if Douglas is the fastest on the field and very elusive, he is going to be dangerous if he can reliably catch punts. And they will find ways to get him into the offense for a change of pace when the opposing D is breathing hard.

What about Cam Saddler? Seem to be stocking up on under-sized speedsters. Any word on how Saddler’s rehab is coming?
I’d love to see some marquee offensive linemen in this class. Our current group has been coming together nicely over the past few weeks, but we need more talent and more depth to move to the next level.

IMO you can’t recruit enough speed, and that’s what DW was talking about in his now famous quote three years ago. He moves kids around so much before they settle into a position that who knows where this player will end up, but regardless of which position he plays he’ll be one of the fastest kids on the field.

I think we’ll see a couple of players that have already verballed in this class not qualify, and as in every year some fifth year seniors won’t be back, so we’ll have a few more scholarships than expected at this point. If we had only one or two left and signed this kid over some bigger targets I’d be concerned, but I don’t think that is the case as yet.

Reed–It may be as you suggest, however, Wannstadt is quoted in the Trib by Gorman this AM as saying that he has 14 commits and 18 or 19 slots available–the math says 4-5 more openings. Maybe a gray-shirt or two is feasible. We will have to wait and see what happens by LOI day in February.

Watching that kid Jacquez Rodgers at Oregon State tear apart USC gives me more confidence in this pickup.

It’s going to be interesting to stand on the sidelines pre-game and see him alongside Jonathan Baldwin and the rest of the guys. As long as a kid like this stays healthy I think it’s a huge plus. He’s too small to tackle!

well, this kid seems to have some hidden talent. hopefully we’ll see him on the field by his redshirt junior year…redshirt sophomore if we’re lucky. remember, he needs to gain some experience first

Louis, Atlanta, GA: Can you see Jamie Dixon finishing his career at Pitt, like Jim Calhoun at UConn or Jim Boeheim at Syracuse?

Andy Katz: (11:26 AM ET ) He’s very happy there. But I’ll reserve judgment to see if Arizona makes a huge play for him.

Louis, nobody in the world except Jamie Dixon knows the answer to that question. He has certainly said all the right things over the past several years about staying here but one never knows.

Does anyone knows of rumors of the 2 Michigan kids transferring to Pitt or if anyone knows if Corey Brown or Dorian Bell that verballed to Ohio State from the WPIAL are thinking of changing their minds. If anyone who reads this is in school with these kids. THEY SHOULD BE IN THEIR EAR to change their minds…… There’s no way Ohio State should be grabbing recruits from our area.

We need a 21 Jump Street undercover unit to secretly recruit for Pitt.

I sure hope Cam Saddler’s rehab is going alright. He was a big help with recruiting last year. Looks like we could use some more help this year as it doesn’t look like this years recruiting class will be rated as high as the last 3 years. Maybe he can talk Brown and Bell out of going to osu and instead going to Pitt.

Pocket rocket, isn’t that a….? Oh, nevermind.

I believe I heard Paul Zeis on the radio a few weeeks ago that one of the Gateway OSU commits may be considering Pitt but didn’t ID him. For what it’s worth, Dorian Bell is Aaron Smith’s cousin.

all of these kids recruited in the area claim to be cousins of one another. whats the deal? people just don’t have that many cousins

Would be sad if Shady headed to the NFL instead of hanging around for a national title chance — but if he goes, sounds like Burns is a major talent, who apparently was the best back in the state last year.

I actually think the drop off in offensive production between 2008 and 2009 may be minimal if McCoy elects to go. There is probably a talent difference between McCoy and Burns (as it would be to any RB in comparison to McCoy) but with a more solid OL and Stull having a year of experience under his belt, as will Baldwin, we could see Burns put up big numbers also.

Pure projection but I think Burns is the real deal.

McCoy is going pro – I would too. Top 15 pick will mean HUGE bucks. That is Dave’s claim to why kids should come here – to be high picks in the NFL draft. By him leaving it will really help recruiting especially with the season we can potentially have.

Now saying the offense will be as good or better without McCoy – I dont know many teams that can replace a Heisman candidate and not lose a beat. I have not seen much in Stull or Bostick to think he can “pick it up” and make up for McCoy’s abscence and depth at wide receiver is shaky at best now.

i would think he would be a top 15 pick, but i think it was espn radio were talking about his being a mid 2nd round pick. why leave early for the 2nd round when he can make millions more if he were to stay and be a top 10 pick.

myself with the labor market and economy and the risk of serious injury, I am taking the money. I can always come back to Pitt to finish school. Plus, lets be realistic, Pitt is not winning a national title anytime while McCoy is here if that soon.

If he’s a first round pick, he leaves. End of story. And I hope that he is, and does, for his sake…and for the program’s sake. I’d like to see him go late first round — to a team that’s already decent. (Of course, I’d love it if he comes back and rolls up a Heisman-worthy season.)

