The Pitt Athletics site has a press release on the team’s ranking in Street & Smith’s college preview, and notes Palko on the cover for the North Atlantic version.
The magazine ranks the Panthers No. 23 nationally and second in the Big East Conference.
“If (new head coach Dave Wannstedt) can blend his running-and-defense philosophies with a talented passing corps, the Panthers could again be at the top of the heap this season,” Street & Smith’s writes in its preview of the Big East.
The magazine also considers some of Pitt’s players among the best in the country. Junior linebacker H.B. Blades (Plantation, Fla./Plantation) and junior receiver Greg Lee (Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain) were named Street & Smith’s All-Americans. Both were third-team selections.
Receiving Honorable Mention All-America consideration were Palko (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny), placekicker Josh Cummings (Newhall, Calif./Hart/College of the Canyons) and punter Adam Graessle (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman).
Blades additionally was named the Big East’s “Hardest Hitter” and “Top NFL Prospect.” Palko was named the league’s “Best Player Under Pressure.”
The full previews are now hitting bookstores and I was actually able to look at it last night.
S&S has gone along with the cheesecake trend by putting a small little shots of members of cheer or dance teams on a lot of the team profile pages. The writers at PSB wish to commend and support this trend.
Other things in this preview included putting Palko, Lee, Blades, Josh Lay, Cummings and Graessle on the All-Big East Team.
The preview regarding Pitt written by Pete Williams (info here), notes that the big question for Pitt will be on both lines. Whether they will be better and issues of depth.
