There haven’t been a lot of puff pieces this season. I suppose that makes some sense. The last couple of years, there have been older, name players the beat writers knew and felt comfortable gushing over. Not so much this season, but now that the season is almost 2/3 complete we can probably expect a few.
Aaron Berry gets a story for coming round in the last couple of games after injuries and sloppy play had many questioning him.
“It taught me a lot of things. There’s no (referees) out there at practice to tell what you can do and can’t do,” Berry said. “You’ve got to have a confidence level to attack the ball and not be there too early.”
Ball and Rhoads, a former secondary coach, instructed Berry to trust in his technique and become the playmaker they anticipated he could be.
“He’s learned that he doesn’t have to reach and grab. He can cover people with his feet and use his technique,” Ball said. “For insecure corners, the security blanket is reaching and grabbing. He doesn’t necessarily have to do that now.”
Of course, with Berry improving, that mens Kennard Cox is getting abused more.
Meanwhile QB Pat Bostick gets the love from his hometown paper, and we learn he is referred to on the team as “quirky.” Whether that’s a nickname or just what they say about him isn’t entirely clear.
“You get a curve ball sometimes, and I have to make this feel like it’s playing in the backyard,” said Bostick. “You’re playing football; it’s a kid’s game, and you’re lucky enough to be playing in a venue as nice as Heinz Field. It’s great, but at the same time you can’t lose sight that it’s a game.
“I think this is a program on the rise. We are building the foundation for years to come, but at the same time, I’d rather not talk about that, because the future’s now, and the important thing is to win games now.”
Considering Lancaster County is pretty much Penn State country, Bostick was asked if he hoped to change the roar to a different tune.
“I’ve told countless people, I love where I’m from and I’m glad people there can get a chance to see me play. I get to represent where I’m from, and that is real real big to me,” he said with a huge smile. “So I’d love to do that.
“We’re recruiting more and more from that area, and I’m happy about that, because I think Pitt has a lot to offer, and people are starting to realize that although our record doesn’t really reflect that, we have a character program here.”
On the recruiting side, there was a scholarship offer “pulled” and a new commit.
A WPIAL player, no less, had it pulled.
Greensburg Central Catholic defensive back Chris Hayden-Martin, who had verbally committed in June, told Pitt coaches Monday that he planned to visit other schools. The Panthers have since pulled his scholarship offer.
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The Panthers expected the same of Hayden-Martin, especially after he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee last Thursday against Jeannette. Pitt was prepared to honor its scholarship, but GCC coach Muzzy Colosimo said Hayden-Martin got “cold feet” once Boston College, Michigan State and South Carolina came calling.
“He never visited anyone other than Pitt, but he told me there were a lot of other schools interested,” Colosimo said. “I’m not in favor of this kind of stuff, but I didn’t believe he should have committed early because he didn’t visit anyone else.”
I have to say, I agree with his HS coach. You have to be smart enough to look around just a little before making a commitment. As for the scholarship being pulled. Fine. But I’m not entirely convinced it truly is.
The Mike Cruz case is the template. The scholarship was pulled when he backed out and even dissed Pitt a bit. The reports, though, said that Pitt was still recruiting him. The difference, I believe is that there is no scholarship being held for him. And that Pitt will recruit the position the recruit plays as if it was open. I wouldn’t be surprised if Pitt took that approach with Hayden-Martin.
The new recruit is something that Pitt needs. A kicker, since Conor Lee is a senior.
Harper has verbally committed to continue his football career at Pitt. The 5-foot-10 senior had official offers from Kent State and Marshall on the table, and he was drawing interest from Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State. In the end, it was the Panthers’ interest and loyalty prior to the long field goals this season that swayed Harper.
“Pitt showed a lot of interest before all the glamour came with the 58- and 61-yard field goals, and that mattered a lot to me,” Harper said. “I wasn’t ranked by Rivals.com until I hit those field goals, and now I think I am ranked seventh in the nation. That’s when most of the teams started showing interest, but Pitt was there before that.”
Harper is 10 of 16 on field goals and 42 of 45 on extra points this season for Mentor.
Beyond the long field goals, Harper also had 10 touchbacks in a game this season against Maple Heights, a contest Pitt recruiters were at. Harper said there is a kicker coming back next season, but he still might just handle kickoffs for the Panthers as a true freshman. Otherwise, he might redshirt, and then handle kickoffs and field goals for the next four years.
Harper had two field goals this season of 58 and 61 yards. His mom had been cautioning him going into the season about not expecting a D-1 scholarship.
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