Anyone remember the Cornerback from Akron who was supposed to commit to Pitt? Brian Williams. Well he’s been at Valley Forge Military College getting his academics fixed, wait that came out wrong. He’s working on his academic situation to qualify for college. He’s going to be there for another season.
The Panthers are still the favorite to retain his services in the fall of 2007, but they might have some competition. Several schools have contacted Williams through Valley Forge and his high school coach, Claude Brown. Notre Dame, Indiana and Maryland have all shown some level of interest.
“I’m quite sure that Pitt is going to come in on him, but I know as schools find out he’s at Valley Forge, some other schools are going to come in after him,” Brown said.
Williams said Wannstedt and assistant head coach Bob Junko stay in touch with him by calling at least twice a week.
“I’m still with Pittsburgh strongly, but if another big school comes, I’m going to weigh my options and go from there,” Williams said.
He’s also been spending time at running back, interestingly enough.
One of the players Pitt hopes to add to its recruiting class for 2007, they have already offered.
The WPIAL in Pennsylvania is always a launching pad for great talent at the college level and next year figures to be no different. One player to watch for is 6-5, 250 pound TE/DE Andrew Devlin out of Pittsburgh Mt. Lebanon.
Devlin made an impact on both sides of the ball for the Blue Devils this fall, who finished the season with an 8-4 record and a loss to eventual state champion McKeesport in the WPIAL AAAA semifinals.
Not surprisingly, Pitt, which dominated Western Pa. recruiting this year, is the first school to tender Devlin a scholarship offer.
“I’m extremely interested in Pitt,” Devlin told Pantherlair.com. “I think coach Wannstedt is doing some great things down there. It’s still really early, but they’re definitely a school I’m looking at.”
Devlin is also getting mail from the likes of Notre Dame, BC, Virginia, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and many more. He figures to be one of the state’s more heavily pursued prospects in the Class of 2007 before all is said and done.
Another player in Western Pennsylvania is likely a Pitt target in both football and basketball for the 2008 class.
Terrelle Pryor stole the pass at mid-court and dashed left, glancing down as he neared the basket to measure whether the defender running stride for stride with him would make a play for the ball.
With his opponent caught flat-footed, the Jeannette star sprung off the floor and flushed a left-handed dunk. Never mind that he’s right-handed. Or that he’s only a sophomore. As quickly as he elevated to the rim on that play, the 6-foot-6, 205-pound Pryor is gaining a reputation as one of the best basketball players in Western Pennsylvania and the country.
Scout.com ranks Pryor the nation’s top small forward and No. 8 player overall in the Class of 2008. Another national recruiting service, HoopScoop, had Pryor No. 33 in the sophomore class in its preseason rankings.
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Penn State already has offered scholarships in football and basketball. Coaches from Pitt, Penn State, North Carolina State and Xavier have watched Pryor practice, and Louisville and West Virginia are expected to visit Jeannette this week.“I don’t really think about it,” Pryor said. “I try to work hard and stay humble. You can’t really get excited or your head will get big. I’ve been all around the U.S. I know there are greater players. I know where I have to get to.”
Pryor is leaning towards focusing on basketball. I just find it somewhat amusing that Penn State hasn’t wasted anytime offering him a scholarship. There was a brief appearance of a PSU troll here, trying to mock because Coach Wannstedt had made it known to Kevin Collier’s younger brother (a sophomore) that he too would have a scholarship offer. Just the way things are these days.