Nobody would blame him for leaving early if that’s what he chooses to do. But I get the feeling this kid might stick around for another year. Just a hunch, but we’ll see.

I don’t think the economy or job market is going to influence his decision one way or the other. The kid is going to play in the NFL one day no matter what.

Yeah, if he’s a top 15 pick I think he has to leave — but I bet he’s tempted to stick around for an 11 win season. Given his past serious injury experience, I don’t think anyone can blame him for not sticking around.

There is no way Shady is a Top 15 pick. Of course every draft year dynamic is different, but one thing stays the same. RBs are interchangeable and few NFL teams risk early picks on them.

As good a college back as McCoy is, he’s way too small to handle even 15-20 carries a game with the big boys. He’s also way too dependent on making guys miss, which works incredibly well in college and NOT so well in the pros. He’s an absolutely awesome college RB whose stock won’t be that high at the next level.

My hope is that means he stays another year to work on his overall game, because I think he’ll have to develop Reggie Bush-like skills to make a name at the next level and that would mean we can selfishly keep enjoying his talents at Pitt.

But my guess is he will go and have to be satisfied with going somewhere in the late 2nd or 3rd round and then hope that his burst and his moves are good enough to get him a job somewhere where he can be a good receiver out of the backfield and and a change-of-pace RB. I don’t think many teams would even consider him for a lead back role; it’s a different world when the pass-rushing OLBs (think James Harrison) are faster than you are.

Don’t think I agree with you that Shady is too small. He’s approximately the same size as Adrian Peterson, Brian Westbrook,Joe Addai LaDainian Tomlinson or Willie Parker and probably has better wiggle than a couple of those guys too. I think he’ll end up having a very successful career in the NFL as a featured back for someone. Remember, this is a kid that all the big boys wanted until his horrific injury. He is so much more than just a good college back. Maybe he’s not a top 15 pick, but he is a very special player and good enough to put up impressive numbers in the NFL one day.

I’d love to see him stay and try to accomplish some lofty goals in 2009, but you can’t blame him if he goes.

L-U-D-I-C-R-O-U-S statement Ricky. First, develop Reggie Bush like skills? He already has a similar skill set + Shady is more powerful back than Bush, more of a true running back. He is bigger. (Also, those kind of skills aren’t ones you build, they are pure talent) Yes I hope he stays because I would like Pitt to get a host at a National Championship. But lets be honest, whenever he decides to go, he is a guaranteed first round pick. The kid is playing at a different speed than the competition he faces. Shad is one of the top 3 playmakers in the country right now and quite possibly could be the best play maker in the country. The reason for this is that he is so explosive. Ask any Coach that has played him and they tell you he is the best/most explosive back they have played in recent memory. If you think he will go in the 2nd or late 3rd round I’m not sure there is any convincing you, because you have to have some odd thought process. To say James Harrison is faster than Shady is absolutely ridiculous. If Harrison was he would be a franchise tailback, because with his physicality if he had that speed he would be scoring loads of TD’s. The only thing I think I could see you questioning is his size. But as the previous poster mentioned there are many successful backs around his size. To add to the previous list on size: Thomas Jones, Julius Jones, Matt Forte, and Chris Johnson are all guys who have had success in the NFL. Conclusion: Shady is going to be a first rounder when he leaves. Yes, he probably could stay a league to put on some size and boost himself up, and I think maybe it would be a good move. But, if he doesn’t no NFL team will freak out that he’s too small. They’ll add 10lbs. to him if they want and then let him run wild.

I doubt Shady leaves after this year. IMO he needs another year at the college level to refine his skills. He can always take out an insurance policy to protect himself from serious injury.

I doubt he is a 1st. rounder in this years draft. Last year the Steelers drafted a RB #1, can’t remember the one before him.

Greg – I didn’t say the offense would be better than 2008, but that I thought there wouldn’t be the big drop off everyone seems to expect if McCoy leaves.

I don’t get your “depth at wide receiver is shaky at best now” comment. in 2009 we’ll have every WR but Kinder returning plus two kids playing as rsFR who I think may be excellent in Saddler and Shanahan. We’ll have more depth at WR than we’d had in years.

Reed – I dont think it is fair to say we have depth with those receivers until we see what they can do. So what they were highly recruited – that does not mean they will pan out. We are supposed to have depth at QB, but I dont see anyone who is better than mediocre at anything. Plus, Dave and Co. dont have a good track record until a few games in this season with having a great passing game.

Stull cant throw accurately consistently (see all the receivers he throws behind).

Bostick would be the starter if he showed some of his potential.

Cross cant grasp the game and was brought in only as an emergency situation.

Kevan Smith – career college 3rd string.

You have to go with historical precedents until proven otherwise. A handful of games this year against often times inferior opponents does not say things have changed, though I hope they have.

If Dave and Co. can get these recruits and play them as they should, potential is there for great seasons to come.