Will Clarke out of Allderdice has apparently given a verbal to Pitt.

According to Allderdice coach Don Schmidt, Clarke, 6 feet 6, 245-pounds, will choose Pitt after also considering scholarship offers from West Virginia and several Mid-American Conference schools.

Also a tight end at Allderidice, Clarke is seen as a tremendously raw recruit with the potential improve exponentially. He helped lead the Dragons to the City League title game last season.

Clarke comes from great athletic bloodlines — he is the son of Bill Clarke, who started on the fabled 1976 Fifth Avenue High School basketball team before going on to play at Duquesne.

Colin Dunlap at the P-G — who broke the story — seems to love this guy. Going so far as to say he’s got Greg Romeus potential. The star-ratings are not so kind. Scout.com puts him at 1-star. Rivals.com gives him 2 and says he’s the 40th best prospect in the commonwealth.

Obviously he is a complete project who likely won’t be seen on the field for a bit. A redshirt will definitely be in his future.

Then there is Darrin Walls, the cornerback who went to ND. There are lots of rumors swirling about Walls who would be a junior. The one that most care about is that he plans to transfer to Pitt. It’s hard to say anything definite at this point, so here’s the background to date.

Walls, it was announced by Notre Dame, would not be enrolled this fall. Instead coming back to Pittsburgh for personal reasons. ND Coach Weis stated that he expected/hoped that Walls would be able to return in the spring semester. Other coaches for ND have echoed that they expect him back. The persistent rumor is that he has some academic problems that led to his not playing this year. What doesn’t quite make sense in that is why he went home to Pittsburgh for the year.

Now, if Walls does indeed want to/plans to transfer to Pitt or any 1-A program he has to sit out 2 semesters (one year). So it would behoove him to enroll before the fall semester would get underway. That would allow him to play next year.

The other thing to consider is getting released from his scholarship at ND. I don’t know ND’s decisionmaking on this sort of thing, but it would not at all surprise me if they don’t release him this year. Especially to Pitt considering the two schools will be meeting over the next six years. That would require Walls to enroll and pay his own way (think Joe Flacco or Luke Getsy).

Take one day to spend with the family. Banking some small amount of goodwill in anticipation of lost weekends of me either at Pitt games or watching football and basketball from September ’til April and lots happens.

A couple years ago when Henry Hynoski gave his verbal to Pitt, his teammate chose Penn State. Offensive lineman Josh Marks, was a preseason top-15 recruit in PA. Well, this week, it was reported/rumored that Marks failed the conditioning test at Penn State. Marks decided that he was done with PSU. Not, however, done with football.

Marks was unavailable for comment Friday, but his father John Marks said that his son was on a “recruiting visit.” The elder Marks said that Josh would play college football again, and he wanted to dispel rumors about why his son left Penn State.

“He did not get in trouble, he did not get in a fight,” John Marks said. “And his grades are fine.”

Which brings things to this item on who was on the sidelines for Pitt’s Saturday practice.

Perhaps most interesting was the presence of lineman Josh Marks, who recently left the Penn State football team. Marks was heavily recruited by Pitt out of Southern Columbia, where he played with Hynoski. The two spent time talking after practice, and it’s possible Marks could transfer to Pitt and walk-on to the team.

Coming out of spring practices, Marks was second on PSU’s depth chart behind guard Stefen Wisniewski.

Of course, that’s getting ahead of things. There is no verbal. No decisions there. Marks may decide he wants to play right away and go the 1-AA route. Besides there were a couple others that actually verballed.

The first came Friday night when Carl Fleming out of Maryland gave a verbal.

The safety is a 2- to 3-star recruit, with offers from Delaware and UConn, with growing interest from Rutgers and Maryland. He was also the Old Spice Red Zone Player of the Year in Maryland.

