Oh, happy days indeed. Pitt has a second commit in football today. Artie Rowell out of Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, for those of you from outside the state) has given his verbal.

Good news, he is an offensive lineman. He is listed as an offensive guard, with offers from Temple and Northwestern at this point (and interest from PSU, MSU, Rutgers and Iowa).

ESPN/Scouts, Inc. doesn’t have an evaluation (Insider subs) on him but does have him in their top-150 watchlist.

Measurables according to Rivals.com and ESPN put him at 6-2, 296. Scout.com says 6-3, 280

Scout.com lists him as a 3-star, but more importantly lists him as the #12 Center in the 2011 class.

I’ll be honest. I could care less about stars at this point. He can actually play center it would seem. It means Pitt actually has a recruit that doesn’t have to be converted to the position or brought in from JUCO to plug the spot. That’s what has me excited.

As expected the words of Big 11 Commish Delany set off a frenzy of parsing what he said and what it means for expansion. Specifically the bit about population shift and the Sun Belt (not the conference).

Delany said the expansion process has been driven primarily by two factors: the demographic shift of population toward the Sun Belt and expanding the reach of the Big Ten Network.

“As far as the shifting population is concerned, I think that is reason enough by itself to look at the concept of expansion,” Delany said. “The rates of growth in the Sun Belt are four times what they are in the East or Midwest.”

That statement seems to contradict widespread conjecture that the Big Ten is looking at schools from the Big East (Notre Dame, Rutgers, Syracuse and Pittsburgh) and Big 12 (Missouri and Nebraska). The only Southern school mentioned as a possibility is Texas, which is considered the biggest catch, but probably the most elusive one.

The issue of demographics was actually mentioned in advance by Iowa’s AD. Now as Black Heart, Gold Pants noted that still helps a school like Rutgers that is about the metro NY area and subscribers. To say nothing of a region that isn’t shrinking, but constantly replenishing itself. Metro areas that consistently reinvent and are reinvigorated by people coming there — NYC, DC, Boston those types of metro areas.

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There is a new verbal for Pitt football. The pipeline with Don Bosco Prep in NJ appears to be strong.

QB Gary Nova has given a verbal.

There’s not much to say about him right now. ESPN/Scouts, Inc. has no evaluation on him. Scout.com has him as a 3-star.

Rivals.com does not have a ranking on him yet. He did, however, have offers from BC, Rutgers, Virginia and Vandy.

Given he’s from Bosco, and their success, it is a good sign.