If there’s one thing that is clear under Wanndstedt, it is that Middle Linebacker will get funneled a lot of opportunities to make tackles. The reason, in no small part, is that Coach Wannstedt loves speed on the edges and if you are a defensive end with speed, you will be given an opportunity to thrive and star on Pitt’s D-line.

New Jersey DE T.J. Clemmings appears to have recognized this and has verbaled to Pitt.

Clemmings, who is 6-feet-6, 266 pounds, chose the Panthers over a number of other scholarship offers, including most notably offers from Penn State, Notre Dame, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Miami and Rutgers.

He is the type of athlete Coach Wannstedt loves on the edge. Raw and potentially explosive. His initial interest was in basketball and was a D-1 recruit in that sport, before recently coming to realize football was his future.

Clemmings has played only one season of high school football, yet is ranked the nation’s No. 24 defensive end prospect by Scout.com and No. 31 by Rivals.com.

Scout.com puts him a t 4-stars and Rivals.com says 3-stars. Considering the number of  and names of the programs making the offers, lots of coaches are seeing huge upside and potential in Clemmings.

Coach Wannstedt can point to both Romeus and Sheard as raw, inexperienced athletes he has quickly made prominent DEs. It apparently got Clemmings attention.