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June 30, 2013

Another QB In The Fold

Filed under: Football,Recruiting — Justin @ 8:35 pm

Florida QB Wade Freebeck announced on twitter that he’s coming to Pitt:

Freebeck

Freebeck visited Pitt 2 weeks ago and was a player the coaches appeared to be very interested in. All signs pointed to the interest being mutual and it came to fruition today. The 6’4″ dual threat with a 4.6 GPA is a 3 star player on Rivals and 247. However, he’s a 4 star player on ESPN.  He had offers from USF, Marshall, Akron, and some school called “Florida.” It appears as if the Florida offer was taken away after Florida got a verbal from Will Grier, but it still says a lot about Freebeck’s potential that he’s a 4 star on ESPN and that Florida was highly interested.

Freebeck hasn’t been able to do much this offseason due to a surgery. I’ve seen different stories as to what the injury/surgery was for, so I’m not entirely sure. I saw shoulder surgery and “lower body” surgery. It’s a little surprising that Freebeck committed already because of this. He could have attracted more offers with a successful senior season but he loved Pitt enough to close his recruitment. You could argue this is a good example of a “close” by this staff.

With Freebeck, Pitt now has 2 QBs in this class, the other being Adam Bertke from Ohio. While losing out on Keller Chryst sucks (Keller gave his verbal to Stanford recently), it’s not the end of the world. Pitt targeted 3 or 4 QBs: the two we now hold a verbal  from, Keller, and Andrew Ford. While Keller is hands down the best prospect of the 4, the other 3 are interchangeable at this point in their careers. If the goal was 2 QBs, ideally Chryst and 1 of these 3, we had to settle for Plan B. I’m not that upset because Keller is arguably the best QB prospect in the country. Nephew or not, we lost out to Stanford and I have a feeling his dad (49ers QB Coach Geep Chryst) let him know he’ll be staying in San Francisco for a few years, most likely as the Offensive Coordinator when Greg Roman gets an NFL head coach gig.

Here are his junior highlights.





Great news! So things keep shaping up.
4 star…
from Florida…
other offer from a big school…

gosh, getting harder and harder to find something to complain about… lol

H2P

Comment by Pittscript 06.30.13 @ 9:11 pm

With 50 minutes till our move to the ACC, this is big news! H2P!

Comment by Lou Gagliardi 06.30.13 @ 10:09 pm

If Freebeck is the last player to commit while we’re a Big East school, does that make him cursed or blessed?

Comment by Justin 06.30.13 @ 10:13 pm

Blessed because the last of the BE just may someday be first on the depth chart in the ACC…

Comment by Kenny 06.30.13 @ 10:22 pm

1 minute!

Comment by Chris 06.30.13 @ 10:59 pm

I just witnessed history.

Comment by atlanta panther 06.30.13 @ 11:00 pm

We are in!

Comment by Scott 78 06.30.13 @ 11:03 pm

Pros. St. thomas Aquinas is a great program. 6’3 and hes from Florida. Plays a level of gootball in Florida that trumps anything the wpial could ever smell.

Cons. 180 needs to gain some weight, florida pulled its offer. After that his offers were Sanford. Yeah no T in there and marshall and Akron. Surgery shoulder per justin as a jr. Isnt great news.

I work in Fort lauderdale so i will watch him when im in town this fall

Comment by Upittbaseball 06.30.13 @ 11:07 pm

Just in. Smug Steve forgot to sign the paperwork in time as he was with nordy trying to get another 5 years of free money. I guess were going to the AAC

Comment by Upittbaseball 06.30.13 @ 11:08 pm

Congrats Pitt Nation! We are in! The Panthers are going prowling into the ACC! Beat FSU!

Comment by Sweet Caroline 06.30.13 @ 11:09 pm

Baseball the kid has been listed at 202 6’5″ on hudl and due to his injury last season and subsequent surgery, Florida got a commitment from the #2 ranked dual threat QB Will Grier out of NC.

