It seems that Pitt under HC Mike Haywood will have no hold-overs from the Wannstedt regime. I’m not totally surprised by this. Personally I would have liked to see Greg Gattuso and David Walker have remained on staff. I think Gattuso is an excellent coach and would have been a very vital bridge to the hyper-sensitive, good-old-boys network of Western PA high school coaches. That strikes me as risky. Walker is simply one of the best running backs coaches out there. Period.
Losing Jeff Hafley to Rutgers hurts from a recruiting perspective, but it can only help the secondary. Heck, even Rutgers fans are a little unsure about the cost of bringing Hafley aboard with that risk. Of course, Rutgers HC Greg Schiano hasn’t actually said where Hafley will coach. I would recommend Rutgers make him the Defensive Coordinator. Yeah. That’s what they need. That would be the best place for him.
In the immediate term, I expect Pitt to lose a couple of the recruits to Rutgers with the Hafley hiring. The complete turnover of Pitt coaches will mean more losses from the recruiting class that initially expected by a coaching change. There are obviously guys I would hate to lose. Simply from need or potential — Kyshoen Jarrett (CB), Terrell Chestnut (S), Marquise Wright (DT), Quintin Alston (LB), and Artie Rowell (C) — would suck. After that, it’s a little more vague. How many more RBs and DEs does Pitt need at the moment? More DTs? WRs?
As much as everyone was excited that Pitt was apparently pulling in a top-20 to -25 recruiting class, it is important to remember that this was a weak year for talent. Especially in Pennsylvania and NJ. Add in the fact that this was not a particularly large class — 18 players before Wannstedt was fired — and I’m having a hard time getting too worked up about this. It’s not like Pitt’s class was loaded with linebackers, O-linemen and defensive backs, quarterbacks. You know, the areas that were revealed this year to be Pitt’s most glaring problems.
Am I rationalizing? Justifying? Maybe. But even as Dokish pointed out pre-Wannstedt termination.
The problem, however, is that most of the best prospects are at the same positions. Wannstedt has had little trouble recruiting running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and defensive linemen. However, at quarterback, offensive line, linebacker, and defensive backs his track record has been very poor. The rankings of national recruiting websites don’t tell the whole story in that they have a mathematical formula to show how many top prospects you get. What they don’t tell you is how these players actually fit into your program.
I won’t pretend that not bringing back anyone from Wannstedt’s staff seems like the smart play to me. But, not because of this particular recruiting class.
Finally this. Among the dumber things I came across in the decision to hire Mike Haywood as Pitt’s head coach was a debate on ESPN between Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, Jr in the context of WVU hiring Holgorsen versus Haywood to Pitt. It wasn’t the topic itself. Since the two were essentially hired at the same time, the Backyard Brawl, and the issue of whether Pitt showed any interest in hiring Holgorsen. It’s having ESPN’s supposed NFL “draft experts” debating college football coaching hires. Exactly what in their alleged area of expertise says they should be having this conversation on camera? Water cooler, sure. Featured video debate? Not so much.
I think us PITT football fans can make our lives a lot easier, and following the team more understandable, if we look at it through the lens of what the PITT administration wants rather than what we want… after all, they are the ones making the decisions and pulling the triggers.
Did you notice that all through these last two weeks not on word was uttered about “The Next Level” or “Need to win BE Championships”?
There was a succinct reason for that – 1) it backfired last time they had a HC change and 2) that wasn’t the reason for the change.
This firing/hiring was done, I’m now firmly convinced, to address off the field issues more so than to remove a coach who hadn’t taken the team to a BCS bowl.
Sometimes when there is doubt look at PITT’s history – both Harris and Wannstedt were fired after winning co-championships. Both Harris and Wannstedt were fired after there were major off the field problems in the program… that embarrassed the University both locally and nationally.
I think PITT looks at how we’ve done on the field and says ‘Well, we seem to have a limit to where we go as far as actual football playing – might as well have a clean program while doing it’. Of course, in doing this they also forget, I think, that they hired pretty crappy ‘football’ coaches also.
I oversimplify, but if you’ve listened to anything out of Peterson and Haywood’s mouths in the last two weeks you’ll remember that what has been said has been 95% accountability and discipline and about 5% winning.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m sure the PITT administration would love to field a championship team, everyone would, but given the parameters they themselves impose on the position (i.e. salary cap) they will target a coach who will give a program that represents the University well in all aspects first.
you are wrong haha
despite what you think, the applause-o-meter doesnt win games… and if you think im happy about writing Steve Pederson checks so he can pay executive search firms you are out of your GD mind
good program management and coaching sets the tone
also… dont see WVU/MIAMI/FLORIDA reecruits leaving en masse?
maybe the recruits did what many of the vindicated pitt fans on this board did with the pederson process… a collective huh??
that whole crew big leagued us in their hire and how they handled it… so embarassing to be part of this program… comedy of errors
I’m sure there are many others on here that have spent and contributed a ton more than I, but, for me, I’ve invested a lot of money into the University of Pittsburgh, and the Pitt Panther Football Program.
I posted I am only buying single game tickets earlier today, so, if the fog is still permeating the program, I can call the shots.
Admittedley, I am still slightly wavering, only because I don’t want to be the one that ends our family’s streak from ’69. Allthough, I’m sure my Dad is looking down, saying enough is enough, don’t worry about it.
Perhaps if the football program gave back to the fans as much as it has received the last 30 years, maybe our fan base would be a little bigger. Works both ways.
Well I say GOOD riddance, it was nice to know ya. And throw all that blue & gold Pitt crap out, will ya, I don’t really want to hear about it again. You really should have never had it in the first place.
I would say, you are definitely one of the people that has opinions, but has never probably even gone to a game. Yes, yes, I bet you are stricly a t.v. game watcher, absolutely no support, but you’ll tell other people how to think!!! ha ha LMAO
As for my comments, they were a reply to someone challenging many of us that are critical of DW, and the hiring.
Ya, I never really should of had it in the first place, after 35 years of attending games, you make me howl.
You’ve never been to a game, huh?? LMAO
No, I wasn’t expecting Bill Cowher or Vince Lombardi, but, I guess I wasn’t quite ready for a non-experienced (2 years, paa-lease, one of them 1-11) head coach, with almost next to nothing on his resume’ except being chased from Notre Dame.
You got me, I was expecting more than a coach from a MAC school. Yep, you win, got me!! ha ha LMAO!!!!
What did you think, we just wanted Wanny gone, and go ahead and throw the Woodland Hills coach in there??? ha ha
Next time, make some valid points, say something about the program, offer an opinion, you sound like you might be the 17 year old nephew of Wanny.
Let me know if you ever go to your first game, I’ll buy you a milky!! lol
They made a huge investment in the Peterson Events Center, what like over $200 Million with having to redo the roof and whatnot. That money invested has reaped huge rewards for Pitt basketball.
No such investment has been made on the football side sans the shared South Side practice facility.
Don’t really know how much Pitt paid for that.
Anyone, want to chime in? Bottom line, you get what you pay for. 58th in HC salary in BCS and 6th or 7th in the Big Easy is a joke.
My opinion is we won’t be a football power until we spend some money and actually build another on campus stadium. Even L’Ville, Uconn, Rutgers have all outspent us on the football side of things. TCU is the process of spending a fortune on upgrading their football stadium in Ft. Worth.
You want to go cheap, you get cheap.