MY HEAD HURTS

So Todd Thomas quit the team yesterday....no wait, he's back.  Confused?  So am I.  I won't have much on this one or the team until sometime next week as I'll be on a recruiting mission in Florida.  OK, so I won't actually be on a recruiting trip, but will be pulling off Godfather duties and won't be back until Monday.  Hopefully this will all be resolved when I get back, but Pitt appears to have dodged a bullet, because even though they are deep at linebacker, they need Todd Thomas.

GETTING CLOSER...

Training camp starts very soon for the 2013 Pitt Panthers (August 6^th to be exact) and the ACC era will finally be upon us.  Yup…just in time for the NCAA to have enormous changes to throw everything upside down again with several lawsuits!  We’ll keep this on the informative and fun side though and concentrate on what I believe are some very key issues facing this season’s Panthers and some recruiting updates. 

Just a quick primer for you and the first is the defensive side of the ball.  I know, I know…they have 9 starters returning, including a good amount of playmakers and depth, but there is one position that scares me and that is middle linebacker. It is not that senior and great comeback story Dan Mason has left the team, but more that the starter Shane Gordon is a question mark right now.  The word is that he is healthy and ready to go.  He is an important part of this defense and not only is solid in the middle, but a big hitter and game changer as well.  The problem is that he’s coming off of a neck injury.  He did not play in the bowl game (though to be fair, he was probably tired of being in Birmingham) and did not participate in spring ball either.

I have faith in his back up, but there is cause for concern.  Red-shirt freshman, Mike Caprara is inexperienced and undersized.  That is not a good combination for middle linebacker.  It is reported that he has great instincts and I think he can play at this level and do well, but just not right now. Gordon must remain healthy for this defense to reach its potential.  If he can, I don’t believe the defense will be bothered by the better athletes the ACC will bring week in and week out.  Then again, I thought we would be getting ready for year three of the high octane offense, so my opinion can be thought of by many as…well…shit.

I have read a few previews of Pitt and it absolutely kills me that they consider the team weaker from last year and the QB change being a reason why.  Ummm, let me speak for all Pitt fans when I say…HUH?  If you have read this blog, you know that I was a Tino guy (well, as much as someone can be a Tino guy), but if you think they are taking a step back with either red-shirt freshman Chad Voytik or fifth-year senior Tom Savage, you just are not correct.  I keep thinking of the part in Billy Madison every time I see a preview mention the loss of Sunseri as a weakness coming into the year.  I anticipate them to be better at QB this year.

Offensive line is the last thing I want to talk about.  I do anticipate them to be better than previous teams.  Pitt has long been plagued by poor offensive lines, which I think was one of the problems during the Tino years.  They are losing three starters from last year’s line and that could be a problem, but there are a few reasons why I don’t believe it will be a bad thing:

1.      Tackle is where you put your best offensive linemen usually.  Pitt’s two starting tackles last season are BOTH moving inside to guard.  That is a major plus as Cory King & Matt Rotheram move to left & right guard respectively.

2.      Size, size, size, size, size!  Look, I’m 5’3 (on a good day…okay, a really good day), so maybe it is just my height that makes me look at Pitt’s best 8 offensive linemen and be excited, but the shortest lineman is 6’5 and the lightest is around 300 pounds, give or take a 16 ounce steak (the line is also thought to be athletic big men too).  As JR would say, that is a mass of humanity on the offensive line.

3.      Arguably two of the most talented linemen in a good while will (more than likely) start or get playing time in red-shirt freshman, Adam Bisnowaty & true freshman Dorian Johnson.

4.      Going into training camp, Juantez Hollins was tabbed to be Pitt’s starting left tackle.  This season, he is slated (as of this writing) to be the SECOND TACKLE OFF THE BENCH.

I know everyone is worried about running back and that is with good reason.  I won’t try and dive into that one, as training camp is needed badly to sort out the depth chart there.  If the offensive line can come together, all other aspects will be improved greatly.  Regardless, I look forward to the reports from training camp.  The best happen at Pittsburgh.rivals.com from Chris Peak.