Pitt also got a big in-state verbal from Tyrone Ezell from Munhall (Steel Valley HS). A 3- to 4-star defensive tackle recruit, he had offers from Ohio State, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan and Virginia. Rivals.com had him as the 10th best recruit in PA while Chris Dokish at PSR lists him at #8. Here’s a bit on Ezell from ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. (Insider subs.):

He will play some end and tackle in high school and could project to defensive end in college, but with his size potential and ability it looks like he will be best suited for the tackle position. He looks to be about 250 pounds of muscle and should be able to add more bulk. He can be a stout force versus the run. He has a solid get-off. Does a good job of using his hands. When he gets his hands on a blocker he displays the power to control him and move him aside. Will flash the ability to come off the ball with good pad level and shot his hands and when he does that he can jolt a blocker back.

He’s a bit on the raw side, but lots of the ever-important, “upside.”

Some already Pitt verbals — Devin Street and Juantez Hollins — were at the Friday practice along with past Pitt great Jimbo Covert and his son, Scott, who is also a Pitt recruiting target.

Oh and a couple other recruits and future targets were around the camp.

Allderdice senior defensive end Will Clark, Seneca Valley receiver Matt Plautz and another ’09 commit, Bethlehem Liberty receiver Devin Street, also watched practice from the sidelines.

Sto-Rox junior quarterback Paul Jones, considered by some the state’s top prospect in the Class of 2010, had an audience with Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson (who spent 15 years as a recruiting coordinator at Nebraska, Tennessee and Ohio State).

Dokish had a small profile on Jones recently.

There’s what is posted in a media day transcript, then there is the information that gets left out or is supplemented by the athletic department in the form of handouts. Case in point, Maurice Williams is gone from Pitt for good.

Enrolled at Edinboro: Former Strong Vincent High star Maurice Williams is enrolled at Edinboro, coach Scott Browning confirmed Monday.

“He enrolled last week,” said Browning, who declined further comment.

At Pittsburgh’s media day Monday, coach Dave Wannstedt confirmed that Williams is in the process of transferring.

A quarterback in high school, Williams played wide receiver at Pitt as a true freshman in 2007 before becoming academically ineligible for the upcoming 2008 season.

Williams was initially expected to redshirt this season and resume play for the Panthers in 2009. Then Pitt gave Williams permission to talk with Edinboro earlier this summer.

If academically eligible, Williams can play this season. If not, he’ll have to sit out until next season. Edinboro opens practice Thursday.

Well, that’s that. Good luck to Williams. If he really has NFL dreams like his talent suggested, he’s made it that much harder on himself to get there.

Kevin Gorman blogged lots of goodies. Players who are gone besides Williams also include Shane Brooks (academics), Dan Loheyde (medical hardship), Sherod Murdock (suspended indefinitely then left team) and Dustin Walters (quit).

Maybe Running Back. Maybe Safety. Maybe Outside Linebacker. Your guess is as good as mine. Okay, running back seems unlikely considering the talent already backing-up behind McCoy.

So, welcome the presumable sleeper recruit in Kevin Adams. A kid who seems to have talent but no one position.  A 2- to 3- star recruit from New Jersey. A kid who plays both sides of the ball and probably could stand to be kept at one position.

And he’s looking at Pitt.

Lake Forest High School defensive lineman Scott Covert could be the first player of the coach Chuck Spagnoli era to verbally commit to a major college ahead of the season.

The coach said the 6-foot-2, 245-pounder is close to making his college intentions known.

According to the Rivals.com Web site, Covert is being recruited by Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Pittsburgh and Northern Illinois.

Covert’s father, Jimbo, was an All-American at Pitt before starring for the Chicago Bears in the 1980s.

Not to be confused with Scott Covert the artist who likes to do word maps of grave rubbings.

Today Fernando Diaz picked Pitt over UConn to be commit number 6. I have to admit that this would be a more exciting get, if the player picking Pitt over UConn was in basketball. Diaz in an offensive guard, though, and building depth on the O-line is a good thing.

Diaz comes in as a 2-star recruit and also ranked #9 overall in New York by Rivals.com.

This is the 3d verbal for a likely O-line player to this point. along with Juantez Hollins and Cory King.

Right now the lines, linebacker and safety seem like the more important spots to build depth. It seems Pitt has depth and talent at QB, RB, FB, WR and CB. Especially with the number of redshirts.

The lines have remained an issue as any injury along them seems to throw everything into a mess. Forcing moves and shifts. Attempts to shore up spots.

