He’s here. He’s there. He’s everywhere.
As mentioned earlier, he’s been in Florida. Here’s another update (hat tip to Patric for e-mailing me the story).
Dave Wannstedt has been crisscrossing Florida in a little red car for days.
He’s cramming in visits to 24 high schools and shaking the hands of countless players, coaches, principals, superintendents, janitors and anyone else who knows of an athlete who may be interested in playing for him at the University of Pittsburgh.
…On Thursday afternoon, Wannstedt took in a Hialeah-Miami Lakes Trojans spring practice. In the morning, he roamed the halls of the school.
“Oh, there were all kinds of rumors floating around,” Trojans coach Jerry Hughes said. “That our best players were going straight to the Dolphins and all that stuff.”
Wannstedt, who stepped down as Dolphins coach in November after a 1-8 start last season, is recharged.
He looks tanned and rested, remarkable considering his hectic schedule.
With the help of Pittsburgh receivers coach and former Florida Gator Aubrey Hill, Wannstedt listed the schools he visited Thursday morning: American, Carroll City, Pace, Miami Central, Booker T. Washington and Miami Northwestern.
“I love it,” Wannstedt said. “I enjoy the interaction with the players and coaches. There are things about this that are refreshing to me. The alumni, academics, all the things on campus. It really has been a nice change of pace.”
While he spoke, Wannstedt was monitoring the workout of Trojans quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.
“See that No. 1?” Wannstedt said. “We’re offering.”
…“Yeah, LSU offered,” Lewis said later. “And Duke. And West Virginia. And now, Pittsburgh. This coach seems like he means business. He lets you know he really wants you. He came all the way down here for a reason.”
He came to see Lewis in person, to stand within arm’s length of him, for a reason.
“I’ll tell you what, I haven’t seen a coach of Dave Wannstedt’s stature around here this spring,” Hughes said. “I haven’t even seen, believe it or not, some of the Florida coaches, which is surprising considering what we have to offer.”
And next week he’ll be in the Eastern half of Pennsylvania.
Wannstedt and his staff have been busy spring recruiting most of this month. However, he also wants to reach out to fans, alumni and coaching colleagues in Eastern Pennsylvania. Wannstedt will be hosting three events next week for that purpose. They include:
Havertown Coaching Clinic (Tuesday, May 17): Held at Barnaby’s on 1901 Old West Chester Pike in Havertown, Pa. Coach Wannstedt and Pitt offensive line coach Paul Dunn will host a football clinic from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by a social. Cost is $15. To register, call (412) 648-8700 or e-mail clasala@athletics.pitt.edu.
“Meet Coach Wannstedt Night” (Wednesday, May 18): Held at the Marvin Comisky Center, located at One Logan Square, 18th and Cherry Sts. in center city Philadelphia. Coach Wannstedt will meet and greet members of the Pitt Alumni Association and Panther Club from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is free. To attend, contact the Pitt Alumni Association at (800) 258-7488 or e-mail alumnievents@ia.pitt.edu.
Hershey Coaching Clinic (Thursday, May 19): Held at Hershey Italian Lodge on 128 Hillcrest Road in Hershey, Pa. Coach Wannstedt and Pitt offensive line coach Paul Dunn will host a football clinic from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by a social. Cost is $10. To register, call (412) 648-8700 or e-mail clasala@athletics.pitt.edu.
Exciting. Isn’t it?
