The final recruiting weekend brought more commits and seems to have at least put Pitt in the finalist category for a bunch of players that will do the whole reveal on signing day.

Last night Roderick Ryles and LaQuentin Smith got back to Orlando, Florida from their recruiting trip to Morgantown. As with many, seeing West Virginia that close was enough to make the decision for them.

Ryles and Smith both committed to the University of Pittsburgh on Sunday night, hours after returning home from a visit to West Virginia.

The pair talked to their families and friends and both decided Pitt was the best place for them to continue with their education and football career.

“It’s real cool, because we are family already,” Smith said of he and Ryles being able to continue playing together. “We can make our relationship even better.”

And the word family came up several times when both players talked about what it was that put Pitt over West Virginia in this latest of Backyard Brawl stories that will surely increase the hatred between these two interstate rivals.

“It was just the whole part of me feeling like family,” Smith said of his Pitt visit compared to the visit to Morgantown, W.Va. “(Pitt) also has some great coaches and players and, also, the school aspect was even better.”

For Ryles (6-1, 187), the all-time leader in career interceptions at Dr. Phillips with 15, seven of which he picked in both his junior and senior seasons, the feelings were similar.

“I just felt that God sent them my way,” Ryles said. “I vibed with the coaches and everything just was a family.”

Or it could just be common sense, when comparing the two.

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No, not football. Basketball. Pitt has a week between the Saturday game at Rutgers and this Saturday at home against Cinci.

How do you know when your team and coach are getting respect? When it is reported, and players are excited to know you are coming to check them out.

In particular, Okoro is starting to become more consistent, and colleges are starting to take notice. Okoro said that Pitt coach Jamie Dixon is expected to be in attendance in the Bronx on Sunday when the Ravens face Xaverian. While Pitt has been recruiting him, it will be the first time that Dixon sees Okoro in person. He’s also received interest from Iowa State, Rutgers, and St. John’s, he said.

“I was in a little bit of a slump,” said the 6-5 Okoro. “I’m hoping I have another good game on Sunday.”

Nkereuwem “Kerwin” Okoro plays at St. Raymond’s for Oliver Antigua. He’s a 3-star wing forward/guard for the class of 2012 with potential. He’s got a lot of teams looking at him, and watching. But not a lot of offers yet. Rutgers, St. John’s and Iowa St. are the only major conference teams to offer so far. He’s a high motor player (Insider subs.).

Guys don’t have the motor this kid does. He brings it and that’s a calling card of his. There energy and his ability to hawk the ball puts him in position to be a play maker at both ends.

It is also, his weakness as he doesn’t know when to turn it down at times. Seems like the kind of player that could be a key supporting player at a program.

Coach Dixon also took the time to stop and see one of the top targets for the 2012 class, Omar Calhoun, play.

One of the kids who came for a visit last week has apparently chosen Pitt. At least according to one of the two sites. Scout.com is listing Roderick Ryles out of Orlando Florida as giving a verbal to Pitt. Rivals.com, at this time, does not have him checked for Pitt.

He and LaQuentin Smith took the visit last week.

“It was way better than I expected it to be,” Smith said. “It was my first time up north for a recruiting visit. You can literally walk across the street two steps and you are in the Steelers’ practice facility.

“To think that Dan Marino and Tony Dorsett came out of there. I didn’t really know a lot of the history of Pitt football … nine national championships. It’s kinda like DP history. They’re used to winning, same as at DP. The motto is ‘Restore the Beast in the East.’ ”

It was cold during the visit, but Smith said you just have to get used to it.

“It was snowing. First time I’d seen that, so that was pretty cool,” Smith said. “When we got there it was like 12 degrees, but you get used to it by the second day. On the second night we were outside in long-sleeved shirts having a snowball fight against some of the other players.”

Smith said he and Ryles were both impressed with the Pit visit and said the Panthers are definitely in consideration by both players. Ryles, a man of few words, has been unavailable, but Smith, somewhat the opposite, had no problem filling in.

“We talked about and we definitely had a great time,” Smith said. “We’re going to wait on our last visit and then sit down and talk to our families. We never imagined we might end up playing at the same place, but I gotta do what I gotta do, and he’s gotta do what he’s gotta do.”

Smith and Ryles had a visit to WVU for this weekend. Assuming the info is true, Ryles made his call.

Ryles is a 3-star safety in both sites.

UPDATE: LaQuentin Smith also has verballed to Pitt. Smith is a linebacker. Another need spot. Also 3-star on both sites. Guess that WVU trip worked out well for Pitt.