Thomas Robinson wants to play early. He wants to know his situation, and is paying attention as the attention on him increases.

Unlike a lot of prospects, Robinson also knows a lot about where he stands with each team.

“Bob Huggins called yesterday,” says Redd, “and he was telling Thomas that their was an opening for him, but Thomas asked him about (incoming freshman) Roscoe Davis. Thomas knows who everybody has.”

That may impact one of the perceived favorites for Robinson, Pitt.

“He came off the floor after the game the other day and I told him that Dante (Taylor) signed with Pittsburgh and he said ‘Well, that’s a done deal with them then,’” says Redd. “But I told him to wait and let me see what’s going on. So Jamie Dixon called this morning and I mentioned Taylor, and Dixon said that they want to play both together, with Thomas at the three, but I don’t know. It’s something Thomas will have to sit down and think about it.”

Redd says that a decision could come at the end of the summer.

“That’s the plan right now,” he says. “In August, he will sit down, take a deep breath, and see who everybody has and what kind of style they play. Then he will pick three or four schools to visit.”

I can’t say I fault him for being cautious. College sports is littered with implied promises of early playing time and slavish praise and devotion on one player as being the centerpiece only to learn otherwise.

If you want to start focusing on 2010 and 2011, NBE Basketball Report has some more on youngsters Pitt is very interested in pursuing.

Victor Olidipo – If there is a rising junior that could end up being the next Thomas Robinson - being in time one of the most highly recruited players in the East – it is Victor. Though he’s getting an early start, and has a long way to go, the 6’3”, 180 pound Olidipo always leaves onlookers shocked at some athletic play, whether it is a follow up slam, fast break move, or blocked shot. More and more, Olidipo is impacting the game down offensively, including open court patting, good spot up shooting, and always making the right play.

Providence has offered, while Pittsburgh is very interested. Joining Providence in tendering a scholarship offer are Oklahoma, Maryland, George Mason, James Madison and UNC-Greensboro, while Clemson, BC and VCU can be placed along with Pitt has expressing interest.
…
Mike Gbinije – A 6’6”, 180 pound rising sophomore, Gbinije may be a ‘golden child’ in that he can do it all, including shoot, defend, drive, and pass. Even more impressive is he does all of this in a team setting.

Not surprisingly, the heavies are starting to contact, with Georgetown and Pittsburgh (who has offered) hot in pursuit from a Big East bent, while Texas, North Carolina and Virginia Tech (another offerer) have joined the parade. Recently, Florida may have also offered.

Rivals.com already has Olidipo as a 4-star prospect, #52 in the country and #11 among shooting guards. Gbinije is merely an entry in the database right now.

On the heels of Dante Taylor’s verbal, was the off-the-record comments by assistant coach Tom Herrion that made it into print in the Trib. Even if removed from the web article. Again, this is a secondary violation likely to be self-reported by Pitt.

Coaches or staff members are not allowed to talk about recruits — other than to say they are being recruited — until they have signed a national letter of intent, according to NCAA rule 13.10.2.

The NCAA refers to this as an institutional violation, meaning the school usually reports it to the NCAA and handles the punishment.

“The institution usually would self-report it, and the NCAA would look at it,” said Big East director of communications Chuck Sullivan. “That would include a follow up to see what the school did to rectify it.”

That process usually includes reiterating to the recruit that he or she is not bound to the verbal commitment and a re-education on NCAA rules for the coach in question, Sullivan said.

“That is usually suffice for the NCAA,” Sullivan said.

Pitt associate director of media relations Greg Hotchkiss said the school may report the incident, but added it was a minor violation that will be handled by the school and members of the athletic department.

It’s a little glitch for Assistant Tom Herrion, but a very annoying one — especially since he will be a candidate for open jobs come next March/April. And (from what I understand) a mistake by Trib beat reporter John Grupp in incorporating it in the story. The comments were supposed to be off-the-record (OTR), not meant to be given publicly.

Here’s the actual NCAA Rule:

Before the signing of a prospective student-athlete to a National Letter of Intent or an institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid, a member institution may comment publicly only to the extent of confirming its recruitment of the prospective student-athlete.

