Hey, it’s the dead time. ESPN.com put out a recap (again?) of the Big East teams’ spring practice answers and fall questions. Actually, it’s not a half bad thing for each team. It does seem to capture a lot of what was focused and discussed during spring practice.

Spring answers: On an offensive line that needed some good news, C.J. Davis provided a dose. As a true freshman in 2005, Davis started the last six games at left guard and showed some promise. He showed even more in spring practice, being named most improved offensive player. Davis looked like a guy who had been around for three or four years. … Pitt fans want to expunge that image of Pat White running around for 220 yards as hated West Virginia poured on 45 points in last year’s Backyard Brawl. The embarrassed Pitt defenders don’t want to forget, though. In every facet of the game, the Mountaineers were simply too fast for the Panthers — and that wasn’t the only time speed gave this unit problems. So that aspect was the overwhelming emphasis during winter conditioning, and anyone who witnessed Pitt’s scrimmages saw a noticeable difference on the field. In addition to tough conditioning, it’s apparent the players are more comfortable in the system and are playing faster, as opposed to thinking about it, then attempting to react. … The linebackers led the way on defense, as they will all season. H.B. Blades is an All-American candidate, but that didn’t come as any revelation. The play of Clint Session sure was a welcome one, though. Saddled with injury and inconsistency the last two years, Session always has been a tenacious hitter, but he’s finally playing smart. And what about the play of converted safety Tommie Campbell? A high school state champion in the sprint, Campbell showed a knack for making plays all over the field and brings a speed and playmaking ability that haven’t been seen on the weak side at Pitt in quite some time. He needs to continue to bulk up, but how often can you say a linebacker is the fastest player on the team? … The unexpected return of senior Mike Phillips late in spring practice was encouraging. A nasty ankle injury in September knocked the then-free safety out for the season. Since he’ll be counted on to replace Tez Morris at free safety this fall, his return to health is welcome news.

Fall questions: It’s really very simple for the Panthers: Can they run, and can they stop the run? They found little success doing either last season. In the backfield, LaRod Stephens-Howling is a decent enough option, but is he really the kind of back Dave Wannstedt was talking about when he said Pitt was going to be a power-running team from day one? Or is it incoming freshman Kevin Collier, who was a recruit of great priority for this staff? No matter who it is, there’s still some work to be done up front — even with the four starters who return. Depth is still an issue, as is the left tackle position after the graduation of Charles Spencer. Will it be sophomore John Bachman or incoming juco transfer Jeff Otah? … As far as stopping the run, the Panthers are going to have to plug some holes in the middle with the loss of both tackles. Truthfully, there were too many holes for the opponent in that area, anyway. And now teams get to take aim at an inexperienced group of four or five redshirt freshmen and sophomores. … QB Tyler Palko lost a major weapon when receiver Greg Lee put his name in the hat for the NFL draft. For the first time in years, is it possible the Panthers won’t have a true go-to guy at that position? Derek Kinder and Joe DelSardo are OK second and third options, but No. 1 material? What about the young guys such as redshirt freshman Oderick Turner and versatile true freshman Dorin Dickerson? Can they contribute right away? … With Josh Cummings gone, who becomes the new kicker? David Abdul held the position from 2002 to 2003, but a car accident caused him to see limited action the next two years. Sophomore Conor Lee had a nice spring and will present a challenge.

In the “3 Things” segment between ESPN.com writers Ivan Maisel and Pat Forde, Pitt doesn’t even merit mention. Louisville QB Brohm coming back from injury, WVU are on both lists. Then questions as to whether Syracuse will actually improve and whether Rutgers was a one-hit wonder with a winning season.

Tez Morris has a tryout with the Cincinnati Bengals during their mini-camp next weekend. Morris is from Hamilton, Ohio so this is his hometown team.

The article also notes that former WVU WR and headcase Chris Henry is under investigation by the DA’s office in Kenton County, Kentucky for “for conduct in our county” according to the chief prosecutor.

There’s nothing more disconcerting than to read Bob Smizik agree with you. Forces you to re-analyze your position. Either that or he was cribbing from this blog (I somehow doubt that). Smizik defends Lee’s decision to enter the draft early.

