As expected, the storyline regarding UConn starting QB Cory Endres, is that of homecoming.
Endres, a lifelong Pitt fan, passed for 2,450 yards and 20 touchdowns as a two-year starter at Trinity but never drew much interest from the Panthers, who were pursuing highly regarded Pat Bostick.
After Bostick committed, Pitt “wasn’t in the market” for a quarterback, Wannstedt said. About a month later, Endres picked Connecticut over Ohio, Akron and Cincinnati.
“I was a little disappointed when (Pitt) went in a different direction,” Endres said. “But I’m happy I’m here, and I’m excited to get a chance to play.”
And the homecoming theme continues. Earlier in the week UConn coach Randy Edsall got ticked at the local media for having the teremity to ask about what happens when Zach Frazer comes back from his injury — perhaps next week.
Sticking with the theme of QBs, Bill Stull gets a nice write-up in one of the Connecticut papers. No new ground broken on the storyline.
Not letting go of the QB theme, we turn to Pat Bostick. Seems he has a lot of respect from the players and coaches — and the beat writers.
AnotherTurmanINT: Looking back on it, was it a mistake to play Tino? They should have just played Bostick to get him out of here.
Paul Zeise: No, why? Sunseri already took a redshirt last year and there is nothing wrong with having two quarterbacks with at least some experience to compete for the starting job once the senior starter graduates. And Pat Bostick is actually the perfect kind of back-up quarterback for the next two years if he doesn’t win the starting job. He is smart, he knows the offense as well as any of the coaches, he has a great attitude and is a team player who won’t mope and whine and he’ll do what it takes to help the starter be successful. He is a Pitt graduate assistant still in uniform — mark it down, he is going to be a coach some day and I’ll be surprised if he isn’t a big-time success. He is just one of those guys who loves it and understands it — and there is nothing wrong with having a guy like that around even if he is just holding a clipboard because I can promise you this – he has helped Bill Stull see some things on game day and he’s even helped giving little tips and suggestions for plays.
A point repeated by Coach Wannstedt to another beat writer.
Junior quarterback Pat Bostick is staying busy as he plans to redshirt this season. The former high school All-American is working with the scout team, breaking down film and even contributing on the sideline on game day. “Pat is doing great,” coach Dave Wannstedt said. “No one is working harder on a week-to-week basis to help our team win than Pat Bostick. He is approaching it the right way. His opportunity will come.” On game days, Bostick often can be seen wearing a headset and, presumably, making suggestions to the coaching staff. “Sometimes, he’s too much of a coach,” Wannstedt said. “Trust me on that, and I love him like a son.”
I know there’s a lot of people that like Tino Sunseri, but I hope to see Pat Bostick succeed. Not just for everything he has had tossed at him since coming to Pitt. I think finally getting a redshirt year along with the ongoing conditioning under Buddy Morris along with actually being taught mechanics and footwork by the OC.
Of course there are always others looking for the next new thing.
Q: You mentioned that Pat Bostick and Tino Sunseri would be competing for the starting job next year. Where will Anthony Gonzalez and/or Mark Myers fit in? I think that Gonzalez should have a shot to take the starting role.
ZEISE: I think it will be hard for either of the two incoming freshmen next year for the same reason it was hard for Ray Graham to catch up to and pass Dion Lewis this year — spring football. Sunseri and Bostick will split reps the entire spring and the two freshmen won’t get here until training camp. And they will spend a few weeks trying to learn the system and, given that the other two will get most of the reps, it will be hard for them to do much to impress coaches. Dion Lewis, remember, came in January and went through the spring and it was easy to see how much he benefitted from it and how far ahead of Ray Graham he was once training camp started. I’m not saying it can’t happen for one of the true freshmen, but it would have to be an extremely fast rise for one of them.
Don’t forget Kolby Gray should be healed from his surgery to compete as well.
Because of what we went through with Pat Bostick at QB and DW’s reaction to the situation, I’m firmly convinced that we could recruit any star HS QB… Terrell Pryor, Dan Marino, Tom Brady, whomever and they would never see the field in their first year at PITT if there was a warm body on the bench that had any previous time in the program.
Luckily with the recruiting we’ve done at QB over the last few years, and including this season, that’s not a position we’ll find ourselves in anytime soon.
To credit him with the WVU upset that year is ridiculous (I’ve heard people do it). That was all Shady and the defense.
Nonetheless, when considering that he was thrown into the fire clearly before he was ready, I don’t believe he was an abject failure.
I got my question posted!!!