Here is what Miami’s Joe Rose of WQAM Sports Radio had to say about Wade Freebeck.

link to youtube.com

Comment by Kenny 06.30.13 @ 11:41 pm

Forgot to mention Florida was his first offer…

Comment by Kenny 06.30.13 @ 11:48 pm

Here is a link to Florida 247 about the Gator offer…

link to florida.247sports.com

Comment by Kenny 06.30.13 @ 11:54 pm

#84 preseason

link to usatoday.com

Comment by move on 07.01.13 @ 12:49 am

This is the big one IMO and I think taking two QBs signals that Chapman is out in the wind.

Comment by Reed 07.01.13 @ 3:39 am

Bollinger took two trips down to FL to watch this kid workout and to talk with people who knew him. This was a big time target for PITT and I think it is pretty clear that this staff knew that Keller Chryst was going to Stanford all along. Not a coincidence that he committed so quickly.

This is a perfect example of what I meant when I wrote a while ago that the staff was doing due diligence in their recruiting this season. This kid isn’t just an athlete but he has a 4.6 GPA. That is almost as high as Emel’s was when he graduated HS.

Seriously, this kid could have stayed at his JR HS and probably blown up statistically – instead he transfers to one of the best football HSs in FL and one that plays in its most competitive league.

4* on ESPN; 3* on 247 and Rivals and unrated at this point on Scouts – if you are into star rankings this should set your mind at ease a bit. I think he should be a four star across the board after his SR year.

Here’s a more in-depth article:

link to sun-sentinel.com

Comment by Reed 07.01.13 @ 3:50 am

BTW – this is a perfect description of exactly how I viewed Tom Savage during spring practices:

“Here’s what Savage was, is and will always be: strong-armed – no, dynamite-armed, rocket-armed, TNT-armed, with the zip and velocity on his throws to make scouts drool. But he’s also inaccurate and slow afoot, with the latter a huge issue given the Panthers’ troubling situation along the offensive line.”

We are NOT going to see him have a 7:1 TD to INT ratio like we had last year. He’ll have a great yards per reception stat and will rack up 2500+ yards but don’t hold your breath for a great year from that position.

We may see a slight improvement on 2012’s 2.92 sacks per game but maybe not – Sunseri was more mobile than Savage is for sure. Let’s hope Savage is a quicker decision maker.

Comment by Reed 07.01.13 @ 3:57 am

Reed,
According to the article, he was at Western HS his sophmore and junior season. He transfered to St. Thomas this past winter (after football season).
So, it will be interesting to watch his senior season and if he sticks with his committment.

Comment by Pitt.Dan83 07.01.13 @ 6:29 am

Great news!

Comment by notrocketscience 07.01.13 @ 6:42 am

The surgery was for a broken thumb. Not shoulder.
Also, have seen the kid at precitces and QB training camps and he has added some size and muscle. He is now 6’5 and about 205lbs.

Comment by soflatalent 07.01.13 @ 7:42 am

83 did you read the link about his commitment whre it said the following:

“The former Western quarterback — who held offers from Florida, USF, Akron and Marshall — said there was no doubt that Pittsburgh was the right fit…Freebeck visited Pitt last week, which cemented his belief that he wanted to be Panther.”

Sounds like he wants to be at Pitt and is a hard worker unlike your boy RS. He fits the mold of what PC & Co. wants and he loves the school and city. But you have to be negative towards him/Pitt/PC & Co. but then again it is evidently your nature to be negative about Pitt…

Comment by Kenny 07.01.13 @ 7:57 am

Reed,

It might make sense that Keller held off on committing to Stanford until Uncle Paul had 2 QBs in the fold. Then he verbaled as quietly as possible to Stanford.

Comment by Justin 07.01.13 @ 8:06 am

Justin what you say is definitely in the realm of possibility…

Comment by Kenny 07.01.13 @ 8:08 am

Always good news to get another QB with potential. Hopefully we find a couple more skill players in FL.

