Kevin Collier, a top running back recruit from Rochester, NY gets a piece in his local paper. He has offers from Pitt, Maryland, Southern Cal, Syracuse, Wisconsin and others. He is not giving away who his actual front-runner is in the piece. Instead he is insisting that he will take his time, take hihs official visits during the fall and then make up his mind. His high school coach has a cabin down in West Virginia. What, there aren’t enough rural and deserted places in upstate NY? But I digress. This did allow for an unofficial visit to Pitt.

Pittsburgh is putting on the biggest push. First-year coach Dave Wannestedt, the former NFL head coach, spent a good amount of time with Collier on campus during the Panthers’ Blue-Chip recruit day April 2 and also came to Churchville during the visitation period.

During an unofficial visit on their way back from their West Virginia getaway, Collier and Dick also toured Heinz Field, home to Pitt and the Steelers. Leading the tour was Irondequoit native David Walker, the longtime Syracuse running backs coach in his first year at Pitt.

As per NCAA rules, coaches can’t comment on players.

Collier was wowed by the facilities. Of course, when SU coaches found out about Collier’s brief visit to Pitt, they quickly countered with a phone call to Dick.

“Tell Kevin that Syracuse University will have a scholarship waiting for him until Feb. 2 (signing day),” Dick recalls the SU assistant coach saying.

I was very excited when Wannstedt hired Walker, just for the kind of coaching he did with Syracuse RBs. He should be a huge factor in this recruiting. He’s the guy behind many of the RBs at Syracuse that Collier has been seeing on TV growing up. That has to be a huge selling point.

We’ll see if they stay this united in another year.

A package deal exists, O.J. Mayo says, that could change the face of Big East basketball.

One team will win a three-player jackpot whose drawing is less than 18 months away, and that team will immediately become a contender.

Mayo, the No. 1-rated sophomore prospect in the nation, and teammates Bill Walker (No. 5) and Keenan Ellis (No. 11) are a package deal. The three juniors-to-be at North College Hill High (Cincinnati) changed their entire recruitment with a Three Musketeers mindset.

It’s all for one, and one for all. And that’s the Catch-22: A coach can have all of them or none. There is no middle ground.

Mayo has already been touted as the next big star. He’s the recruit to pursue. Obviously he’d e the focal point. Still, it’s not like the others are slouches. The issues are need, ego and control. Many coaches are wary of offering 2 guys just to get 1, it should narrow the field a bit on who will take 3-for-1.

I give the kids credit for gaming the system. If they really want to keep playing together and remain teammates this is a way to do it. Still, they are only going to be high school juniors. There is still plenty of time for their own egos and interests to split this.