Pitt got a solid verbal from Linebacker Nate Nix. Nix had been favoring Pitt all along.

Nix, 6-foot-3 1/2, 215 pounds, was named to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25 and The Associated Press Class AAA all-state teams as a junior, when he recorded a team-best 125 tackles (51 solo) in leading the Jaguars to WPIAL and PIAA championships. Nix had two interceptions and a forced fumble in the PIAA final.

“He plays his best in the big games,” Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak said, “against the best players.”

An intense, sideline-to-sideline player, Nix has a reputation for outstanding lateral quickness. He has run the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds and the pro shuttle in 4.17 seconds. Pitt recruited him to play outside linebacker.

“He has that combination of size and speed,” Cherpak said. “He can run. He can play a number of places. And he has the ability to get bigger, faster and stronger.”

Cherpak said Iowa, Purdue and West Virginia also extended verbal scholarship offers to Nix, but his allegiance to Pitt caused schools to back off.

Nix said Cherpak’s influence also “played a big part” in his decision. Cherpak played offensive guard at Pitt from 1986-89 and has a close relationship with the staff.

He made the verbal while attending a 7-on-7 camp at Pitt this weekend. Nix is considered the 39th best player in Pennsylvania by Rivals and the 26th in the state by Pantherlair.

Pitt also has extended an offer to Dexter Davidson, a QB down in Florida. The article indicates he may “arguably” be the 2nd best QB in Florida. He won’t be deciding any time soon.

“I’m not completely ready to make a decision yet,” Davidson said. “I’m still uncertain about my whole camp situation. I’d like to hear from Miami (Fla.) since they are so close and I might head up to Auburn, cause they said they’d offer if I went up there.”

Davidson is certain he’ll be making a road trip at some juncture this summer to see Kentucky, Ohio State and Pittsburgh.

The only other schools to offer right now are Tulane, BYU and Kentucky. The Pitt connection is that the prep school Davidson attends is also attended by Mike Marino — Dan Marino’s son. Dan, has apparently been helping the kid and referred Coach Wannstedt to him.

Krauser worked out for the NY Knicks.

Krauser can’t be Marbury because “he’s more of a scorer and more athletic than I am,” he says with a sigh. “But,” he lights up, “my game is to create, setting the other guys up, find them in the right spots. Making everybody better, be a real team-first point guard — there’s always a need for a guy who does those types of things. And I LOVE to play defense.” Anyone who’s ever seen Krauser’s nail-chewing Pittsburgh teams tackle (and we mean that quite literally) Big East opponents over the past few years can attest to the painful truth of that.
…
“Tell all the Knick fans that if I end up playing for the team I’m going to make them so-o-o-o-o happy it’ll be unbelievable,” claims Krauser who stars as “Black Magic” in Harlem’s Rucker League every summer. “There’s going to be only one person even happier than the fans: that will be me.”

Sounds like he’s not coming back. Krauser was happy to finally meet Isiah Thomas.

Coach Jamie Dixon waxes philosophical about waiting until Tuesday to find out whether Krauser is coming back.

Said Pitt coach and former TCU player Jamie Dixon: “You can’t fight it, you have to embrace it. Going early into the draft is construed as being a bad thing. But you want kids who want to strive to be the best.

“There’s always a degree of uncertainty when you’re talking about players injured or becoming ineligible. The NBA Draft gets a lot of publicity, and it’s just something you have to deal with. There’s not much you can do about it as a college coach.”

Wake Forest Coach Skip Prosser, though, whines about the amount of time the player has to decide.

“The process is way too elongated,” said Prosser, whose team lost point guard Chris Paul but will retain center Eric Williams, who declared and then withdrew his name. “I think kids should have to make their decisions earlier, but I understand it’s a life-altering decision. But for a coach, the uncertainty is the worst part.”

When these same coaches are willing to have their negotiating windows limited and have their opportunities to capitalize on their success restrained, then maybe they can throw those stones.