Thanks for the USA Today preview. Seems very fair. I think we will be better than most think unless there are too many key injuries, the depth is very thin.

Savage and Bennett are the keys. How they go is how we go.

Comment by gc 07.01.13 @ 8:12 am

GC I will counter that offensive and defensive lines are the keys…

Comment by atlanta panther 07.01.13 @ 8:22 am

I just watched 3:41 minutes of Freebeck’s sophomore highlights and have 2 observations: 1. He already throws the long ball better than Tino, 2. The way he stands tall in the pocket and then quickly release of the ball will remind you of (are you ready?) Dan Marino – listen, this is the first time I have ever said this about any kid, but watch it for yourself. H2P

Comment by pittman4ever 07.01.13 @ 8:27 am

@ Reed, You sent a shiver down my spine with your comment,”Sunseri was more mobile than Savage is for sure”. I hope that this means that Savage will be “slower” to run directly into the arms of the first defensive lineman that he can find when scrambling, like “you know who” had such a natural knack of doing. Or maybe you infer that Savage will not be so “quick” to slide just short of the 1st down markers, when there isn’t a defender within 5 yds of him, a skill our previous QB had honed to a razor sharp edge. We can only hope.

Great news for Pitt on the verbal from Freebeck, as Reed mentioned though, not such good news for Travon Chapman.

I’m still wondering what the fates of K.K. and Travon will be on this team going forward. I hate to see a kid’s future snuffed out due to transgressions that ultimately end up being expunged from their records, but I also appreciate the culture that Chryst is instilling in this team going forward. Things are still in limbo with Chapman’s court issues, of course, but I’d hate to see his career at Pitt ended before it even gets started, if in fact it ends up that the charges don’t stick. On the outside this kind of looks like a player’s parallel to the Haywood coaching debacle of recent memory, don’t you think? Weird.

I wouldn’t want to be the one in charge of making those final decisions on these guys. Not an easy call if Chapman is found innocent. Hate to see him be made an example of, but actions have consequences too.

Last thought on Freebeck, we finally have a quality player at a critical position from the deep South. HAIL TO PITT on our 1st day in the ACC!

Comment by Dr. Tom 07.01.13 @ 9:05 am

Reed – Agree with you on Savage with most of your points. Savage’s greatest asset is between his ears! He has a great feel for the game and makes quick intelligent decisions. That from Rutgers asst coach who I know personally.

Comment by Dan 72 07.01.13 @ 9:15 am

3* in FLA > 4* PA. Nice pick up…

Comment by JG 07.01.13 @ 9:18 am

3* in FLA > 4* in PA. Nice pick up…

Comment by JG 07.01.13 @ 9:19 am

Savage has “failed play, get 5 yards” speed. If a play breaks down and there’s a hole, he can get 5 yards instead of running like a statue for 2 yards like Tom Brady. He won’t outrun a LB or anything, but he’ll outrun most DTs and some DEs at the college level.

I think he has deceptive speed. You won’t expect him to break out and get a few yards. I actually disagree with Reed in that I don’t think he’s slower than Tino. I think Savage could keep up with him. I think Tino looked faster by how quickly he closed in on opposing defenses.

Comment by Justin 07.01.13 @ 9:24 am

@ Justin, “I think Tino looked faster by how quickly he closed in on opposing defenses” HILARIOUS!!

Comment by Dr. Tom 07.01.13 @ 9:36 am

That is freakn funny as hell!!!!!

Comment by QuipScript 07.01.13 @ 10:08 am

Everyone please remember this joke landing and forgive me for the next 83 that miss.

Comment by Justin 07.01.13 @ 10:22 am

Thomas Aquinas is the home of John Congemi and his daughter who also played for Pitt.
I would expect one of the 2 QB’s to decommitt. Just a numbers game….you can only play one QB at a time.

