Pitt got a nice verbal today. Tony Tucker out of Washington D.C. gave a verbal to Pitt. Interestingly — as pointed out by Dokish — Tucker came from the high school where Pitt Basketball’s Director of Basketball Operations used to be an assistant principal. It probably didn’t hurt, but it didn’t help as much as when GT stopped recruiting him.

This is a solid 4-star verbal for Pitt by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. Scout.com has him as the #24 DE. Rivals.com includes him in their top-250, the #3 recruit out of D.C. and #11 at weakside DE.

ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. also likes Tucker (Insider subs). They rank him as the #34 DE and say this about him.

Ideally, his best fit in college is on the defensive side of the ball. You would like to think he is going to continue to grow and will be able to play defensive end. If not, he may need to switch to outside linebacker. Playing out of a three-point stance, he has a good get off. He can get after the quarterback and displays some of the tools to be an effective pass rusher. He has enough burst to get upfield and get to the corner. He can make a tackle work. However, he also shows a command of how to use his body by working a quick swim or using his hands to knock blockers’ arms down. He also shows he can get to the shoulder of blockers and use the rip to work his way around the corner. He is also good enough on his feet to get tackles opened up and then take an inside charge. He takes a tight path to the quarterback. He is also a solid defender against the run.

[Emphasis added.]

Okay, I’m sold.

It’s worth noting that Kyle Hubbard, a TE commit out of Lakewood, OH has recently been downgraded to “soft verbal” according to Scout.com. Apparently Butch Davis and UNC have been coming hard after him. He appears to be going down for a visit next weekend.

And, not that I’m feeling too defensive, but I think based on the comments, I need to clarify a little regarding my post on the verbal from Maurice Williams.

I’m not upset or objecting to the recruitment of Williams. I’m quite happy he gave Pitt the verbal. I just have questions about how well he will fit what Pitt wants under Coach Dave Wannstedt.  Pitt wants speed at all positions, but wants the players in traditional rolls. Especially on the offensive side of the ball. The QB drops back, the fullback blocks and is in there for short yardage, the RB is the horse, the TE blocks first… You get the picture.

If you put the system ahead of the talent, you have to recruit the players that fit your system first. The best example might be QB Pat White for WVU. WVU got him out of Alabama because everyone else recruiting him wanted to move him. WVU gave him the promise to play QB and even they didn’t realize how well he fit the option style they run until injuries last year. Given the decisions he has to make in the offense: run, pitch or throw each time; he has the smarts to play the position. His arm was the question, but the WVU offense works for his arm strength.

I was reflecting on Wannstedt’s own words about player evaluations. It cuts both ways. That was really what I was trying to point out. If Pitt and Wannstedt want to get the best players out there. The ones that will help Pitt win, then the team has to have a better idea of how and where it wants to use the players. And be decisive about it.