With that out of the way, Pitt has picked up a few more recruits since the last post.  Two of them I am very excited about.  Sometimes there is a recruit that I can’t understand why he doesn’t have more offers and for some reason or another, he just doesn’t.  I can’t (for the life of me) get why North Allegheny’s Elijah Zeise did not have more offers.  Luckily for Pitt, he did not and picked Pitt.  Sometimes a player can just play.  The 6’2, 185 pound Zeise seems to be able to do just that.  While the Quad-A playoffs were in full swing last season, it seemed with every twitter update on Friday nights, I would see another Zeise deep ball moment during NA’s games.  I like when a kid just performs.  It reminds me of when I was watching Penn Hills and Gateway play a few years ago with all the big-time players and one player kept making plays.  He didn’t get a lot of big offers and wound up at Pitt….his name: Aaron Donald.  I am not comparing the two…I’m just saying if a kid keeps making plays…it usually means he can perform at the next level.  Time will tell, but there is not a lot to NOT like about Zeise.

Finally, Pitt recently picked up the go-ahead from Upper St. Clair’s Rori Blair.  Seriously, google that name and tell me you don’t like this kid and what it could become. If you don’t like his story, you also probably hate puppies and America. In short, he was slated to be a top recruit after his junior year, but in April of 2012, suffered a stroke, which almost cost him his life.  He had a long road back, but has been finally cleared and granted a final year of eligibility in the WPIAL.  He held offers from WVU and Kent State, but has always been partial to Pitt.  He still has a ways to go, but you have to like this story and if Blair is fully recovered, this could be a steal for the Panthers.

We’ll take a short break so I can go down to SEC country to pull off Godfather duties for a high school friend of mine, but I’ll keep up to date and hopefully have small updates throughout training camp leading up to the Florida State game on 9/2.

RECRUITING HEATS UP

OK, so will everyone take a step away from the ledge now?  Today, Pitt picked up its 12^th commit today with TE Brian O’Neill from Delaware.  After an epic panic attack by the Pitt fan base (I know, I know…that never happens) about the number of commits Pitt had (1 at the time), the Panthers picked up 11 pledges to suit up for Pitt football over the last week.  So, we move on to a whole new stage of panic by Pitt fans…the quality of the recruits.

Before we get to that, there are two recruits who really caught my eye.  The first one is obvious.  That would be the much sought after offensive lineman from Bethal Park High School in the south hills of Pittsburgh, Mike Grimm.  Grimm is simply a beast and with Connor Hayes gives Pitt two big offensive line recruits to go along with who Paul Chryst and company brought in last year.  If you have read this blog from the beginning, you know that I am an offensive line guy.  I was raised with the Steelers imposing their will on other teams and wearing them down over the course of a game and that is a style of football that will work in any conference with any opponent if you are good at it. It does so much for your team.  You can control the game, wear down an opposing team, frustrate them, put pressure on their offense, hide weaknesses in your own defense by keeping them off the field and fresh, etc.  The list goes on and on, so I love the mass of humanity (pardon the WWE phrase) that Pitt is building up front on offense.

The second recruit that I am thrilled about is Staunton, VA’s Mike Herndon.  He’s being picked up as a defensive lineman and I think he will thrive.  He’s 6’4, 323 pounds and is…A MIDDLE LINEBACKER IN HIGH SCHOOL! Did you get that?  Yea, so he’s pretty nimble and has some instincts to go along with his size.

Now, onto the quality of recruits…one thing I heard more than once was people bitching about the type of offers these kids were getting in addition to the Pitt offer.  Most of the kids were not exactly holding offers from the big boys of college football.  Who cares?  If it’s not one thing, it’s another with Pitt’s fan base. It is only June…what…do you think that the Michigan’s, Ohio State’s, and others are done handing out scholarship offers??  No!  Just because Pitt offered them first, doesn’t mean others weren’t going to follow.  There were a number of high school kids that were offered by Pitt first for this recruiting class and then blew up on the national radar with offers. 