Lee signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals. He will have every bit as good a chance to make the NFL as if he had been drafted in the seventh round. His life is not over. He has an outside chance of making the Cardinals, a better chance of making their practice squad. If he makes the Cardinals’ roster, his salary will be in excess of $200,000. If he makes the practice squad, he’ll make about $60,000.

If he makes neither, he can go back to Pitt and get his diploma, if he chooses.

The suggestion by those ridiculing Lee that he could have significantly improved his draft status by returning for his senior year isn’t necessarily so.

What if he broke his leg?

What if in Dave Wannstedt’s run-oriented offense his numbers continued to decline?

The truth is NFL evaluators have seen all they need to see of Lee. It’s possible his draft status might improve somewhat, but not enough to secure him the riches some are suggesting would be his if he played another year at Pitt.
…
It’s not the numbers that cost Lee in the draft; it’s his ability. That’s not going to change appreciably from this year to next.

Let’s see, mentions being able to come back to Pitt to complete his education; talent and ability issues; and of course not necessarily going to be any better draft status if he had come back. Yep, pretty much repeats what I’ve already covered.

Back in March, Chris Dokish wrote a long article on J.O. Stright. It was supplemented with an additional Q&A. Over the weekend there was another article on Stright in the Trib. As with the earlier stuff, nothing gets any clearer. If anything, it muddles further. You have local high school coaches who work and coach with Stright in the AAU (there are multiple age groupings of AAU teams and multiple JOT squads) saying good things about him.

Former Blackhawk High School coach John Miller, a long-time JOTS coach, credits Stright with improving the quality of basketball in a football-crazy region.

“Everyone talks about how we have some big-time guys in the junior class,” Miller said. “How do we know they are big-time? Because they went to North Carolina and competed against the best guys in the nation. You have Herb Pope and Pryor and D.J. Kennedy and DeJuan Blair. What’s the common denominator? Someone is rounding them up and taking them places to play against national competition.”

Shaler coach Howie Ruppert, a former assistant at Seton Hall and Duquesne University, and current AAU coach, agrees.

“J.O. is not in the business to recruit for Pitt or against Pitt,” Ruppert said. “He gives kids an opportunity. He knows how the business works. If you want to play big-time college basketball and you’re good, J.O. is the guy who’s going to show the way.”

Miller, of course, is also Xavier Head Coach and former Pitt star Sean Miller’s father. John Miller is a high school coaching legend in the area for his longevity and success. That is a strong voice in Stright’s corner. Then there is the issue of monies refused.

College coaches attend summer-time national AAU tournaments rather than high school games. They see the best half-dozen players from Western Pennsylvania in one trip. The high school coaches are taken out of the loop. The AAU coaches become the players’ primary mentors.

Through it all, Stright has shunned any sponsorship deals. He has reportedly received six-figure offers from shoe companies that would help defray the team’s annual budget.

Instead, Stright pays for costs (travel, hotel rooms, meals and tournament fees) out of his own pocket. Stright is almost bashful about his benevolence. He declined to talk about how much money he has spent to support the JOTS, other than to say it’s over $100,000.

“I’d rather not talk about the money,” Stright said. “But it’s a lot. We hold some fundraisers, and I get a few small donations. It’s very expensive. But it is my hobby.”

That’s impressive if so. That is one of the big moneymakers and influence in AAU basketball. Consider the comparison from this article concerning O.J. Mayo.

Mayo is about as “amateur” an amateur basketball player as Amare Stoudemire in 2002, LeBron James in ’03 and Sebastian Telfair in ’04. Proof? The biggest buzz of the current spring recruiting circuit came when Mayo played in the Kingwood Classic in Houston with the Miami Tropics instead of his longtime team, the D-One Greyhounds — wearing the Tropics’ Nikes instead of the Greyhounds’ Reeboks. O.J. with a new shoe company? That’s news.

For years Mayo has been generating money for his handlers — guardian Dwain Barnes, North College Hill High, the Greyhounds. Mayo long ago ceased to be a basketball prospect. By age 16 he was a corporation. If you’re lucky enough to be attached to Mayo, turn your umbrella upside down. It’s raining money.

Reebok gives Barnes, as head of the Greyhounds, roughly $75,000 a year for expenses. North College Hill has turned Mayo and teammate Bill Walker into a traveling circus. When North College Hill played Oak Hill Academy in February at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, a crowd of 16,500 paid roughly $400,000 in admission to watch Mayo score 43 points.