Any writer covering college sports has to know this rule. Why? Because they want to be trusted by the coaches and athletic department and get access. That means if you are talking to a coach, they need to know the writer knows what is allowed for public comment and what is not.

I don’t know if Herrion mentioned the OTR requirement or assumed Grupp knew how this worked since Grupp has spent the past year as the basketball beat writer. Either way Grupp had to know and simply forgot. A big goof and one that likely cost Grupp some goodwill with the coaches.

Andy Katz at ESPN.com noted the Dante Taylor signing and viewed it a little differently.

Pitt secured its highest-rated recruit for the Class of 2009 when 6-9 New York native Dante Taylor of National Christian Academy verbally committed on Monday. Taylor is ranked No. 24 in ESPN’s Top 100. Memphis and Kansas were also pursuing him.

While Pitt fans can celebrate getting a top recruit there, they should also remember some perspective. Jamie Dixon and his predecessor Ben Howland have done quite fine without needing to get a highly rated player. The rankings are good for fan fodder, but the Panthers have always had good fits for their program.

For Pitt, the significance of getting yet another New York City talent, despite the change in Northeast-native assistants over the years from Barry Rohrssen and Orlando Antigua to Tom Herrion, shows that the program and Dixon are the consistent presences that maintain the pipeline to NYC.

Which is why it has to be frustrating for Dixon and Pitt not to be able to get an opponent at MSG. It’s a good point about still recruiting NYC. I think the other thing, though, is that they still recruited a player that will fit Pitt’s system. He just happens to be a much higher rated player.

Taylor spoke a little, down in Morgantown (Ed. note: this was apparently published originally by the Dominion Post — which is firewalled and ignored because of it yet the McClatchy group then reprinted it in TradingMarkets.com which I don’t entirely follow.

“I always wanted to play in the Big East,” Taylor said. “I like the coaching staff. I developed a good relationship with them. I like how the players stayed together off the court.”

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound power forward said he plays hard up and down the floor and doesn’t quit on any possession. He said once he gets to Pittsburgh, he will be “willing to help the team in any way that he can” and become a leader.

During National Christian’s firstround game against Shining Star Sports (Ky.), Taylor showed why he is highly regarded and received multiple scholarship offers from major college basketball programs. He scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds, en route to his team’s 70-60 win.

Besides scoring and rebounding, Taylor demonstrated his passing ability by dishing out several assists to his teammates.

Defensively, Taylor was a force underneath the basket. On many occasions when the opposition entered the lane, Taylor was there to block shots or at least alter them. He had active hands and grabbed many loose balls, then threw outlet passes to streaking teammates triggering the fastbreak.

Pitt coaches this past weekend were down in Virginia for the Agent Zero to Hero Invitational. Why? Because Thomas Robinson was there.

Now he has offers from Pittsburgh, Providence, Marquette, Seton Hall, West Virginia and South Florida from a Big East perspective. Outside of that league, the likes of Georgia, UMass, Virginia, Boston College, plus Maryland previously offered, while Memphis, Oklahoma State, the Big East’s Louisville and a few others recently did so.

Their interest is little wonder, as Robinson, who at 6’8” and just under 220 pounds is a rugged player who relishes battling down low, attacking the tin, and defending. He’s a ‘beast’ to say the least, and will likely take his show to Brewster academy for his senior year after previously attending Riverdale Baptist.

It will be interesting with Taylor already committed. If it’s true that Pitt would like to add Robinson or Dan Jennings to the class, it may become a question of which will give a verbal first. The Taylor verbal changed the dynamic for Pitt. Arguably the pressure to decide is on Robinson and Jennings.

A couple stories that are connected by ties with Pitt. The ties of family and history.

Bret Gunn, the stepbrother of linebacker Adam Gunn, wants to come to Pitt. He plays both Safety and Running Back. Given his speed — he’s a top track guy — I’m sure Coach Wannstedt would love to see him at safety. What the younger Gunn has to do if he wants to go to Pitt — or anywhere — is get to work on the grades.

According to Scout.com, several colleges are showing interest in Gunn, including Buffalo, Connecticut, Florida State, Ohio State, North Carolina, Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia. But the speedy, 5-foot-11, 165-pounder has no scholarship offers yet.