Both Scout.com and Rivals.com have them in the verbal department.

Thanks again to Maz for running the liveblog. I’m sure people were calm, rational and not at all reacting like the sky was falling during the game.

In case anyone has forgotten, it isn’t easy winning on the road. Especially when you get to the middle point of the conference. The Ohio State escape from Evanston was like a nasty bit of foreshadowing — even with Northwestern lacking their best player. Yesterday was something of a bloodbath. Villanova losing their second straight. UConn blowing it at home to Louisville.

“That’s life in the Big East,” JT III said. “(Pitt coach) Jamie Dixon said this a couple weeks ago and he’s right. The first part of the season, Big East teams go out and just beat the rest of the country up. Now, conference play starts and we’re beating each other up and people out there are starting to ask what’s wrong with this team, that team.

Then all the ranked teams losing on the road to unranked teams. Syracuse losing four-in-a-row. Texas A&M losing at Nebraska. BYU at New Mexico. Same with Wisconsin in Happy Valley. Florida at Miss. St. and St. Mary’s at Portland.

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It’s been a busy weekend so far. There was one early yesterday afternoon, and then late last night Devin Cook, a Beaver Falls linebacker verballed to Pitt.

A 6-foot-4, 230-pounder, Cook was chosen earlier this month for the Big 33 all-star game in June. A year ago, he was rather unknown, but he drew Division I interest with a promising senior season.

“He got a trainer in between his junior and his senior years,” said his coach, Ryan Matsook, “and he really leaned out and became a man.”

Matsook said Cook also considered Kent State. Pitt had shown interest for a while, Matsook said, but only recently offered a scholarship.

A few more today according to the commitment lists of PantherLair and PantherDigest.

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Chris Peak at PantherLair tweated that CB Jason Frimpong verballed to Pitt. A 2- to 3-star athlete who played QB and CB in HS, he projects as a CB.

Obviously CB is a position of need for Pitt. Pitt Script has some YouTube Highlights.

At the moment, Pitt’s recruiting class has crept up to 10. Looks like signing day might have a little extra drama than in past years.

I am on DVR delay tonight. It’s a daddy-daughter event tonight that takes precedence. The one and only Maz takes the reins once more.

The game is at 8pm on ESPN2. Beth Mowins and Mike Kelley calling the game.

Taking nothing for granted here. Not after Providence took out Villanova. The Orange got blasted at home by Seton Hall. And all the usual craziness that comes about halfway through the conference slate.

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From what I’m gathering, there should be a contingent of Pitt fans invading the RAC for Saturday night’s game. In that group, is a subset of loyal readers, which is always a plus.

The game will be on ESPN2 at 8pm.

Pitt fans probably aren’t too surprised to see Rutgers already showing improvement under Mike Rice. We’ve seen him work hard to build Robert Morris. What has surprised me is how, even though he only spent one year on Pitt’s staff, he gives Coach Dixon as much credit (if not more) as St. Joe’s Phil Martelli for helping him along in his coaching career.

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It’s a big one. If you check the Scout.com list of players visiting this weekend, it’s very surprising to see a few 4-star players this late in the game for Coach Todd Graham. Especially when you consider there isn’t even a basketball game at the Pete involved in the visit.

Lafayette Pitts, despite his verbal to Rutgers, is still coming for a visit it seems. Not sure if it makes a difference or not. Considering Pitt’s need at cornerback, it can’t hurt to keep trying up until Tuesday.

On top of all of that, there is a decision Friday looming that could have an impact.

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I really didn’t want to do this. I wanted to at least make it to May when there is a real dearth of subject matter. Reality, trending topics and of course the comments kind of forces my hand. If you can read this with the idea that I am speaking in a world-weary tone, while on my fourth Scotch (just enough so that I am a bit more tired, and slightly buzzed) it would be best.

I believe this spring and summer will see almost as much expansion rumor-mongering as this past offseason, but with even less action. We already have two teams heading to the Pac-12. The Big Ten gets its 12th member. Texas and the other nine of the Big 12 are staying together for the near-term. The ACC is holding until it has to. Same with the SEC — except that they are more in a crouch and pounce mode at all times. Notre Dame is still independent and will remain that way for some time.

The MWC is putting a brave face, while muttering about being justthisclose to being a BCS conference. The WAC is trying to avoid being at the Sun Belt bock level.

The Big East is the only conference that will make some sort of expansion move. Regardless of whether it is Villanova or UCF, that constitutes only a minor ripple in college football and college sports.

