I’ll get to the stories (all of them with the same quotes) on Wannstedt and the Assistants’ May travels in a later post. I do want to focus on one aspect right away.

“We had a good month and covered a lot of territory,” Wannstedt said. “We probably spent a little more time in Ohio, in Akron, Canton and there are some good kids this year in Youngstown. I spent four days myself in the Northern Virginia and Maryland area.

Some might view this with fear. That Wannstedt could be falling into the trap that got Walt Harris and Bryan Deal several years ago, by becoming too enamored with Ohio. The thing to note is that where Wannstedt said they were spending the extra time. Youngstown is no shock. That’s closer than some parts of Western PA from Pitsburgh.

As for Akron-Canton area, that’s because there is a huge void now in the high school coaching ranks. Buchtel High — which provided Pitt with Ramon Walker and Tim Murphy — has been a huge power there. Ohio State regularly has claimed plenty of top players from there. That school now has a new coach.

The longtime coach, Claude Brown, was charged with sexual battery — he had consensual sex with a 17-year old female student several times. In April he plead guilty, and was just sentenced to two years. Brown had a huge influence over the players and football in the area and while many former players speak glowingly of him, it also meant that he had a lot of control over where they went to play football.

To put it cynically and bluntly: that means that there is now a bit of a vacuum in the area with the coaches. While Ohio State is still the natural dominant force — and Jim Tressel has been chatting the coaches in the region for ages — it does open the door a bit for other coaches to come and try and make a new impression. That makes it very logical for Coach Wannstedt to spend some extra time in the Akron-Canton area to try and build relationships beyond this year.

(more…)

Former Pitt Fullback Lousaka Polite was back in the ‘Burgh recently to visit his old alma mater. No, not Pitt. He was back at his old high school along with some other players like Jason Taylor. Woodland Hills High is renovating and getting help from a lot of its former players.

“I got a look at the new turf when I was here in February, but this is the first time I’ve seen the new renovations,” said Lousaka Polite, a Woodland Hills graduate who played at Pitt and now carries the football for the Dallas Cowboys.

“It’s great to come back home. Friendships and memories made in high school will last forever. I have a lot of pride for Woodland Hills football.”

Not to be outdone by a high school, Pitt is having a new practice surface being installed in its South Side facility.

One of the two grass fields at the South Side outdoor facility was replaced by a Sportexe surface, the installation of which is expected to be completed Monday.

“That was something I felt we needed and (Pitt) athletic director) Jeff Long did a great job of making it happen,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. “Because we don’t go away to training camp, I don’t know how you practice on two fields from August until January and then use them in the offseason – when the kids are out there running and working out on their own – and then spring practice. There’s got to be some time when you only have two fields to grow new grass. It really, really will help us.”

So there is that.

As Rivals.com finished listing the rest of its 5-star recruits for 2008, in the 13-7 group there was LB Shayne Hale out of Gateway High in Monroeville. There was also a New Jersey “Athlete,” Will Hill who includes Pitt in his list of teams. In the top 6, Terrelle Pryor out of Jeannette tops the list. He appears to be willing to focus on football, but intends to also plays basketball.

In other individual recruiting news, A.J. Alexander out of Altoona appears to be a lot closer to making a decision.

Alexander has been quoted in an article on FightOnState.com that he will unveil his decision sometime next week. Alexander did not reveal a list of finalists, although some of the schools recruiting him include Penn State, Pitt, Notre Dame, Florida State, Tennessee, Florida, LSU, Miami, Michigan and West Virginia.

Alexander is a 4-star recruit who is viewed as a Reggie Bush type offensive threat. Given his hybrid nature, he doesn’t seem much of a fit for Pitt’s present offensive system (see, Dickerson, Dorin). So, I don’t expect him to be putting on a Pitt hat if he decides this week.