Aaron Berry’s local paper had the story on his verbal to Pitt (hat tip, Joe).

“I just felt so comfortable at Pitt,” said Berry, the spectacular wide receiver and defensive back at Bishop McDevitt. “I felt comfortable with the academics, the campus and especially the players.

“But the thing that I liked more than anything was that it was close for family to come out to a game on Saturdays,” Berry said. “That meant a lot to me.”

Berry’s announcement at an afternoon press conference at Bishop McDevitt brought a lot of smiles to his family, including his mother, Mary Anne, and teammates and coaches gathered in Tracy Hall.

But few smiles were bigger than the effusive Berry’s, who acknowledged the traditional relief that comes with making a decision, especially one that was as tight as his pass coverage.

A late surge by West Virginia, a school that had interested Berry all along and picked up additional steam with its solid Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia, was a close second.

In other stuff, Tamarcus Porter may or may not be considering other options, mainly because he took a visit to Wake Forest. Naturally, the Trib’s recruiting/high school writer Kevin Gorman hopes that means Pitt will offer Lance Jeter out of Beaver Falls. The question with Jeter, however, is how much he really wants it. He seems to prefer basketball.

One of Pitt’s final undecideds, will by Monday.

Duquesne receiver Elijah Fields, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 2005 Player of the Year, will announce his decision on Monday. He has narrowed his choices to Pitt and Penn State, eliminating West Virginia and Ohio State, which also offered scholarships.

Kind of surprised WVU got cut. They had been going hard after him and were considered the front runner. Maybe with Wes Lyons going there he changed his mind.