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May 28, 2009

Looking for QBs in NC

Filed under: Football,Recruiting — Chas @ 2:28 pm

One of many things I have not gotten to. Pitt offered a pro-style QB from NC (maybe Bill Cowher will toss a peace offering to people in the ‘Burgh by helping with the recruiting).

Pittsburgh football coach Dave Wannstedt gave the green light to a scholarship offer for Tuscola junior quarterback Tyler Brosius on Tuesday.

The Panthers came to Waynesville last week to watch Brosius throw, and have now become the fifth Division I program to offer, joining Central Florida, Elon, Maryland and Western Carolina.

Brosius is a 3-star QB on Rivals.com (24th ranked pro-style QB) and Scout.com has him as a 1-star. Arkansas, NC State and Wake Forest might also be watching him. Here’s a quick YouTube highlight from 2007 (if you can make a judgment from jsut that, you are either a liar or a far better talent evaluator than I). The ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. evaluation (subs. req’d)of him makes me wonder if Coach Wannstedt is really serious about the kid.

However, while you love Brosius’ style, his gunslinging mentality is also evident in his throwing mechanics. He whips and slings the ball, carries it low, pats the ball and has somewhat of a street-ball style. He does not always set his feet and can get a bit erratic as a result. He moves around a lot in the pocket and has that Brett Favre feel of just trying to make plays. At times he is polished and sharp and others he is risky and mechanically very unsound. Must sharpen his overall discipline and fundamental footwork and delivery.

They also use “riverboat gambler” in the evaluation. This would make him a big project if he chose Pitt. Coach Wannstedt wants a game manager at QB. The evaluation would suggest a poor fit with Brosius’ game.





I agree that Wannstedt wants a game manager at QB, but only because he and his staff can’t evaluate or develop talent at the position. I’m sure he’d love a game-breaking stud were he able to lure one to campus. Managing a game is for mediocre talent that fails to rise to the occasion. We have plenty of that.

Comment by Dave in Orlando 05.28.09 @ 3:36 pm

Great…we’re in competition with Elon for QB talent…

Comment by Pantherman13 05.28.09 @ 6:24 pm

Yes, but is Tyler Brosius also a “land baron”?

In all honesty, unless we get Anthony Gonzalez, no matter who we get will probably be a 3*, so I’m pretty indifferent to whomever we get. Indeed, I’m glad that they are looking beyond the confines of the WPIAL for a QB for the second year in a row.

Comment by Orange Julius Page 05.28.09 @ 10:20 pm

Until Heinz is packed for every game (which may never take place) it is unlikely that Pitt will be able to get many if any 5 stars no matter how good of a recruiter DW is. Why go to Pitt if you can go to OSU, Mich, PSU, ND or any SEC and many ACC schools not to mention Tx and OK.

Comment by J.P. 05.29.09 @ 12:23 pm

Heinz will never be packed for every game, but it can be sold out for the season. No matter how good we are, people will not show up for the Buffalo’s of the world, even when they already paid for the ticket. That’s just how the Pittsburgh fan base is. Just win a lot more games than you lose, and we will sell out Heinz Field for the season. It has been done before. I do think that the number of empty seats at Heinz hurts our recruiting, but not to the extent that we can’t field a National Championship caliber team. Win 9, 10, 11 games per year and the fans and top recruits will follow.

Comment by HbgFrank 05.29.09 @ 12:46 pm

Just win the games you’re supposed to win, Wanny. BG last year killed it for all of us. Not to mention, watching Bill “boy band beard” Stull mask as a DI QB.

Comment by Pauly P 05.29.09 @ 1:21 pm

Boy band beard. Love it.
Much better than pube stache.

Comment by Patrick 05.29.09 @ 2:11 pm

j.p. ask baldwin that question, there were some big schools after him, Miami, USC, Fl, Michigan to name a few and he came to pitt. Pitt can get the 5 stars.

Comment by mike 05.29.09 @ 2:12 pm

Heinz Field won’t be filled every game. It isn’t filled to capacity for Pitt games and it is not filled to capacity for Steeler games. If Pitt were to average around 50,000 – that is not too bad and more than most teams.

Pitt has gotten and will get 5 stars. As for 5 star QB’s, remember we have one: Pat Bostick.