Considering the godfather of AAU shoe dealings, Sonny Vaccarro, is a Western PA native representing Reebok/Adidas interests these days it is quite surprising if true. Stright is leaving some serious cash on the table.

I’m not saying Stright is clean and pure. Hell, he’s an AAU coach and close with Bob Huggins. Either one, carries a strong taint on its own. Nothing around Stright is particularly clear. It all seems to be a wide spectrum of gray that has plenty for supporters and detractors to point to one or the other.

Speaking of muddying things up, there is this part.

Stright is a University of Pittsburgh booster, according to Pitt director of compliance Dan Bartholomae.

Bartholomae said anyone who donates money to a program — which includes being a season-ticket holder — is what they call a booster.

Because Stright is a booster, he can’t recruit for anybody, whether it’s Pitt or Kansas State or Robert Morris.

“He is not permitted to give a recruiting presentation for any school,” Bartholomae said. “If we find out a booster is involved in any recruitment that we think is not within the by-laws, we would have to look into it.”

Kent Barrett, a spokesmen for the NCAA, said any violations boil down to “institutional culpability.”

The NCAA pushes it off onto Pitt. Not to be too cynical, but Pitt would gain nothing by looking too closely at Stright for that sort of thing. Especially since the issues would presumably involve other schools doing the recruiting. What exactly would the NCAA do to a school who’s booster was recruiting for a different school? Who exactly would they blame and punish? Cleveland State?

While Pitt is still waiting for Luis Colon to make his decision, Pitt will be hosting a top NJ point guard this weekend.

St. Benedict’s Prep guard Eugene Harvey has narrowed his college choices to three Big East schools, according to his coach, Dan Hurley. The 5-11 Harvey, a two-time first team All-Prep selection, will choose among Rutgers, Seton Hall and Pittsburgh. Harvey, one of the top point guards in the state, ruled out a fourth Big East school — Cincinnati — that had pursued him in recent months.

“Cincinnati has signed a bunch of guards,” Hurley said at yesterday’s press conference announcing Lance Thomas’ decision to attend Duke. “So I’d say Rutgers, Seton Hall and Pittsburgh are probably the most realistic options for him. He’s got Oklahoma and others trying to get involved, but I think he’s comfortable with the Big East schools.”

I’m not sure how strong a shot Pitt has with him. Rutgers’ new head coach Fred Hill has been recruiting him all season, and he really seemed to like his visit with Seton Hall — not to mention the prospect of starting right away. I think Seton Hall is more likely. If his teammate Lance Thomas had chosen Rutgers over Duke, then he might have gone with RU as well.

Harvey like many NY/NJ point guards has a bit of flair and what could even be called recklessness to his game, even according his own coach.

“To coach Eugene Harvey, you got to be able to live with the great plays and live with maybe plays that are not so good. But he’s a great basketball player and a tremendous winner. I think he would be a great get for Rutgers or Seton Hall.”

With Pitt, the advantage (beyond being a winning program), is that Coach Dixon has shown that he will give the PG some room to play his own style with Krauser and Fields.

Harvey is also a 4-star recruit according to both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Scout.com considers him the 20th best PG for 2006, while Rivals.com is much higher on him. They rank him 11th. They also put him as the 67th best player overall, and the 10th best out of New Jersey. They also note that he has strong defensive instincts, actually ahead of his shooting game.
Additionally, Chris Dokish noted that offers are pending for the 2007 recruiting class to Schenley High stars DeJuan Blair and DJ Kennedy.

Kind of an odd story that didn’t happen during last week’s NCAA Division I Board of Directors meeting. You know, the meeting that got rid of the requirement to have a winning record to make a bowl game. Instead you just need to break even.

Division I-AA football schools have gotten sick of being considered second banana schools. More importantly, they have found themselves in a recruiting disadvantage in other sports (basketball, baseball, etc.) where there are no such technical distinctions.

“We wanted to make I-AA a more attractive place to play by clarifying standards in I-A and enhancement in I-AA to provide both organizations with a better structure,” said Big Sky Conference commissioner Doug Fullerton. “The last piece is the I-AA enhancement. The early change was for semifinals on television on Friday and Saturday, where we traded the ability to seed all 16 teams in order to play regionally and save money for the NCAA in exchange for the television coverage.”