The next thing I will say about this is that Paul Chryst comes from a coaching staff that was never in the top 20 for recruiting classes and was widely successful.  As a matter of fact, teams are consistently proving recruiting services wrong these days. Sure it is frustrating to lose out on some of the bigger recruits.  No one likes that, but for every Larry Fitzgerald success story, there is also a Darelle Revis and Antonio Bryant (lower recruited players who not only went on to great Pitt careers, but were great right away as true freshmen).  It happens all the time.

So, before you totally freak out, please go to Pitt Blather and look at this terrific rundown on how Wisconsin recruited and then remind yourself that when Paul Chryst was there, the Badgers turned in a record of 70-21. I’m not saying that it will definitely happen at Pitt as well, but maybe we can give HCPC a few years before saying his style of recruiting does not work.

HYNOSKI NOTES

It has been a while since I put up a blog and I have been meaning to do it for a while. It has been difficult since the Pens are in the playoffs, the Pirates are above .500 and I have one of those job things too that keep getting in the way.  Today it is muggy outside and threatening rain, so I was just laying on the couch watching the Buccos and the unthinkable is happening…Jose Tabata is 3 for 3 and a triple shy of the cycle…and that inspired me to get off my ass.  I mean if Tabata can do it once in a blue moon…I can get on the computer and throw up a blog at the same rate!  A lot has happened since my last blog with Pitt football and to cover it all, we’re bringing back the Hynoskis…they are short notes, that get the job done and move the ball forward…if you still don’t get it…then why are you reading this?  You are supposed to be Pitt fans and should know who Henry Hynoski is!

·        Spring ball is over and there was not a ton of movement up and down the starting ladder, but there also were several players held out that will compete for time.  I like where this team is at, and I believe they are a better team than last year (except at running back).  This does NOT mean they will have a better record, as I strongly think there will be a slight adjustment period in the ACC and overall the schedule is a lot tougher.  One thing to watch going into the season is when OT and true freshman Dorian Johnson comes to campus.  It looks like he will have to beat out TJ Clemmings to get the nod.  The big question is the o-line, but I think when you take two starting tackles and move them inside, that aspect will be better.  That is what Pitt did with Matt Rotheram and Cory King. It all depends on health and Dorian Johnson.  I’m not really worried about Gabe Roberts or Adam Bisnowaty, but I do think they could struggle right off the bat with a fast Florida State defense.

·        There were several issues with this team at the end of spring ball and immediately after and the one piece of good news is that Pitt no longer has to think about getting down to 85 scholarships, as they stand there right now.  It started with Terrell Jackson and Rushel Shell transferring.  They were followed by Deaysean Rippy leaving as well.  No matter how you are trying to fool yourself, Shell leaving will hurt.  He may not be the most mature person out there (see his twitter account right after he left), but make no mistake…he’s a stud and would have helped.  Jackson and Rippy were fighting for back up time and had some good players in front of them…especially Rippy.  He was behind Anthony Gonzalez and Bam Bradley…both of whom are expected to be exciting players.

·        Right now, if you are a math major…or just can add and subtract, you are thinking we still have a couple of players to go before getting down to 85 and you are right.  The next issue could not have been worse.  You never want your favorite college football program linked with a drug bust and that is what Pitt found themselves with when Safety Eric Williams, Tight End Drew Carswell, & DL K.K. Mosley-Smith were all given citations during a drug raid in Oakland.  Since then, Williams and Carswell have been kicked off the team and Mosley-Smith is suspended indefinitely. Many Pitt fans are glad to see Carswell gone, but Pitt went from thin to supermodel thin at his position and Williams was to compete for a starting safety spot.  Hopefully Mosley-Smith will be back soon.  He’ll have to keep his head on straight, as Paul Chryst has shown that this is HIS team and HIS rules.