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Pitt has announced its football schedule for 2011. Well, sort of. No start times are set. The Big East game dates aren’t set. But the dates for the non-con games have been announced.

The Big East dates will be announced next month. We do know that Pitt will be on the road to West Virginia, Louisville, and Rutgers. While there will be four home games with Cinci, Syracuse, USF and UConn.

That’s eight home games with the new coaching staff and offensive style.

PantherLair has the schedule for the next few years right here. With TCU coming aboard in 2012, it looks like Pitt is going to need to move a non-con game slated for 2013.

The players and Coach Dixon admitted to not playing well and that it wasn’t a satisfactory performance.

“We weren’t good enough offensively,” Dixon said, “and we weren’t good enough defensively.”

Monday was Pitt’s only regular-season meeting with Notre Dame. The two programs could meet again in March at the Big East Tournament in a rematch of last season’s 50-45 Irish victory.

“It will hurt our guys, but we will bounce back,” Dixon said. “We’ll learn from it and be better because of it. We have to be.”

Brad Wanamaker called it another game the team can learn from. And aside from putting it behind them, that’s all they can do.

Pitt played well enough in the first half. Not fantastic, as the offense wasn’t that sharp, but certainly better than in the second half — especially on defense. That slipping in the second half definitely seems like something that irritated Coach Dixon.

“We need to go back to what we do,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said, “and do a little better at sustaining it.”

When you think about the lapses that have taken place in the second half, hopefully this will be the best reminder of what happens more than just having closer than expected moments in the second half.

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It’s back.

/sigh

This article caught my attention last week. I was hoping to get more follow-up, but no. So it’s a bit of a connect the dots thing.

Villanova is buying up residential property in Delaware County and Montgomery County along County Line Road, adjacent to Villanova Stadium. The Wildcats’ coaching staff has shown increased interest in a number of major Division I recruits—the type of players Villanova may have not gone so strongly after in the past, thinking those players would commit to Division I schools.

The circumstantial signs are there, as Villanova follows a timeline, with further discussions with area residents throughout this month, followed by a meeting in February to update the Villanova Board of Trustees and in March a look at the school’s findings and how feasible a move to the Big East in football would be.

Villanova’s “official” announcement is scheduled for April, and by the way Villanova is moving forward, the school is building a crescendo drum roll to what looks like a decision that the Wildcats could be the 10th member of the Big East Conference for football, effective hopefully for the 2012 season.

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Now, if only there is a line to block for them.

In what borders on Wannstedtian for sheer volume at one spot, Pitt added another running back recruit to its recruiting class. This class stands at ten at the moment, and includes four, count ’em, four running backs. Since the weekend, Pitt has added three RBs.

Let’s meet the latest, Mr. Malcolm Crockett:

This 5-10 (or -11), 180 (or 185) pound tailback is a consensus 3-star recruit out of Washington, D.C. He’s the highest ranked tailback in Pitt’s list of verbals. He had interest from Michigan, so he has some passing acquaintance with a chunk of Pitt’s staff. He also had lots of offers from ACC schools. He is also versatile (Insider subs).

Overall, Crocket is a college ready back with a lot of quality attributes to develop. Looks to be able to fit into a few different offensive schemes. Could grow into a productive every-down back with improved blocking and receiving skills.

As PittScript points out (and has video of Crockett in HS), the former Cinci commit decommitted from the Bearcats after they snagged Pitt decommit Jameel Poteat. He probably felt that his chances of seeing early playing time were lessoned with Poteat coming in at the same time.

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Glad to see in the comments that people are slowly backing away from the apocalypse.  Immediate reactions after a loss vacillated between frustrated to absolute doom and gloom.

I can’t say I am reading too much into this loss other than it was a loss. You will be hard-pressed to find another team that have the shooters, patience and discipline to play that way against Pitt. Even ND doesn’t try to do this very often. This game was so absurd in pace that it strikes me as an outlier. Teams might try it for stretches, but no team is going to be able to play that way for a full game that way. Certainly not young teams. Nash, Martin, Abromaitis, Hansbrough and Scott — ND’s entire starting line-up — are all seniors.

Last week we and the punditry were lauding Pitt for their patience against Syracuse’s zone. Willing to work the ball around to find the best shot, and conversely keeping Syracuse from getting quick baskets, and forcing the Orange deep into the shot clock. A loss like this and everyone is up-in-arms about Pitt not trying to push the pace and force the tempo. That Pitt was too patient and willing to play a slow game.

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