Along the way, Fullerton and other I-AA commissioners began to see a need for a change that would give their institutions a more positive football identity.

“A real concern about our name began to emerge,” Fullerton said. “There were two problems. One, I-AA likens itself to high school representation, like 1A, 2A, 5A type of designations. But the more critical problem was that it wasnt football specific, and people were calling us I-AA in all other sports. It hurt us in other sports as well, and it was really hammering us in our basketball recruiting. There were always subtle references to Division I football, with even our own coaches referring to I-A as Division I.”

Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett saw problems for his institutions as well.

“Something that has been somewhat bothersome to me is that we are considered less than Division I,” Burnett said. “Were just as competitive as many teams in I-A and quite honestly we are recruiting a lot of the same players in our part of the country that I-A teams do, yet they are going out and telling recruits that we are Division II. Then our baseball and basketball get referred to as Division II as well.”

The solution. Change the name classification.

I-AA football is defined by its playoff system, and the word “playoffs” is sure to be in the new nomenclature for the I-AA classification, while the word “bowl” will highlight the new I-A designation. In its Jan. 6 meeting, the I-AA Governance Committee said that institutions that sponsor football should all be called “Division I Football” with the former subdivisions referred to as “Bowl Division” and “Playoff Division”. The terms “Playoff Championship Group” and “Bowl Championship Group” have been given as examples going into the Board of Directors meeting, though the name particulars are still up for debate.
…
Fullerton said, “Were doing this in conjunction with I-A teams being comfortable with what we call ourselves and what they will call themselves. Were not trying to confuse anything or steal their thunder. We will all just be Division I football, with the Playoff Division and Playoff Championships for our postseason. The name itself is out of our hands though.”

The full Board of Directors, though, put it off likely for at least another year.

Barring a last-second miracle, the I-AA name remains for at least one more season, as the NCAA Division I Board of Directors decided Thursday to defer the change in nomenclature to another date. The Board deferred taking action to delete the subdivision labels in Division I until replacement labels are set. While the Board acknowledged that the wrongful use of labels can be a problem for I-AA teams, it could not take action with an absence of new nomenclature.

While the lack of action was a surprise for I-AA leaders, it was reluctance on the part of I-A presidents on the Board of Directors that put a halt to the name change.

“We were told on our Wednesday meeting with the NCAA that they hit on us being the Championship Division and were comfortable with it,” said Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton. “Obviously the word wasn’t out there yet because the I-A Presidents pulled off of it.”

Fullerton believes there is a chance at quick movement if people only have to sign off on the nomenclature, though there would have to be work between the staff for the committees for both I-AA and I-A. However, he knows that at a certain point very soon the change has to be a year away. The next Board of Directors meeting will not be held until August 3.

“The major publications are going to bed right now, and the next big checkmark will be media guides in mid-June and the conference kickoffs in mid-July,” Fullerton said.

Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher also believes a name change will likely have to wait until the 2007-08 academic year, and feels that I-AA committees need to be clear about what the labels will be.

“We still have a governance process where we have to come up with identifying those sub-groups,” Steinbrecher said. “The way that we are going to re-name those sub-groups had clearly not been identified, and the board was not satisfied with that.”

I wonder where the Big East basketball schools fall on the issue? At first I thought they might support the name change thing, but I’m not so sure the more I think about it. There’s little confusion with them as far as the other sports go, due to their membership in the Big East. If anything, it probably gives schools like Villanova, Georgetown and Marquette a little extra advantage in recruiting for other sports versus the other I-AA teams. Especially against local teams in the area. They can point to a higher profile.

The Board of Directors did make one interesting change that will affect I-A football.

The Board approved legislation regarding the One-Time Transfer Exception that states that a player that transfers from I-A to I-AA can qualify for the exception (which allows players to play immediately without sitting out a season) only if they have two or more seasons of competition remaining. The legislation will go into effect on October 15.

Steinbrecher and Fullerton wanted to put an end to the practice of taking a transfer from a I-A school who only has one season of eligibility remaining.

“They are not transferring for academic reasons,” Fullerton said. “There’s a lot of information that those kids are not even going to school and are back at their home school by the end of the semester. Coaches can become addicted to this and it’s bad branding for I-AA when the major media outlets are only talking about I-A transfers in the playoffs.”

