-call on a potential goaltending call at the buzzer.

Both teams are 5-4 in conference and the repercussions of this game could easily be felt when it comes to the seeding of the Big East Tournament. Also, beating a good team like this looks good on our NCAA Tournament resume (and so does Duke defeating UNC last night).

The hoops rivalry with West Virginia has never really seemed as intense as the football side, but WBGV still lays down the hate.

Things they hate about Pitt (full list on their site):

• That it’s located in Pittsburgh. Seriously, I’m for pollution as much as the next guy, but these guys are out of control. [Dennis says: Umm…you’re from the same University located in Morgantown, right?]
• Andrew Carnegie. He didn’t leave ANY money to his children. Or me. What a horrible parent. [Dennis says: Funny?]
• Oakland. The whole thing is confusing. Are you poor, roughneck, trashy Pittsburghians, or fruity west coasters? [Dennis says: We’re Pittsburghers, thanks.]
• Jamie Dixon. On the advise of my politically correct lawyer, I’m not making a hilarious joke here.
• The stache. [Dennis says: 13-9.]
• Pittsburgh Tuxedos = carpenter jeans, Timberland boots, and Ben Roethlisburger jersey. [Dennis says: Better than the required attire in Morgantown — camouflage.]

Today is their day for payback, revenge, retribution (and even murder).