Comment by SFPitt 07.01.13 @ 10:32 am

SFPitt: When Bertke committed he said that the coaches told him they were taking 2 QBs. If Bertke knew another QB was coming and obviously Freebeck knows Bertke is coming, I’d assume they’re both staying.

Comment by Justin 07.01.13 @ 10:36 am

SFPitt,
As Dr. Tom eluded to above, I suspect Travon Chapman is out the door and that is a big loss.
Lets hope Freebeck sticks with Pitt. If he has a good year at St. Thomas, other schools may come knocking.

Very odd that FSU comes to Pittsburgh for their QB and Pitt goes to Florida for their QB!!

Comment by Pitt.Dan83 07.01.13 @ 10:59 am

Getsy knew Palko had comitted, and Flacco already knew that Palko and Getsy were a year ahead of him

Comment by wbb 07.01.13 @ 11:02 am

thanks Kenny for the radio link and other.

Like the inside info from Reed… this just gets better as the day goes on. These kids know what they are committing to… in fact now it makes sense why the OH kid has the profile that he has… he is happy to be at Pitt and clearly fits the skill set they want… so he won’t bolt now that they have a more ‘named’ recruit.

conversely, this kid from FL was not scared off by another ‘big’ name coming in with him at the same time.

Man, I just see smart, calm, people working a systematic plan!!

LMAO Justin…

Comment by PittScript 07.01.13 @ 11:10 am

You do have a point Dr. Tom LOL! In respect to the KK and Chapman I see it 50/50. Since KK has not been shown the door yet which in my mind bodes well for him.

Chapman is more uncertain due to the charges he faces and the culture change taking place at Pitt. We can only hope TC has been contrite with the staff and he has a favorable out come in court but who knows. It would be nice though to have him in the fold.

Doc I want you to give me kudos for breaking down my post with paragraphs. LOL! HTP

Comment by Kenny 07.01.13 @ 11:43 am

@ SFPitt, John Congemi, a class act Pitt guy all the way. Also, not a bad football commentator either after his playing days were over.

No worries on either of these QB recruits decommitting due to future competition. If Chapman doesn’t get reinstated on the team, when these two come in, there will only be two scholarship QBs on Pitt’s roster! And Anderson has, for all practical purposes, been relegated a clipboard by Chryst & Co. and has been asked to contribute mainly as a player/QB coach going forward.

These two QB recruits have been given the honest straight talk that Chryst is becoming known for and have a very accurate picture of what they’re getting into. Either guy, based on who rises to the top through competition will probably see the field early in their career, especially (heaven forbid) if Voytik goes down with an injury.

Comment by Dr. Tom 07.01.13 @ 11:55 am

Nobody was faster than “you know who” when it came to running directly into Defensive Linemen.

And nobody was worse in leading 2nd half comebacks.
Nobody !

Comment by EMel 07.01.13 @ 12:44 pm

Hopefully Chapman keeps his spot at Pitt, as that would enable us to redshirt both Bertke & Freebeck.

Kind of strange not to see the Day, Hourly ACC clock NOT winding down.

Welcome to my World, on tobacco road, the Tarheel state.

Can’t wait for the Panthers first ACC road game, at Duke.

Welcome to the ACC !!!

Comment by EMel 07.01.13 @ 12:52 pm

Classic line Justin, lmao.

Comment by EMel 07.01.13 @ 12:54 pm

Bless all of you for not mentioning “you know who” by name…

Comment by Dan 72 07.01.13 @ 1:37 pm

When asked about his Florida offer Freebeck said:
“Its exciting BUT sort of taking my mind

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j87Yb3bECsM

Comment by Kenny 07.01.13 @ 2:30 pm

Ok guys…hope you are right about 2 QB recruits staying put. I hope Chapman can stay but that depends on facts outside my area of knowledge.
Congemi was an excellent college QB and his performance in the Fiesta Bowl while forgotten by most remains the best performance by a Pitt QB I have ever seen. His late injury cost us that game.