Most of the recent Pitt transfers to I-AA programs have been players with more than a year of eligibility left. Still this is an additional deterrent to players who get frustrated by losing a starting job, but does not have enough eligibility left to sit out a year.

Duquesne’s new coach is in a win now and at all costs mood. He has 2 JUCOs and 2 prep students in the recruiting class. One of the prep students has spent two years in prep school to get eligible. I’m putting the over under on number of kids from this recruiting class staying eligible in 2006-2007 at 1.5. For the duration of their stay at Duquesne, I’m thinking around 3.

A bunch of goodies from Andy Katz’s blog at ESPN.com (now, apparently a free blog).

The Big East men will mirror the women in scheduling in 2007-08 when the league will have each team face every other school at least once in conference play.

Up for debate at the conference meetings in Florida in two weeks will be how many home-and-home games will occur.

Will it be one? Will it be three? It all depends on whether or not the Big East wants to go to 18 league games or stay at 16. The conference is locked into continuing the schedule from this past season for next season. That means teams will continue playing 16 league games (13 of the 15 other opponents with three home-and-home games).

I’m hoping the Big East goes to 18 games. From both an increase to the strength of schedule to more home-and-homes with the chance for stronger rivalries, it seems better.

The Big East coaches still want to have all 16 teams in the Big East Tournament, but that seems unlikely. BE Commish Mike Tranghese cites the extra costs and logistics.

This past season, things got nasty in recruiting with St. John’s and UConn when a St. John’s verbal reneged at the last minute after UConn decided they needed him. The two teams and coaches kept some little sniping going for most of the season. So the Big East wants to stop that as well.

Tranghese will also review the way Big East coaches should conduct themselves with each other, starting with recruiting and public comments.

“I don’t expect our coaches to be best friends but I do expect them to adhere to protocol,” Tranghese said. “Our league is a bear right now.”

Meanwhile, the coaches will also discuss a proposal from the SEC to do a mini SEC-Big East challenge. The event would match four teams from the SEC and four from the Big East each season. If this flies, each league would mix up marquee teams with lower profile schools so that there wouldn’t be a year where all of the schools are bottom-feeders. Each Big East school would appear in it once in a four-year period.

Well, I suppose it’s better than no challenge. I’d still rather have more of the teams playing every year. Seems more like an formal agreement between the conferences to schedule some games each year than a “challenge” format.

Last season’s kickoff, ass-kicking to ND had the unfortunate addition of two ND fans in our group — including a complete idiot. A mistake Shawn will be forced to answer for, for years. They were ND Business School grads. This video (warning, incredibly painful to watch all 4:45) explains a lot. It also speaks well to the advantage of urban tailgating and the limited space to prevent abominations like that.

Pitt has a press release with the information.

Three Pitt football players signed free agent contracts with NFL teams this week. Placekicker Josh Cummings signed with the St. Louis Rams, tight end Erik Gill signed with the Dallas Cowboys and receiver Greg Lee inked a deal with the Arizona Cardinals.

Additionally, defensive back Tez Morris will participate in tryout camps this weekend with the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. Linebacker J.J. Horne will also workout for the Cowboys.

Gill signs with the Cowboys who also drafted ND TE Anthony Fasano. Going into last season, Gill would have been considered as good if not better. Gill had a horrible season and the result was not drafted while Fasano went in the 2nd round. I have to wonder how much of Gill’s drop-off was due to being distracted by his DUI charge. Or was it simply not fitting right in the offense? He never found comfort, and seemed to drop as many passes as Greg Lee. Not to take anything away from Fasano who performed extremely well this past season. Still, signing with Dallas who also has Jason Witten starting at TE means Gill may end up on the practice squad at best.

Lots of opportunities from the Cowboys. Wonder if it’s in part because of the value received last year in drafting Pettiti. Or perhaps, Pettiti offered them a place to stay as well? Or just because.

Joe Starkey discusses the Greg Lee outcome.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt immediately called Lee’s agent, Michael Huyghue, and, according to Huyghue, angrily said, “Are you satisfied?”

Wannstedt declined to detail their conversation but said, “It was not pretty.”

Lee wound up signing a puny free-agent deal with the Arizona Cardinals and will have to buck long odds to make their team.

“I was very shocked,” Lee said Tuesday. “I didn’t expect it to go like that. I just have to make the best of it.”