·        Can we get some good news please?  Yes…I’m glad you asked.  Since Pitt and Syracuse (and later Louisville) moved to the ACC, we have dealt with the whispers that Pitt simply moved to what the Big East was 20 years ago and soon it would also see teams migrating to other conferences.  I won’t lie. I was sweating that these were facts.  I was reading too much Clay Travis and believing what he was saying.  Then…the gods smiled on the ACC.  In addition to sticking to their $52 million exit fee, the conference also agreedto a Grant of Media Rights deal!  This is huge news.  Basically, what it means is that if an ACC team leaves, they must fork over the $52 million for the exit fee AND they would also owe the conference any dollars they will receive for their NEW media deal in whatever conference they decide is nicer and that goes all the way until 2027.  Sooooo, basically no one is going anywhere for a while.  Since the new ACC media deal runs through 2026-2027, the league should remain in place as you see it now until at least 2025…unless they want to fork over LOADS of money.  It also opens the door to an ACC Network, which could bring Pitt approximately $5 million more per year. 

·        Pitt did have a commitment leave.  Chandler Kincade decided to open his recruitment back up.  The Blackhawk QB probably has heard whispers about AJ Ford and Keller  Chryst (Paul’s nephew) and decided to look around more.  NOW…with the recent news of freshman Tra’von Chapman being suspended…the two parties could reunite down the line, as Pitt may look to bring in more than one QB and Kincade does still like Pitt.  He’s just looking out for himself and in reading all the articles and interviews, he seems to be handling the situation very well.

·        After Kincade left, Pitt picked up a new commit and received a pledge from Offensive Lineman, Connor Hayes.  Hayes is 6’4 and 270 pounds and has a mean streak.  He’ll fit right in.  He is also only 16 years old, so those stats will probably only climb.  Many are happy with this addition to the Pitt family, but there are also a lot of worries with the lack of players committed to next year’s recruiting class.  Now signing day isn’t until February of 2014, but let’s not let rationalization get in the way…this is Pitt we are talking about, so naturally we should all go crazy about this topic. From reports though, Pitt’s fan base may back totally off the ledge very soon (OK, so maybe not totally, it is the Pitt fan base after all).  Big time prospect Mike Grimm (of Bethal Park) has been spending a lot of time on the South Side facilities and was there again this weekend. Also on the positive news front, LB prospect Chase Winovich (of Thomas Jefferson) should be making his choice soon.  He is down to Ohio State, Michigan, and Pitt, but from the comments I have seen, Pitt looks to be in good shape.  I won’t hold my breath…I remember Robert Foster…but these two look good and would cause a lot of excitement if they decided to say, “Pitt is It!”

That will do it for today.  I’ll try and keep up a little better, but I do tend to take a few weeks off at a time until August when the team gets back to practicing.

PANIC!!!!!

So, I was watching the US-Mexico game last night and stopped following twitter at halftime and just put my phone away.  Thank God I did that.  When I checked in the morning, it seems the rumors started right around that time. As I am sure you have heard by now, starting Sophomore running back to be, Rushel Shell is strongly considering transferring from Pitt to another school.  Some are reporting it is a done deal and there are enough of those reports to say it is almost certain at this point. Speculations are that there are several factors on and off the field. Those are just reports and we may never know the full story, but it seems that Shell is considering a few schools and one is (PLEASE PUT DOWN ALL SHARP OBJECTS NOW)…Arizona State and Todd Graham.

I was on the message boards and social media today and the reactions of the Pitt fan base were about as you would expect.  It ranged from harmless jokes to the usual jagoffs bashing Shell, and of course you had the delusional portion of the fan base that claimed that Shell is no good anyways, so who cares.  I think the jokes are fine as long as they remain harmless and everyone is entitled to their own opinion about his skills, but if you are bashing the kid (and he is a kid) with vulgarity, you probably have your own issues.  Not only do you not know his situation Shell is in, but you also make Pitt look bad.  If you don’t believe me, go look at Shai McKenzie’s twitter.  McKenzie is a top PA recruit for next year and considering Pitt.  Look…for selfish reasons, I want him to commit to Pitt badly.  It would be nice to see a fellow Prexie playing for the Panthers on Saturday, but besides that, he is a top NATIONAL recruit and would help out at Pitt ASAP at Shell’s position.

