Late on Tuesday, word came that Pitt had a new verbal. A kicker, to go with a punter who had also received a scholarship. Given that both such specialists for Pitt are seniors, it is not surprising that Coach Paul Chryst has been trying to find replacements for the positions. It’s somewhat surprising that he would use scholarships on both positions in the same year. Not wildly weird. Just mildly questionable to use two scholarships in one year on special teams.
Of course I’m burying the lead on the kicker recruit. Chris Blewitt. A name that has probably launched thousands of snickers. Headlines already written for the first time he misses a game-winning field goal. The fact is, with a last name like Blewitt, I’m hard pressed to come up with a spot in life or in sports where that wouldn’t be thrown back on him.
Middle management: “Hell of a presentation, Blewitt. You really lived up to your name.”
Anywhere on the football field. O-line missing an assignment, WR dropping a pass, DB getting burned…
Basketball: “Blewitt going to the rim for the easy lay-up– Oh! He missed! He really…”
Baseball, committing an error on the field or striking out in a key moment. Or worse, being a pitcher.
So, I’m going with the optimistic belief that having grown up with that name, young Blewitt is already on the mentally tough side. Something all kickers need to be.
He’s not a ranked kicker by the recruiting sites. Aside from Pitt, the only other scholarship offer was from Temple. There was some interest from Navy, Notre Dame and Virginia — though no offers. He impressed Pitt at a kicking camp.
Blewitt joined the sport because his friends were doing it, and naturally he tried out as a place kicker because he was a soccer player. Three years later, after impressing at a kicking camp two weeks ago, Blewitt committed to Pitt Tuesday.
“I don’t know really know what to feel,” Blewitt said. “Just thinking about it and it really hasn’t hit me yet. I didn’t think I’d be in this position a few years ago. I didn’t know what I really wanted to do. .?.?. I didn’t think this would happen from that decision [to play football].”
Blewitt went to Pitt’s kicking camp two weeks ago and “just wowed them,” he said. After winning the kickoff competition, Blewitt said he nailed a 55-yard field goal after running onto the field from the sideline during a game-winning kick exercise.
Not long after that while still in the practice facilities, Blewitt picked up his first offer.
“They said I could do whatever I want, start my true freshman year and be their kicker,” Blewitt said. “They really wanted me, they gave me everything I would have wanted. It didn’t seem like anything else was matching up to them.”
Well, Blewitt is around 5-10 and anywhere from 160-175 pounds. While not ranked by the major sites, Kohl’s Kicking liked him a lot (no, I’ve never heard of them before today).
Chris competed at the Eastern Showcase Camp in 2012 and was dominant, seems to handle pressure very well, kicks a clean FG off the ground, hit over a 5.0 punt, explosive leg strength, hit multiple kick offs that had over 4 seconds of hang-time, explosive leg should override lack of height
There’s even 90 seconds of video of him kicking in an open field for those of you who want to break down his form and leg strength.
Blew = Blue
All I’m hearing is Blue-it! Welcome to the Panthers!
not give him a offer that would be a sin and unworthy of us.
the kid is a 3 star lb and we have no lb commits
if you dont offer jerome lanes son after what his dad did for pitt that is a real shame after all it is not like he is a NR he is a 3 star.
what is ridiculous abought takeing care of some ones son who helped put pitt on the map in BB
and like i say he is a 3 star. And he is a legacy
to say that is ridiculous make you ridiculous.
had you giveing me some outher reason i would not call you ridiculous but that word piss me off have you no loyalty to thoes who have done well for pitt would you turn down hugh greens son or dan the mans son did we not give a offer to TDs
son who was only a 2 star at the time blood lines count.
To say we have to give an offer to every famous Pitt player is not reasonable
and we have not got a LB commit of any kind yet.
and like i said he is a 3 star have we not takleing kids this year who only had MAC offers.
but at least you give outher reasons that i could live with but if a kid is even a 2 star but is the son of a famous pitt player i would offer
him blood lines do count look at TDs kid we took him as a favor to his dad he was only a star comeing out of school and ended up a starter for pitt and played 5 years in the pros. you should allways take care of your own.
Especially when you get to the difference between a two and a three star ranking – they are virtually interchangeable.
As to the legacy – let’s let Jamie Dixon worry about Lane’s kid – that has nothing to do with the football program. I’ll be honest, if Paul Chryst starts offering players just based on who their fathers are my opinion of him would drop.
Let him be a preferred walk-on if the kid wants to go to PITT and the staff doesn’t want to offer a scholarship. That way if he impresses with drive, desire, skill, etc… the staff has an option to give him a scholarship.