The knee-jerk reaction among many observers, including this one, was, “Another case of an agent manipulating a kid; how sad.”

Upon further review, it’s really not sad at all, and it’s not the agent’s fault Lee left Pitt. Lee decided near the end of Pitt’s season he wanted to leave school, and he recruited Huyghue, whose company is called Axcess Sports & Entertainment.

“I was just ready to leave,” Lee said.

Starkey doubts that the agent in this case was at fault. Keep in mind the same agent is also representing Josh Lay. Wannstedt, later in the article, seems to concede that it may not have been the agent who was responsible for Lee leaving but thinks someone gave him bad advice.

Wannstedt, who knows his way around the NFL, told them. So did the NFL’s underclassmen advisory committee, which includes general managers.

Oddly, Lee says he can’t imagine why all 32 teams passed.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said.

OK, here’s one: He wasn’t very good last season. He also ran a poor 40 (4.64 seconds) at the combine and was injured at his on-campus workout.

Wannstedt wishes he could have prevented this.

“Greg Lee will always be part of the Pitt family,” he said. “And you hate to see family members get hurt.”

Thing is, who’s to say Lee would have played better, run faster or avoided injury next year?

I hope Lee can make it in the NFL. I also hope that Greg Lee will one day take advantage of Pitt’s open policy of letting athletes who leave school school for pro dreams come back and complete their education on scholarship. It’s what allowed Brandin Knight to get his degree this past summer. It’s one of the reasons Sam Clancy moved back to Pittsburgh and is taking classes to finally earn his degree. I think it’s a great program and does much to further the idea of a “Pitt family.”

The other thing to consider if you want to be cynical is that Lee’s early departure opened up one more scholarship late in the game for the 2006 recruiting class (PDF). Considering the late commits — Tamarcus Porter, Elijah Fields, Aaron Berry, Lowell Robinson and McKenzie Mathews. Pitt would have not been able to have one of those players. Right now, which one would we have wanted to turn away?

So new Duquesne Coach Ron Everhart landed a good JUCO player.

Ron Everhart got his man, a player he has coveted for several years and one he expects to make an immediate impact on Duquesne University’s basketball team next season.

Stuard Baldonado, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound All-American junior-college power forward from Miami-Dade College, signed a national letter of intent yesterday to become Everhart’s second recruit during the spring signing period that ends May 17.
…
Baldonado, a native of San Andres, Colombia, also played for the AAU Miami Tropics whose coach, Art Alvarez, is a longtime friend of Everhart.

I’m not sure how big-time the kid really is.

The major-college recruiters poured in. He received at least 25 offers, including Texas-El Paso, Hofstra, Minnesota, Oregon State. Kansas State coach Bob Huggins paid a visit to see Baldonado, who was ranked No. 36 in the JucoJunction Top 100, 17th among forwards.

And he had apparently narrowed his options to Duquesne, UTEP and Hofstra. Dukes, Miners or Pride.

I suspect many Pitt fans are more than a little hesitant with regards to hyping JUCO basketball players following John DeGroat and Doyle Hudson. I know I’m not that impressed. Everhart’s been recruiting this kid for a number of years. It’s not like the kid just got swept off his feet in a quick flurry of activity.

What makes the stories noteworthy is that Luis Colon, the 6′ 10″ Center, Pitt is now pursuing, is also on Everhart’s list. Colon also plays on the Miami Tropics AAU team. He has apparently narrowed his choices to Pitt, Duquesne and Kansas State. Colon takes a trip to K-State today.

K-State has signed two players for the 2006 class, 7-3 high school center Jason Bennett and 6-2 junior college guard Blake Young. The Wildcats have one scholarship to give and are pursuing Luis Colon, a prep forward from Miami, and juco point guard Stefhon Hannah. Colon will visit K-State on Wednesday, while Hannah is scheduled for a trip to Manhattan on May 11.

Couple thoughts on this. Huggins has an assistant he hired away from Charlotte, who used to work for Everhart at Northeastern and is also very tight with Alvarez in Miami. So to some degree, I don’t think Alvarez will be steering Colon to K-State over Duquesne or vice-versa. If anything, it probably keeps things more neutral and helps Pitt’s chances.

Additionally, Pitt offers the opportunity to play for a winning program and Colon would have a chance to compete to become the successor at the starting Center position after Aaron Gray — or even start right away should Gray stay in the draft. No such guarantees on those issues for the other 2 schools.