Comment by Joey D 05.29.09 @ 2:29 pm

Wannstedt has demonstrated that he can get 5 star players, but I’m not sure that translates into getting 5 star QB’s. Top high school QB’s are not likely to respond to the “challenge” of being a “game manager”. Until the coaches acknowledge that they want something more out of the position, why would a top QB (pro style or otherwise) really consider Pitt as their top choice? They have an opportunity with a new OC to move this discussion in a new direction – hopefully they do so, and start aiming a little higher…

Comment by Pantherman13 05.29.09 @ 3:03 pm

from PSI:

SPORTING NEWS PICKS PITT TO WIN BE
Posted by mvuk
In its recently released annual college football yearbook, Sporting News has picked Pitt to win the Big East Conference and go BCS bowling in 2009.

“Dave Wannstedt has the personnel in place,” writes Sporting News, which predicts the Panthers will earn a visit to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.

Four Pitt players were named to its All-Big East team, including junior offensive tackle Jason Pinkston, senior tight end Nate Byham, junior defensive end Greg Romeus and senior cornerback Aaron Berry. Additionally, tailback Dion Lewis was rated the Big East’s “Top Impact Freshman.”

In breaking down Pitt’s 2009 schedule, Sporting News highlighted the annual November clash with West Virginia as the “Game to Watch.”

“The conference title could be decided under a national spotlight the day after Thanksgiving,” wrote SN. “The Panthers have won two straight low-scoring affairs.”

Comment by w bill 05.29.09 @ 4:19 pm

So when did Elon become a football power?

Comment by Marco 05.29.09 @ 5:55 pm

Good look, W Bill.
Don’t know if it was posted around these parts (probably was) but Scout/CFN has their Pitt preview up link to cfn.scout.com

Comment by ChrisA 05.29.09 @ 5:56 pm

Let’s hate to disillusion the nitwits here but PITT is on the right track and has made great progress. And just for the State Penn types that hang here it needs to be said that more PITT progress is expected, while JoePA is expected to go downhill.
People are waking up. It hurts some people, but PITT is assembling a great coaching staff.
For your continuing reading pleasure (no, I am not Ray Fitti and have never met him, altho that would be fun), this article gives a glint of what goes on in the minds a lot of good FB players from WPA and their families these days:

PG South: Mt. Lebanon grad Devlin transfers to Pitt to finish his college career
Thursday, May 28, 2009
By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Tim and Bridgetta Devlin of Mt. Lebanon traveled by car to watch their son, Andrew, play college football for the University of Virginia every weekend last fall.

Sometimes, Bridgetta would text her son when they were driving through Pittsburgh and past Heinz Field, joking with Andrew that they would be there to see him had he decided to go to Pitt instead of the Atlantic Coast Conference school in Charlottesville, Va.

Now the Devlin family’s commute to watch their son play will shrink from a little more than five hours to a little more than five minutes with Andrew’s decision to return to his roots to continue his college football career with the Panthers.

Devlin, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end, has transferred from Virginia to Pitt. He must sit out one season under NCAA transfer rules, but he will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

“I’m really excited about it,” Devlin said. “It all happened so quickly. It’s been kind of a whirlwind.”

Devlin left the Cavaliers because coach Al Groh fired his offensive coaching staff and brought in a new set of coaches who implemented the spread offense. Tight ends do not have a big role in spread offenses.

The coaches switched Devlin to defensive end and he tried out his new position for a month during spring drills. Giving away 50-plus pounds against offensive tackles was an eye-opening experience for Devlin. He knew it would be a struggle to add the necessary weight to compete for playing time on the defense next season, so he decided to transfer to a school where he could play tight end in a traditional pro-style offense.

“I want to stress that I really liked my time at Virginia,” Devlin said. “I loved my coaches. My teammates were great. But I couldn’t be unhappy on the football field for three more years. Virginia runs the 3-4 [defense]. The two defensive ends who played last year were 290 and 285 pounds. I was playing a full 30 pounds lighter at the position. If you’re light and you’re going up against 330-pound tackles, it’s not good.

“They tried to find a place for me to fit in, but I wanted to be happy playing football. I probably wouldn’t have seen the field next season because of my weight. It didn’t bother me to transfer because if I went somewhere else, I’d be sitting out anyway.”