I believe Anthony Dorsett had a bunch of offers coming out of HS, he wasn’t a charity case or here just as a legacy.
Your saying I am ridiculous for saying you are ridiculous is pretty ridiculous.
and the kid plays football not basketball so why bring dixon in to this that was ridiculous and i dont see what a 3 star LB should bother you as a recruit would you rather have a 3 star than a NR.
but for you to say we should not offer a legacy who is good enough to play for pitt that is ridiculous and if it is ok for you to throw around the word ridiculous why cant i becuse you are reed get over your self.
and lanes son is not a charity case eather how many 2 stars and NR have we takeing this year
at least he has 3 stars and i do belive you take care of your own TDs kid did all right at pitt and iron heads kid did all right at ohio state why shoudent we offer lanes kid blood lines count.
not QB.
Where would you draw the line Frank? Would it be only the sons of STAR PITT players? Well, then that is a slap in the face to the players who busted ass for PITT but didn’t become stars.
Would you give Chase Clowser’s kid a scholarship because he was a legacy? Of course you would Frank, why not if you’re giving one to a BB player’s kid just by virtue of the fact his dad played at PITT.
Would you give LeSean McCoy’s son a scholarship even though his father bagged out of PITT the very first minute he could… just because he was McCoy’s son? I wouldn’t.
As for Dan Marino’s son? His dad can afford to pay his way – save that scholarship for someone whose family needs it.
He’s a little secret. A star football player with great God-given talent probably doesn’t have to work as hard in camps and practices as those 2nd and 3rd string players without that great talent do. If we are giving scholarships to past players who gave the most effort during their four years that would be a long list and a hell of a lot of scholarships.
You are too hung up on stars Frank. This staff obviously doesn’t think either the kid is good enough to use a scholarship on or he just doesn’t fit into what they are looking for in a LB. Believe it or not when the coaching staff does up a Big Board and lists the players they want to sign they do it by what they themselves want and need on the roster – not by how many stars the kid has.
But hey, if we have met all our needs as for as the above goes and have an extra scholarship to burn in late January then throw it his way – but not seven months before LOI Day.
And what the hell does “because you are reed get over yourself” mean”? You couldn’t tell I was joking about the ridiculous thing?
here is part of what i was thinking as you know we have not had a LB commit yet this year and have been turned down bye some we wanted they went to outher schools.
so i see one a 3 star and his dad was big time at our school and he has no offer that seamed a shame to me for a coulpe reasons one being we have not been able to get a lb this year and there sits lane kid with out a offer from us.
and to be truthfull with you reed i was thinkimg of just sons of former pitt stars not of sons of all pitt players that was probley wrong but my point i guess is if they are good enough they should get a offer and a 3 star should be good enough.
i just think if you can you should take care of your own you remmber bring it home jerome the most famous dunk of all time.
it might not be fair but i think players like hugh green dan the man bill fralic sam clancy should get special treatment TD ricky jackson the list is long and if they had sons fair or not i think i would have to offer them unless they were total bumbs.
but back on point lanes son is at a postion of need for us and we have signed none and he is a 3 star and there fore not a bumb . and i thought we are signing so many MAC players we should at least offer him right or wrong that is what i think try to take care of your own unless there bumbs
he is NR his outher offers are colgate bucknell holy cross and lafayette are thoes schools as good as the MAC or have we sunk even lower who we get recruits from i know he is going to be a great player.
Again, there is a big difference between July and January when it comes to recruiting. Right now we have around 20 offers out to linebackers so it isn’t as if we are forced into offering Johnson.
The point I am making is that to offer a legacy a scholarship just because he is a legacy is poor recruiting when every scholarship should count. I’ll bet a dollar that this staff is familiar with young Mr. Lane – you know Pederson and Borghetti would have shown the staff the kid. The fact that no offer has gone forth means that they have chosen not to do this.
Again, stars don’t mean a thing for any coaching staff, they want to get the best fit for their program and the most talented kids along with that. If Lane had met that criteria he’d get a scholarship offer.
As I said before. If he wants to attend PITT because his Dad did then get him here as a preferred walk on and let him compete for a scholarship down the line. PITT will probably give out three scholarships this season to former walk ons.
We see things differently here I guess.
Let it go.
A new Golden Age of Pitt football is just about to begin.
Enjoy it.
In a related note: I have a long standing frustration with Pitt never recruiting any of the seemingly 1000 D1 atheletes named Pittman. Everytime I see a Pittman playing for another team it pisses me off. Let’s make that a priority. (Lafayette Pitts is a step in the right direction)