“At this rate, (the colleges) are going to stop looking at him,” Ed Gunn said. “If he doesn’t pass summer school, he could miss the early part of the season.”

Ed Gunn wanted to share his son’s situation, much like Tonie Clemons, the mother of former Valley receiver/defensive back Toney Clemons, did.

…

“Bret and I had a long conversation about (grades),” Kiski Area first-year coach Harvey Smith said. “I tried to explain to him where he stands and the opportunity before him. He needs to do what he needs to do.”

Bret Gunn has made strides at improving much in his life. His family life is much more stable, but he still has to make his choices.

Recent Pitt verbal, Juantez Hollins had another story last week. I realize Aliquippa has produced some of the best Pitt players. Still, the whole meme gets a bit tiresome and perhaps a bit of a burden for players.

While Hollins concedes he needs to become much stronger, his play, as well as the interest he received from colleges, has been fueled by his quickness.

“They like the way I move, and they love my footwork,” Hollins said.

Agility has been just as important to Hollins as size, some of which has likely been sharpened by his experience playing for Marvin Emerson and the Quips basketball team.

“That’s probably his best attribute, his ability to run,” Zmijanic said. “There are a lot of big guys out there, but that’s what separates him from the others.”

What didn’t separate Hollins from many of the Aliquippa standouts who preceded him was his commitment to Pitt. Aliquippa has sent several high-profile players to the school — particularly in recent years — and Hollins said he liked the fact he will be reuniting with former Aliquippa players Brandon Lindsey and Jonathan Baldwin.

Said Zmijanic: “I just think most of our kids are homebodies and don’t want to travel too far. They feel real comfortable with the people [at Pitt]. Plus, with all the guys that have been there before, they feel comfortable.”

The familiarity and ties to present and past players helps. It just seems that sometimes the Aliquippa lineage is a little overplayed. Not to mention undue pressur on the kids.

That Hollins already has good footwork and agility is most promising. The strength will come. Especially when Buddy Morris gets a hold of him.

Get a big recruit, get some local press coverage. Both papers have stories on Dante Taylor’s verbal. One of the big memes is that Taylor has an excellent chance at being selected this year as a McDonald’s All-American. Something that Pitt has never had many in the history.

Taylor is considered Pitt’s top recruit in at least two decades. He was rated the No. 23 player in the country by Rivals.com in their most recent rankings, and that was before an outstanding summer season with his AAU team. He could be a top 15 recruit by the fall and is in contention to become a McDonald’s All-American.

Pitt has not had a McDonald’s All-American since Brian Shorter and Bobby Martin in 1987.

Taylor chose Pitt over Kansas and Memphis, the two teams that competed for the national championship in April, as well as Connecticut, Syracuse and Villanova.

“I decided on Pitt because I felt like it was a good fit for me,” Taylor said. “I like the way they push the ball. They have some great guards. I like the way they use their [forwards and centers].”

Taylor said he has known since early in the spring that he would be attending Pitt, but said he used the summer to make sure his choice was the right one. Pitt assistant coach Tom Herrion recruited Taylor, who said Pitt’s early interest was rewarded.

The only other McD AA’s that went to Pitt were Charles Smith and Jerome Lane.

Yes, the rule is that you can’t win the present NCAA Tourney without one — Maryland being the lone exception. I think we’re all familiar with that.

The other article is a little worrisome insofar as secondary NCAA violations are concerned. Coaches are not permitted to talk about players until after they sign a NLI. Yet the article is interspersed with quotes about Taylor from Assistant Coach Tom Herrion.

Added Herrion: “He’s a versatile, big forward who plays with a high motor. And he’s five times better a kid than he is a player. He’s a tremendous young man.”

One of the few criticisms of the Pitt basketball program under Dixon has been the inability to land the truly elite recruit.

Now, Taylor’s commitment signals that Dixon — and the Pitt basketball program — can attract the elite players and, perhaps, recruit on the same level as the national powers that routinely reload with McDonald’s All-Americans.

“This speaks volumes,” Herrion said.

It’s not a major rules violation, but it is a bit sloppy. Herrion should know better.