Devlin chose Virginia over Pitt two years ago when he was a standout player at Mt. Lebanon High School, so the decision to call the Pitt coaches when it came time to transfer was an easy one. Some college coaches hold it against recruits when they decide to play at another school, but Devlin said head coach Dave Wannstedt and associate head coach Greg Gattuso, who recruited Devlin out of high school, showed no such animosity.

“It was tough for me to tell the coaches at Pitt no because we had built such a strong relationship,” Devlin said. “They were very supportive. They weren’t angry. When I made my decision, I called every school and thanked them for recruiting me. Some were great and some weren’t so great. And the coaches at Pitt were great.”

They’re also easy to contact. Wannstedt and Gattuso live in Mt. Lebanon. Devlin and Gattuso are two blocks apart.

“I can throw a football from my backyard to coach Gattuso’s,” Devlin said.

Now Devlin will be catching footballs from Pitt quarterbacks. At Virginia last season as a redshirt freshman, Devlin caught three passes for 22 yards. He learned his craft well behind Cavaliers tight end John Phillips, who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys last month.

With three senior tight ends leaving the Pitt program after the 2009 season, Devlin will have an excellent opportunity to earn playing time in 2010.

Nate Byham, Dorin Dickerson and John Pelusi are graduating after the coming season. Devlin will battle Mike Cruz and incoming freshman Brock DeCicco for playing time, but there should be plenty of opportunities for all because Wannstedt likes to use double-tight end formations.

“It’s a good situation for me,” Devlin said. “Hopefully, I can learn from the seniors and see how they run their offense. Even though it’s a pro-style offense like we ran at Virginia, there are differences. I look forward to meeting those guys and working with them.”

Devlin knows many of his new teammates. He played in the Big 33 Classic with fellow South Hills area players Chris Jacobson (Keystone Oaks), Myles Caragein (Keystone Oaks) and Dom DeCicco (Thomas Jefferson).

Devlin is set to enroll June 22 at Pitt. For the next month he is working out with his former Mt. Lebanon teammates, getting ready for the second half of his college football career.

“It will be unbelievable to come back here to play,” Devlin said.

Ray Fittipaldo can be reached at rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1230.

Comment by IronManEE68 05.29.09 @ 11:16 pm

I agree that Pitt is making progress, and expect Pitt to be among the BE elite for the foreseeable future. However, there is no need to put down PSU, in fact, even all the more reason (if anythng) to ignore them. Yes, JoePa may be on the downside, but he has had 2 BCS teams in the past 4 years .. and still has remarkably good recruiting classes.

I believe (despite its weaknesses) Pitt can contend for a BCS berth in the next couple of years (if not longer), and we should be fousing on that

Comment by w bill 05.30.09 @ 8:21 am

congrats to Derek Kinder for signing with the Bears

Comment by Patrick I 05.30.09 @ 10:29 am

“And just for the State Penn types that hang here it needs to be said that more PITT progress is expected, while JoePA is expected to go downhill.”

Paul Jones. Mike Hull. Adrian Coxson. Luke Graham. All Pitt offers, all PSU commits. Guess they don’t foresee a decline in PSU football.

Mmmmmmmm, enjoy the taste of our leftovers. As always, delusions are free. Sorry to interject with a healthy dose of reality once again…

Comment by Pitt Sucks 05.30.09 @ 1:17 pm

Please define a “State Penn type. “Tis a wee bit early to be licking one’s chops over this recruiting season. Incidentally, the last time I viewed the NITS on the gridiron in Pgh. the Panthers won 12-0. This epistle from “Big Eleven” country in Columbus.

Comment by rev. george mehaffey 05.30.09 @ 5:06 pm

I agree that the program is headed in a good direction, and the talent level as a whole is much higher than it has been in a long time. The problem is that the one position that has not improved is the position that most people acknowledge is the most important on the field – quarterback. I am ecstatic that a major news magazine is picking Pitt to win the Big East, but realistically, if the QB is not much improved from last year, it won’t happen. My only point earlier is that it cannot help recruiting for the head coach to dismiss the importance of quality QB play (even more through his actions that through his words).

Comment by Pantherman13 05.31.09 @ 3:17 pm

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