Now, if the City Game is to have any meaning again, you almost want Duquesne to snatch Colon. In terms of improving Duquesne’s talent level and of course the fact that they would have grabbed a recruit from Pitt. (I’m not actually rooting for this, but it is a subplot to consider.)

There’s 2 weeks in this signing period left. Right now there are 4 scholarships available for next year (Hudson, Kendall, Graves and Gray will all be seniors) plus the one spot Pitt is holding at the moment. If I have the rules correct, there are 13 scholarships available in total, and a school can only give out 7 in a 2-year period. The NCAA recently abolished the 3-4 restriction that prevented teams from giving out more than 4 in any given year. So, Pitt could hold on to the scholarship.

I think they want to use it though, even if it is to take a flyer on a project perhaps. Especially since they could end up with an extra scholarship early should Aaron Gray stay in the draft. There is another chance for signing before the fall semester. In August, there’s another window. Often this is when kids who had academic issues find out if they finally got the minimum qualifications. That is how and when Pitt snagged Antonio Graves.

No word yet as to where or whether Erik Gill is going to get a free agent offer from a team. Same for JJ Horne and Tez Morris.

Josh Cummings will get a shot to become a dome kicker after signing on with the St. Louis Rams. The Rams also signed UConn Power Forward Ed Nelson to come in as a Tight End.

Looks confirmed that Greg Lee has signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Lee is now getting the “What were you thinking?” treatment from pundits.

Don’t you feel dumb award: Pick a name, any name, of a poor boob who declared for the draft . . . and didn’t get drafted. My choice for biggest dunce: Pitt WR Greg Lee.

Or worse, the head-shaking, pity view.

4. Stay in school (unless you are a going on the first day): Coming out of school early is great if your name is Mario Williams, Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Vernon Davis or any of the other first-round selections. But it is really awful when a guy gives up a year of his college experience and his name is called in the seventh round or not at all. Fred Matua, Stanley McClover and Dee Webb, among others, should have stayed in school. I feel even worse for receiver Greg Lee, linebacker Kai Parham and others who went undrafted. It always amazes me how players hear what they want to hear about what will happen to them if they leave school early.

Like I said yesterday, if Lee could have come out as a Sophomore he would have been a 3d round pick on potential alone. Instead he had to come back, and was shown in his Junior season to have issues of concentration and consistency, not great speed, and his overall numbers dropped. I’m not sure any of that would have improved coming back for his Senior season. If Dickerson, Porter, Fields or any of the redshirt receivers even step up a little; Lee’s numbers drop further raising more questions about him.

Of course, he’d also be much closer to getting his degree (assuming like many other players, he doesn’t actually come back for his final semester while trying to concentrate on conditioning and training for the draft) which has to count for something.

Can the Big East really count the Houston Bowl, when no one can be sure they will find a replacement? I mean when the NCAA is unable to recertify another bowl, you know there’s a lot of problems.

On the other hand two more bowls were certified and are tied to the Big East.

In the International Bowl, the BIG EAST will meet a team from the Mid-American Conference. In the Birmingham Bowl, the BIG EAST will play a team from Conference USA.

“We’re very excited to be associated with these two new bowls and extremely pleased with the number of bowl opportunities that we have for this season and beyond,” said Tranghese. “BIG EAST football fans now have even more attractive postseason destinations.”

The International Bowl will be played in the Rogers Centre on Jan. 6. The Birmingham Bowl will be played at Legion Field on Dec. 23. Both games will be televised by one of the ESPN networks.

The BIG EAST champion automatically qualifies for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series. After the BCS representative has been determined, a BIG EAST team will go to the Toyota Gator Bowl or the Vitalis Sun Bowl.

Then, the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. will select a BIG EAST team.

Earlier this year, the BIG EAST announced an agreement with the Houston Bowl. The NCAA Bowl Certification Committee gave the Houston Bowl a 60-day extension before making a decision on certification.

Everyone is trying to put a positive spin on match-ups against Conference USA and the MAC.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said the addition of the new bowls are yet another sign that the Big East is on the rise.

“Bowls can choose whatever conferences they want to be affiliated with, and everyone wants to be associated with a winner,” Wannstedt said.

