Pitt added a commit, and this one is definitely one that will be a project to develop.
“Coach Rudolph is real confident in me,” Harper said. “He said he thought I could get it done. I just loved working with him.”
Harper, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, was a playmaker on defense last season for St. John’s, with 64 tackles, five pass breakups, four tackles for a loss and two interceptions.
He’s looking forward to switching positions at Pitt.
“I could have played more offense (last season), but our coach said they needed me on the field on defense,” said Harper, who’s rated as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. “This season, I’ll get to play offense. I think I can do it.”
Tony Harper out of Toledo has been almost exclusively a safety but will be converted to tight end/halfback.
Yes, it seems Pitt is stockpiling TEs.
As the story notes, Harper is a 2-star recruit on Rivals.com. On Scout.com he is unranked. As on 24/7 and ESPN.com. His other offers were all from the MAC.
Given that, it probably isn’t a big deal that he is being converted from Safety. Not really much of an opinion on this one. Clearly he will be redshirting and will be one that the coaches see something in him. It will be a while before the rest of us do.
1. When its this far from LOI day “projects” are more likely to be those with high upside
2. The offer is based on coach’s eyes-on during camp.
3. The guy is projected to play a different position (TE-H-back) than he played (Safety) as a junior in HS and from which he was rated (Rivals 2-star) or not yet rated (Scout, ESPN) by the internet gurus who assign stars.
4. The guy has the height/frame (6-4, 200/210) at age 17 or 18 to add the weight (230-240) by age 20-21 needed for the projected position (TE-H-back).
So–this commit isn’t a concern, IMO.
I like the height and the weight as he can go in different directions based on skill set and future growth. No mention on speed, but would be interested to see if he projects as a field stretcher from the TE position. Just remember what our HC did with two and three stars on the offensive side of the ball at Wisconsin. Add in a few four stars and the future is bright! I am not concerned one bit. Whether he pulls in 10 4 stars or 10 no stars, you still have to play the games. Winning brings recruits. Paul Chryst is a winner offensively and that is factual. Look at the NFL draft this last year and see how many offensive players from Wisconsin made it to the league.
The perception included Clemson as one of the ACC programs interested in a potential move to the Big 12. That perception may not be reality, but it definitely had an effect on the program.
“If you want to know how going to the Big 12 is going to affect Clemson, I’ve lived it for about the last month,” Swinney told David Hood of TigerNet.com. “It has been very negative, very negative. It has impacted and affected our recruiting. I’ve had to spend a lot of time re-recruiting guys and assuring them that we aren’t going to the Big 12. It has been a big distraction and it has been negative, quite frankly.”
Swinney’s admission of “re-recruiting” players alludes to those commitments already counted among Clemson’s 2013 class. Of the seven verbal commitments Clemson currently counts among its next class, only three are in-state prospects. The final four either reside on the east coast or within SEC territory. It’s possible none of these recruits like the idea of playing weekly contests within Big 12 country.
– Brent Sobleski” ESPN Insider
Hail to Pitt!
Does not look bad considering he’s just 16 at the time.
A solid runner with decent speed and good lateral mobility… again for a sophomore.
Some of these TEs that Chryst is recruiting will be moved over to OL also. Otherwise we’ll have 100 TEs on the roster in 2013.
