Jerry DiPaiola of the Trib-Review writes about the WPIAL alumni on the DL for PITT.

Ezell is playing behind and learning from Caragein, who is entering his senior season and will start at nose tackle next to senior Chas Alecxih. “I can be better just watching him,” Ezell said of Caragein. “I told Myles I need him to stay on me, work me, tell me if I am doing wrong.” Alecxih likens Ezell to “Godzilla.” “He’s a big, strong dude,” he said. “He’s going to be a force when he gets his technique down a little better.

Yikes, don’t let Ezell go to Japan anytime soon, Godzilla is the last thing they need right now.  But in all seriousness, this is, to me, what college sports is all about: “I might be the only one in my family that I know of to graduate college,” he said, puffing out his massive chest.  “I am going to try to get that.”  Don’t just try Ezell, do. There are things more important than sports and with those circumstances your getting that degree is one of them.  Head Coach Todd Graham appreciates the WPIAL kids’ dispositions though… What Graham does like is his young linemen’s demeanor. “Our guys have some mean and nasty in them,” he said. “They play irritated. I like that.”… If that’s the case let’s hope the whole defense gets hemorrhoids.  There is nothing more irritating then that is there?

PITT has produced the second installment of the Spring Camp Insider Show and it’s another great and in-depth production.  This one is 27 minutes long – all PITT all the time.  It starts off with an interview with Devon Street and goes from there.  Again, it is the coaches post-practice videos interspersed with footage and interviews.  It really is nice that PITT is providing this much info for us this season.

The blog Cardiac Hill has a short piece on Buddy Jackson and the staff’s plans for him in 2011.  This quote hits home: “I just need to make sure I catch the ball and get up the field, see that gap and go into it. I am just going to use my speed and do what I have to in order to get that shot in the game. Once I get that ball, I’m seeing the end zone, I want to get there as fast as possible.”  OK, that’s a change from catching the ball after waving your arm over your head and walking off the field as fast as possible that we’ve seen over the last few years.  If Cam Saddler is going to play a bigger role in the offense from the LOS, then let’s not have him back returning kicks if there is a viable alternative.

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Well, with Pat Skerry off to Towson University, the speculation turns to who will be Pitt’s new top assistant for Coach Jamie Dixon. There’s the question of whether an old assistant returns.

Rohrssen had a chance to become an assistant on Steve Lavin’s staff at St. John’s when Lavin was hired last spring.

There has been speculation that John Calipari, his old friend from the Five-Star Basketball camps, would create a position on his staff at Kentucky.

Rohrssen certainly has options, but he developed a fondness for Pittsburgh during his time here and this might be his first choice. Rohrssen has maintained good relationships with Pitt over the years. Every time Pitt played at Madison Square Garden in recent years Rohrssen would be in attendance if there was not a conflict with his team at Manhattan. After he was fired in March, Rohrssen was spotted sitting with Pitt fans at the Verizon Center for the Panthers’ two NCAA tournament games against North Carolina Ashveille and Butler.

Barry “Slice” Rohrssen was a very good recruiter at Pitt, and yes, other head coaches actually tried to hire him from his head coaching gig at Manhattan. Yes, he has an affection and good relationship with Pitt and he knows the system Coach Dixon.

The negative is that that same high interest from other deep-pocketed programs could well price Rohrssen out of Pitt’s price range for an assistant

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