Lots that I have neglected on the football side (and from a time crunch POV, I am absolutely dreading when spring practice begins as I hope the basketball team will be taking up most of my focus). I’m just going to take care of some things that are worth noting.
The combine has taken place. LeSean McCoy had limited impact/attention as he had the flu and did very little there except probably spread the virus.
The interview process is dead, long-live the ambush questions.
“I’m loving it,” Rutgers receiver Kenny Britt said at Lucas Oil Stadium. “They all come with their own crazy ideas.” The strangest question, Britt said, was, “If you die, what kind of animal would you like to come back as: a cat or a dog?”
Rey Maualuga, a linebacker from Southern California with long, thick, dark hair, said a coach had asked him if he would “flip out” if he were told to cut his hair.
Scott McKillop, a linebacker from Pittsburgh, said he was discussing his mother when a scout suddenly blurted, “Have you ever smoked marijuana?”
Blue! No, ye—–llllloooooooowwwwww!!!!!!!!!
Strangely, the article never told us what the answers given to these questions were.
Scott McKillop didn’t create a lot of buzz, but that wasn’t surprising. He didn’t hurt his status either.
C.J. Davis was there to be considered as a Center. Again, a very quiet time for Davis. That’s not a bad thing. Most of the time, the news is usually for those that hurt their status than the few that jumped.
On the flip side, is the recruiting for 2010. There was the junior day stuff, but most of it is behind pay firewalls of the recruiting sites or on the message boards.
Pitt has one early verbal as the sibling thing paid off. Derrick Burns — Redshirt freshman RB Chris Burns’ little brother — gave his verbal.
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound Burns gave a verbal commitment to Pitt, becoming its first recruit from the Class of 2010 less than two weeks after Signing Day.
“I feel pretty honored that they would accept me,” said Burns, who was recruited by running backs coach David Walker. “I was shocked that they called me so soon. I just stood there. I had no reaction. I didn’t expect them to offer me that soon. I didn’t know that they were going to offer at all.”
A three-year starter at fullback and inside linebacker for the PIAA Class AA champion Greyhounds, he projects as a tailback, safety or outside linebacker in college.
Call it a hunch, but I’m guessing the plans are to put him on defense.
Coach Wannstedt loves to stockpile running backs, though. He also offered a RB from Virginia.
Broad Run junior running back T.J. Peeler picked up his first scholarship offer from the University of Pittsburgh after attending Pitt’s Junior Day.
Peeler, a 6-foot, 175-pound versatile back, rushed for 1,145 yards and scored 18 touchdowns despite playing in just 11 games — he missed three due to a small bone chip in his elbow — helped lead the Spartans to a perfect 14-0 season and the Virginia AA Division 4 state championship, the school’s first ever football title. Under the radar until the Spartans started to make their playoff push, Peeler has also drawn interest from Maryland and several other D-I programs.
“The coaches were all nice and I just felt really comfortable there,” Peeler said. “They were showing me around the whole city, the school, facilities, everything was nice. I talked to Coach Dave Wannstedt and he was telling me he was really interested in me and liked my tape and I don’t know, I just felt really comfortable.”
Peeler also managed to create an anti-highlight reel moment that will be hard to ever live down. Now, to be fair, he lives in Virginia and there was snow on the field. Something that most Virginians don’t quite know how to handle. Still at least it wasn’t grandstanding. Just not being able to see where the endzone actually was.