This advice should really apply to just about every situation involving these kids. Brace yourself…there will be more players.  As a matter of fact, it was just reported that DT Terrell Jackson has asked for his release and there are rumors about LB Deaysean Rippy too.  Try and keep in mind that social media goes everywhere when these reports come out.  Also, attempt to tell yourself that it needs to happen anyways…Pitt is several players over the scholarship limit right now and a few players were going to leave anyways.  Like I said, harmless jokes are okay (the one I saw today of Shell’s head on Graham’s body on the ASU airplane was pretty funny), but try and keep it clean. We all (including myself) have tweets we wish we didn’t put out there, but some of the ones I saw today were just plain dumb and vulgar.

Enough bad news for today.  Let’s look at some of the good quick notes from spring practice that have been reported:

·        We all remember that Juantez Hollins was to be the starting left tackle last year before a suspension, so he does have some talent and he is back this year.  As of this moment, it appears that former defensive end, TJ Clemmings has the edge on Hollins and this is before the big man, Dorian Johnson comes into camp this summer. So, it appears that there will be a real competition for right tackle and that is a good thing, considering how thin the offensive line was supposed to be.

·        While Pitt may be losing a few weapons, transfer Manasseh Garner appears to be a match up nightmare for opposing teams.  The 6’2, 220 pound H-Back has been used in the slot, backfield, and tight end positions so far and is impressing the coaching staff.

·        With Dan Mason having off the field issues and Shane Gordon out with a neck injury still and the defensive line as thin as it is, some freshmen are getting some good looks and the reports are positive. Freshman Shakir Soto has a motor that doesn’t stop and red-shirt Freshman Mike Caprara may be small for middle linebacker, but reports are he is making up for it with knowledge and a nose for the ball.

·        Tom Savage and Chad Voytik are staging a nice little battle for QB and it appears that Savage has the edge.  Both sound like they will give Pitt a passing game, no matter who is in the game.

 

I’m sure I’ll send another report as the transfers shake out and spring ball comes to an end.

FINALLY, A DC HAS COME TO PITT!!!

Today Pitt announced their new Defensive Coordinator…FINALLY…and also brought aboard two new coaches as well.  In true Panther fan form, Pitt fans took to social media to pretty much bash the announcements left and right.  If there is another fan base that jumps off  a bridge quicker than Pitt’s, please let me know, because I do believe they have the market cornered.

We’ll start with the DC.  Matt House was promoted from defensive backs coach to the coordinator position.  House is young and has never held this big of a job, but he was a pretty strong recruiter and considering the year the DBs just had, did a great job on the coaching side of things as well. House has promised that he will mix up the defenses with forms of both the 3-4 and 4-3 and he also states the defense will be very aggressive (maybe my brother will finally stop texting me during games that they need to blitz more).  House’s resume has been pretty well known, but in case you don’t remember, he has experience at Michigan State, North Carolina, Buffalo, and also a couple of years in the NFL. Most people will point out that when he was the interim co-DC for the Ole Miss game, things did not go really according to plan.  Oh, how quickly we forget that Pitt played that game with their third string middle linebacker, Pitt’s offense gave them VERY little time off the field (especially at the start of the second half), and finally that Ole Miss is a team that was getting better and better throughout the year.  Why focus on that though, when it is so much fun having Pitt fans be…well…Pitt fans. 

Also coming to the Pitt coaching staff is veteran coach John Palermo to coach the defensive ends and linebackers.  He comes from Tennessee and the Redskins before that, but the thing that stuck out was that Palermo spent 15 years at Wisconsin on Barry Alvarez staffs. If he was good enough for Barry Alvarez to keep for a decade and a half, why on earth would he be a bad hire for the Panthers? With House’s promotion, the defensive coaches are somewhat young, so why not bring in someone with some years under their belt?

Lastly, is the hire that I think will turn out to be a very good one for Pitt. The rumors surfaced about this a few weeks ago and I am glad they are true. Former Panthers’ DB Hank Poteat returns to his alma mater as a GA and will handle the cornerbacks.  Poteat spent a decade in the NFL and recently was the defensive backs coach at Kentucky Christian University.  Poteat played under some great coaches as a pro in Bill Cowher and Bill Belichick.  He also is from Harrisburg, PA and those ties cannot hurt him on the recruiting trail.  Poteat brings in young energy and the staff has a lot of youth on their side, which I think helps in the recruiting aspects.

