Video podcasts. They’re apparently all the rage. The P-G and Paul Zeise have one that combines with Dave Wannstedt’s announcement of the recruiting class. Then there’s the Dave Wannstedt interview on CSTV. Good that they have these podcasts. I totally skipped the CSTV signing special because of the creepiness factor of Tom Lemming — though they did give Pitt the highest recruiting ranking of all lists to date at #19.
ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. rates Pitt’s recruiting class as a “B-” on a national scale.
During his three-year tenure, head coach Dave Wannstedt has a losing record and has yet to take the Panthers to a bowl game. Despite that, he has recruited very well, especially in western Pennsylvania. He landed four ESPN 150 prospects, including No. 8-rated wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin (Aliquippa, Pa.). Pitt may have finished near the bottom of the Big East standings, but it is the only program in the conference with a top-25 recruiting class.
Silly grading, as they give Cinci and WVU “C”s, USF, Rutgers, Louisville and Syracuse get “C-” and UConn a “D+”.
The local newspaper stories summarize the recruiting success and highlight some of the big gets, throw in some quotes from Coach Wannstedt’s press conference announcing the class, and point out the successful local recruiting. The usual.
Paul Zeise did a couple Q&As around signing day. Seems like John Brown isn’t doing well in recovery.
Q: With Pitt now standing at 20 scholarships, and the word a month or so ago was that the number could be 17 or 18 with a few defections from the current team, where are the extra scholarships coming from? Will we see more gray shirts like Taglianetti, or are there players whose illnesses will keep them from returning?
ZEISE: Well there are a couple of guys, like a John Brown, who have chronic injuries and are candidates for medical hardship which would mean, he’s not physically able to finish his career but he keeps his scholarship to finish school. Those kinds of players don’t count towards your 85 and Pitt has at least three of them possible. Also, a couple of players who are fourth-year juniors will likely graduate in April and not use their fifth season. I don’t see any other gray shirts other than Taglianetti but frankly, if you take a look at what happened with Wayne Jones last year, it is possible there could be enough scholarships free’d up that he could start in September with the rest of the class.
I think he’s probably right that this class won’t have an immediate impact.
Q: Now that signing day has come and gone, how many of these incoming freshman do you actually see having an impact on the team THIS year? They don’t have to lead the league in their category, but anyone you think will fight for a starting position?
ZEISE: Great question – I think the best way to answer it is to use some common sense and look at the depth chart. Obviously Rob Houser (a JC kid, not a freshman but an incoming player nonetheless) was brought in to fill a void at center. And as I said, Cross will be a part of it in some capacity as well. Beyond those two — and perhaps Lucas Nix (the tackle from Thomas Jefferson) who is at a position of need so he might be thrust into action if he can prove he is ready – there really isn’t a NEED for any of these guys to play, which shows the progress Wannstedt has made in acquiring talent and building depth. That doesn’t mean some of them couldn’t beat out older guys or earn playing time – or a player like Cameron Saddler won’t step in as a returner because he is simply too talented to not play – but for the first time in the Wannstedt era the coaches have the luxury of bringing along their recruiting class at their own pace and won’t be forced to rush guys on to the field in order to fill a gaping hole. That’s a good thing.
We’ve already seen that even when there is a crying need, Coach Wannstedt has held off as long as he could. I think over half the class from last year ended up with redshirts.
