Pitt secured its first recruit under the Paul Chryst regime last night when Mike Caprara verballed to the university. Some PITT fans will like this but I’m thinking the majority will either be skeptical because of Caprara’s size or just will hate the offer right off the bat. Caprara is 6′ tall & 200 lbs … and that will scare some fans off.
But the reviews of his work, especially on defense, are glowing. Here’s what Lichtenfields of Scouts.com has to say:
“Caprara is a tough kid who gives you a maximum effort every time out. He is very instinctive and almost seems like having another coach out on the field. He is very solid against the run and can cover. There have been a number of FBS players on the Wolverines defense over the past three seasons, but Caprara may be the best. He is a leader that takes charge and leads by example.“
Here is some background on his HS career before this season started.
Then there is this fact regarding his Woodland Hills career; “Caprara, 6-foot, 210 pounds, is the all-time leading tackler in Woodland Hills history, setting the mark before his senior season and finishing his career with more than 350 tackles“. For a more rounded view of Caprara there is this info. Before you fall out of your seat remember that Hershel Walker took ballet lessons in college.
What does all of this tell me? That the kid is comfortable on a big stage when the lights go on and with that he’s confident that he can succeed at anything. I like it. These kind of kids, guys who play their heart out in HS and rack up big numbers, can go either way when it comes to success in the college ranks. Some don’t cut it and others end up doing well on special teams. But the confident ones thumb thier noses at the naysayers who think they are too small to play college ball, and then go out and light up the field with their talent.
Here’s some game tape for you to watch and make up your own mind, Caprara is #30 on defense. I’ll just throw this reminder out when you are debating what is his ceiling in college football…
Andrew Taglianetti
Hopefully Conwell comes too, but, I saw another poster somewhere say they heard he kind of liked Arizona. Oh well, we’ll see!!
I for one, while woodall was in snd birch was still here, thought that pitts best chance to win was to go up tempo because of that was just the way this team was built. I thought that would cover their lack of a true big man and with the way the guards were shooting early in the year, they couldve been scoring around 80 ppg. Now that tra is injured and birch is gone, i think the only way pitt will win is if they shoot effeciently,imit turnovers, and dont let other teams get second chance buckets.
Woodland hills has eight, (count them!) eight graduates playing in the NFL. EIGHT!!! That’s more than any other high school in the US. (link to en.wikipedia.org) Whoever says the WPIAL doesn’t have football talent is smoking crack.
Why wouldn’t Pitt, the hometown school of record offer the leading tackler from this team a free education? Especially when he had no other offers on the table? Sure he may never play but the goodwill that was generated from this move CANNOT be measured. If you don’t think that’s a smart move by the coaching staff then you too, are smoking crack.
Oh yea, this guy just might turn out to be good football player too. Small guys always have something to prove.
Hail to Pitt!
One other thing, the video indicates that the highlights are from his sophomore and junior seasons – so I’d be curious to see video from 2011.
The lesser bowls still get played with the 17-32 or whatever, nobody outside the competitors and alumni really care anyway.
This makes New Years Day fun again and in two weeks a true Championship that people might watch. Better for gamblers and makes all the games really matter.
Now he may well have issues against a speedy spread offense, but you can’t coach instinct
Also – that ‘decommit’ tweet was from a WVU fan, it wasn’t from Pankey himself. I’ll take it with a grain of sand.
Maybe you should write a book that states that ‘the love of all money is a root of all evil’ .. or something.
we have 2 of the best OL coachs in the usa on our staff.
in fact that is what i would tell the OL men that
went to wisconsin you went there becuse of there great OL play but the men that made them great are at pitt some come to pitt and if pankey goes to WVU it will be his loss.
I would think having a well renowned teacher would be a plus in this case.
Sounds like the kid didn’t get his way. Period.
reed, do you see any surprises for the 2012 class for football, then? i think another qb or lineman on either side of the ball are much needed. if so, do you have any guesses on who he/they may be.
Penn State
New coach: Bill O’Brien
Former job: New England Patriots offensive coordinator
The buzz: This isn’t a knock on O’Brien, who has been an assistant at Duke, Georgia Tech and Maryland. It’s just that Penn State looks to be a hopeless situation for the next few seasons. In addition, he doesn’t exactly have a powerhouse staff.
On the same weekend another undersized linebacker from a powerhouse WPIAL HS became DC at Tenn.
Let’s hope he becomes an All-American at PITT as well, but he doesn’t have a son in 30 years that he sends to PITT to play QB.
Here’s hoping that Pitt at least plays decent and covers the 13 point spread tonight against the Cuse.
What we have now (albeit more definitive than pre-BCS) is simply awful and exclusionist due to the tide of talent and preference to the SEC.
Aside from the Southerners and over-the-hill fatcats that parlayed the Bowls into a vacation, WHO THE F WATCHES THESE GOD AWFUL GAMES IN PERSON????
and pick up 5 new ones for a total of 20
well we just lost one.
If Conwell is smart, he quickly changes his mind and realizes that Pitt and PC put athletes in the next league. Rich fraud does not. How will his family ever watch him play? Also, Pitt should start taking a harder stance when an athlete snubs them and goes elsewhere, just to find out later that it’s just not all that.
I am Thinking render may have pushed bin away from Pitt. Would be interested to see how many USC panthers received schollies during his tenure and of that number, how many went to Pitt! Just sayin that it would be interesting to research.
but i went off line last night