Overall, I like these hires and I know that is not a popular opinion right now, but some of the tweets today were just so Pitt fans if you will.  Really, the only problem I have with the whole process is how long it took, but other than that, I cannot complain.  I think each coach serves a purpose and I’m excited to see how these additions can improve Pitt.  It says a lot that when Dave Huxtable left Pitt as the DC, there was not even a ripple among the potential recruits. 

LOI DAY

Today was signing day for college football and for the first time in a good while, there were no unfortunate surprises at the deadline. Paul Chryst and his staff locked up this year’s class  pretty quick and all recruits signed by 10:15AM, with the exception of a kid from Hawaii, who had to wait until afternoon due to the time difference between there and the east coast. That tells me that this group of players is very excited to come to the University of Pittsburgh.

Overall the Panthers welcomed 27 members in this class, 23 of which signed today. 4 players have been enrolled at Pitt since January.  There are a lot of write ups about this class.  Of course, the always reliable Chris Peak has some great information at his paid site.  If you are looking for a free review of the class, check out Chris Dokish, as he always has solid information as well.

There really was only one real big question mark coming into today and that was Clairton’s Tyler Boyd.  Boyd flirted with WVU and Tennessee, before deciding to stay put and giving a big relief to the twitter universe at the same time. The twitter following of the Boyd announcement before, during, and after would be comical…if I wasn’t busy being one of the nervous fans following it.  Including Boyd, below is a roundup of the players that officially became part of Chryst’s first full class (last year was part those we do not speak of’s class):

Tra’von Chapman – QB; James Conner – RB; Jaymar Parrish – RB; Tyler Boyd – WR; Zach Challingsworth – WR; Reggie Green – WR; Jester Weah – WR; Devon Edwards – TE; Tony Harper – TE; Scott Orndoff – TE; Carson Baker – OL; Dorian Johnson – OL; Jaryd Jones-Smith – OL; Alex Officer – OL; Aaron Reese – OL; Tyrique Jarrett – DL; Luke Maclean – DL; Justin Moody – DL; Shakir Soto – DL; Jeremiah Taleni – DL; Matt Galambos – LB; Zach Poker – LB; Titus Howard – DB; Rachid Ibrahim – DB; Terrish Webb – DB; Chris Blewitt – K; Ryan Winslow – P

By all accounts it is a solid staff. It does not have a ton of star power, but there are a lot of quality players and I do like what the staff brought into the program.  Let’s have some fun and make a few predictions, which if I am right, I will gloat over and become an insufferable piece of shit.  If I am wrong, I will destroy this post and deny I ever made such predictions….enjoy:

The stars – This should be obvious, but in case you don’t follow recruiting at all the stars of the class are Dorian Johnson and Tyler Boyd.

Players with the best chance for playing time next season – I will say Orndoff, Soto, Jarrett, Boyd, and Johnson. 3 of those players enrolled early, allowing them to be a little ahead of the rest of the class when they come in June.

Sleeper picks – My sleepers in this class are going to come from my side of the state and I’ll say that Jones-Smith, Galambos, & Moody will all surpass what is expected of them.

Worth the wait player – This player will wait a few years before contributing, but step on and contribute a lot. Tra’von Chapman is the pick here. I believe he will redshirt and I also think he’ll sit and wait his turn for a year or two after that, but once he’s ready, I think Panther fans will love him.

Fan Favorite – The player that fans will love for their playing style and commitment to Pitt is a tie.  I am choosing Zach Challingsworth and James Conner.

I hope you enjoyed the write up.  Only time will tell with this class, but I really do like it overall.  There are a couple of reaches, but you will have that with every class. 

Two other notes to pass along to you:

1.      Paul Chryst was asked about a defensive coordinator and his response was simply that they plan to announce one.  Whoa….I’m glad he wasn’t vague about it or anything.

2.      It was announced today that the spring game will be on Friday, April 12^th at Bethal Park’s stadium (HI MIKE GRIMM!).

I probably will only blog sparingly until Spring Practice, but check back occasionally for updates. HAIL TO PITT!