“So this is all a very positive sign about how the Big East is perceived. It also speaks well of our commissioner and his staff and the job they have done in selling the conference based on its merits.

“The bottom line is these bowls are run by businessmen and every conference had a chance to sell their product to them. The Big East obviously has a lot to offer and it is only going to get better.”

I think the Toronto Bowl has something of a chance. At least it is within a decent driving distance for a lot of the schools, so it’s not exactly a bad road trip.

Ah, it’s easy to mock and be down on these games. Fact is, the Big East has earned this rung. The conference has a well-earned reputation of not traveling well (no matter what the conference composition was) and the conference is still trying to get itself back up to respectability in terms of overall performance.

Pitt, of course, has press releases for both Charles Spencer and Josh Lay being drafted. Just the basics and tying them to past Pitt players drafted in their position.

The Big East press release on the draft lists the 11 Big East players drafted.

BIG EAST PLAYERS SELECTED IN THE 2006 NFL DRAFT

Round 3
Pick (Overall), Team, Name, Position, School
1(65), Houston, Charles Spencer, OG, PITTSBURGH
11(75), Green Bay, Jason Spitz, C, LOUISVILLE
19(83), Pittsburgh, Anthony Smith, S, SYRACUSE

Round 4
Pick (Overall), Team, Name, Position, School
29(126), Denver, Elvis Dumervil, DE, LOUISVILLE

Round 5
Pick (Overall), Team, Name, Position, School
6(139), Atlanta, Quinn Ojinnaka, OG, SYRACUSE
9(142), Arizona, Brandon Johnson, LB, LOUISVILLE

Round 6
Pick (Overall), Team, Name, Position, School
5(174), New Orleans, Bernard “Josh” Lay, CB, PITTSBURGH
10(179), Detroit, Dee McCann, CB, WEST VIRGINIA
13(182), Dallas, Montavious Stanley, DT, LOUISVILLE

Round 7
Pick (Overall), Team, Name, Position, School
5(213), Jacksonville, James Wyche, DE, SYRACUSE
11(219), Baltimore, Ryan LaCasse, DE, SYRACUSE

Not one of the finer showings in the draft for the conference. Forced to note that the ACC had 12 players drafted in just the 1st round.

USF Running Back Andre Hall wasn’t drafted, but has already signed a free agent deal with Tampa Bay.

If you are of the school of thought that the Denver Broncos produce the ideal offensive line because they do their best to never speak or be heard, then Charles Spencer is on the right track. Following his first day selection by the Houston Texans, there is no sign of any quote from Spencer. Quotes from his agent, his new coach and his old coach. But not from Spencer.

“Everyone knows that Charles has a tremendous upside, and Houston didn’t think it was a reach to get him with the third pick in the third round,” Joe Linta, Spencer’s agent, said. “They have a good quarterback and running back, but they had a need for linemen this year.

“So, they took Charles and tackle Eric Winston from Miami. Charles and Eric will be able to grow with some of the young players on that team, and I’m sure that Charles will have a long future in the NFL. He’s a great guy, and I think that’s a great opportunity for him with the Houston Texans.”

After lettering on defense for two seasons at Pitt, Spencer moved to offense and started his final 23 games. He finished strong in 2004 to earn second-team All-Big East honors as a left guard for the Panthers. Spencer moved to left tackle last season and also was a second-team all-conference selection.

“Charles Spencer is a guy that should make an excellent offensive guard in the NFL,” second-year Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He’s big and strong and very athletic, but he just hasn’t played offensive line for a long time. He might not make an immediate impact in the NFL, but I believe he has the ability to stay for quite a while.”

Spencer is the first Pitt offensive lineman taken on Day 1 since Ruben Brown in 1995.

Spencer is expected to play Left Tackle for Houston.

Spencer, 6-4 and 352 pounds, is slated to compete with Seth Wand for the starting job at left tackle. Winston, 6-6 and 310 pounds, should compete with Zach Wiegert and Todd Wade at right tackle.

“Good things come to those who wait,” coach Gary Kubiak said after the Texans’ third-round selections were announced. “This is awesome. I can’t believe it panned out this way.”
…
“At the end of Spencer’s senior year, he played as well as any tackle we studied in the draft,” Kubiak said.

At the very least, Spencer is 2nd on the depth chart behind Wand

Still kind of strange that there has been no quote from Spencer.