Comment by Sfpitt 07.01.13 @ 2:31 pm

Let me try this again:

When asked about his Florida offer Freebeck said:
“Its exciting BUT instead I’m taking my mind and focusing on the season ahead, nothing has changed

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j87Yb3bECsM

Comment by Kenny 07.01.13 @ 2:38 pm

He Who Shall Not Be Named wasn’t as slow as you all think and yes poor decision making. Savage is not going to tuck and run the ball.

With Voytik, Anderson and two FR QBs in 2014 I just don’t see that Chryst re-instates Chapman. Actually I don’t think he’ll re-instate him on principal but certainly not for depth.

Chapman, IMO, doesn’t have the same level of skill as Voytik and the two new recruits. We’ll see what happens prior to camp but I’m not holding my breath.

One note: Neither of these two QBs are facing an uphill battle to win a starting job. The competition the will face is maybe a bit above at best and either of the two can unseat a one year starter in Voytik unless he blows up.

Am in the Big Apple for a few days- I’ll say goodbye to the Big East for everyone…

Comment by Reed 07.01.13 @ 2:53 pm

I’m starting to wonder if we can find a 5th year senior transfer or a juco to compete with Voytik next season. I’m not thrilled with the idea of Voytik and 2 true freshmen, most of whom are not ready to play QB at the BCS level.

Comment by Justin 07.01.13 @ 3:08 pm

The least Keller Chryst could do if he wasn’t going to come play for uncle Paul was commit to Stanford early. His doing so i’m sure helped landing Freebeck, who I think is a great get.If he is healthy with better players around him at St. Thomas should have a big year. Other schools will come calling, let’s hope Pitt feels as right as he says it does come Feb 6th…

Comment by pap76 07.01.13 @ 11:45 pm

OK… Like aggravating an already painful tooth… here’s the breakdown of Keller Chryst from the ongoing Elite 11 QB competition.

OUCH!

Keller Chryst of Palo Alto (Calif.) also had an impressive day. Chryst is listed at 6’3 and 215 pounds, but I think he is an inch taller and perhaps 10 pounds heavier. He already looks like a college player. Chryst has excellent touch and plenty of arm, and Dilfer raved about his ability to put the right amount of touch on the football. He also said that Chryst has very good feet, and even guarded the opposing point guard when Dilfer recently watched him play in a basketball game. Chryst is committed to Stanford.

Comment by PittofDreams 07.02.13 @ 11:08 am

Anderson has inevitably found a position we can assume he can handle. Fraud gave away a scholarship and Chryst has not forced Anderson out as Dixon has to some players because he could not get an athletic scholarship to “any” other school. He got his 15 seconds of fame from Fraud and now we have to use a full scholarship for four years.
Perhaps he should contact Fraud so he could get some playing time.

Comment by pittisit 07.02.13 @ 4:07 pm

Really, if Anderson is Pitt’s biggest problem… then we really have nothing to worry about.

To refresh some memories, the kid was thrown to the wolves by Graham as a true freshman. While this is often used as an excuse for a lot young quarterbacks who struggle, for some reason it’s never used for Trey Anderson.

Showing composure and an ability to throw a football, he actually looked pretty good early on. His struggles came later in the season… partly due to the tumult engulfing the team… mostly due to a debilitating case of tendonitis of the wrist. It’s amazing how the inability to throw a ball forty yards can make it tough going up against defenses like Utah.

But Anderson never complained… never made excuses… not once.

There are always players on the roster who don’t see the field… some never. The majority don’t stack up to what Anderson has meant to the team as the ultimate teammate and coach’s player.

With a big-time major college program, a lot of scholarships get wasted. Trey Anderson is not one of them.

Besides… defying the general sentiment… I still have a feeling that there is yet a game coming when Anderson will hear his number called.

When he does, there’s no doubt in my mind that Trey will do just fine.

Comment by PittofDreams 07.03.13 @ 10:01 am

This is the same high school that produced John Congemi.

Comment by Panther Fan in Hoopieland 07.07.13 @ 7:33 am

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