The build-up on the offensive side of the ball continues apace for Pitt. The latest piece is Adonis Jennings.
The near consensus 4-star recruit from New Jersey (only Scout.com has him at 3-stars) made his decision known in the 3d quarter of the Semper Fi All-Star game.
4-star WR Adonis Jennings commits to #Pitt here at the #SemperFiBowl
— David Berry (@RivalsDave) January 6, 2014
#SemperFiEast #AllAmerican @ADED_9 makes his commitment to @PittAthletics at the #SemperFiBowl.
— TheSemperFiBowl (@TheSemperFiBowl) January 6, 2014
Depending on your preferred recruiting site, Jennings is the best or second best commit to Pitt’s 2014 class.
The lead recruiter on Jennings was Jim Hueber, the crusty O-line coach. Since the firing of Wannstedt and the scattering of the 2010 recruiting class, Pitt has had only one commit from New Jersey.
Here’s a little more on Jennings (Insider subs).
Jennings shows physical upside with the ability to line up in the slot or as the outside receiver. A potential playmaker whose abilities and skills could develop him into a go-to guy. His feet give the impression that he is faster than he actually is. Verified times are not as fast as he appears on tape but he moves the chains.
Plenty of talent in this 2014 recruiting class on the offensive side, and Jennings only adds to it.
it seams we are set at WR and RB and QB and OL
we just have to hope the D comes around.
and i love that penn state lost al golden not that he worried me chryst could handle golden the coach that scared me was franklin hope they dont get him he will out recruit us if they do he would crush us
Naturally, he’s coming to PITT !
I think Golden would be the tougher recruiter, than Franklin.
I doubt Franklin takes that job, he can wait for something better. Like U of Florida.
Perhaps he wasn’t thrown to too much. They knew he was coming to PITT ! You know how that goes, or you should !
Still some real concerns about lack of quality recruits, and really just lack of recruits on D period. Some kids may be switching positions in spring to help on that side of the ball.
Not sure how many scholarships are left to give in this years class, but hopefully we can get a couple more surprises and finish this up strong.
I’m guessing most students are still on break, but nonetheless hope The Pete is rocking tomorrow night.
Hail to Pitt!
Sure hope it is the latter. I think James Franklin is one of the best young coaches in college football. Winning at Vanderbilt is extremely difficult.
I just see nothing but mediocrity from Munchak. That coupled with the sanctions could mean some tough times for Pedo St.
Really thought Pitt could capitalize on the Nitter’s misfortunes. So far we have not, if they go the Munchak route I think we still can…
He is the brother of Pitt LB, Shane Gordon. Suppossed to have issues with grades/entrance issues.
As far as Marquese Dudley-Gordon – Panther247 has PITT as the favorite. So if PITT gets him, is a 3*** from Florida better than a 4**** from PA??
H2P!!!!!
Here is hoping Jennings is another Tyler Boyd. Image
that next year!
Need final touches on the 2014 class. I believe Pitt
can take full allotment of 25.
Gentlemen,,,,start your engines!
BTW, have you noticed how the number of ” but he’s a horrible recruiter!” comments have now miraculiously evolved to “but who has he recruited for the D?”. I guess some people could even bitch about a sunny day since it’s just too bright out!
Myself, I’m starting to see such a promising future for the Panthers that I gotta wear shades!
Hail to Pitt!
Don’t gloss over the serious issues that still need addressed on D. Pitt won’t be able to out score every team even with this very good offense shaping up. The D needs help.
And Pitt needs to do a better job recruiting. Chryst needs to find some ace recruiters. Look at what Slice has done. Look at what Jamie has done after he changed his recruiting tactics and got more aggressive and targeted athletes. Chryst would be wise to borrow that approach.
Need to sell the program hard and not just offer. Frosh playing time is a good selling point but also points out your program isn’t elite. Chryst should be pressuring Smug for a larger recruiting budget.
Kudos for landing this 4 star but there is more work to be done before anyone should feel comfortable.
Trouble is that we don’t have anyone on the defensive side of the coaching staff with any cedibility. Aside from Palermo who PC got out of retirement, the collective D1 experience of the defensive staff is about 10 years …. and noe of them have a splash name/rep like Engram.
Our DC is vastly underqualified who is a work-in-progress … why PC thinks he should learn his craft on the job instead of paying his dues as an assistant remains a big mystery to me. LeBeau and Bradley (to name only 2 of several) served many years as an assistant before being elevated to a coordinator position.
Some of you folks need to look more closely at the redshirt freshman and sophmores on the roster. It will take some time, but depth is slowly being built. Something this team has not had in many years. Ideally, you want players to redshirt and eventually play as juniors and seniors.
There are many bodies for OL and DL. Remember, all of those players probably played both ways in high school so many can switch positions.
Don’t forget speedster Jester Weah at WR.
Oh, but how could he possibly be any good, he only has three stars. LOL
and only one kid from WPIAL went there. When we went through a coaching change 2 years ago we lost most our 4 star recruits. I bet that happens to PSU in the next 3 weeks. PSU is not a destination for solid coaches it’s a dead end job. Only the ones who got fired and are desperate to save or revitalize their careers are going to take that job. PSU football a sinking ship and still taking on water.
Would love to see a 4 star LB added. That would be icing on the cake. Nice job HCPC.
H2P
If anything, pSU pilfered him from us. Rudolph, a Belle Vernon alum, had him as a #1 priority yet Johnson went up to PSU for a visit and gave a verbal on the spot.
It was documented in the PG that PSU would have likely gotten Boyd also if it weren’t for the sanctions.
Again, no doubt we got some very good offensive recruits but everytime we get a good recruit doesn’t make up for all of the failures, primarily on the defensive side.
So, Larry Johnson really seems to be pushing to be named as head coach at PSU. What happens if he is not chosen and the new guy (e.g., Monchak) decides that he really doesn’t want Johnson as an assistant? I am guessing that Monchak would be told that he has to keep LJ—but, what if LJ says screw it and leaves? My guess is that some recruits on the defensive side of the line would start looking for other places to play—like Pitt?
Lots of “ifs” but PSU may be in danger of losing some of its verbals depending on how this plays out.
Meanwhile, we get Jennings. Good stuff. And, I read that he was recruited by Hueber. I don’t get that? Why Hueber? Does he have the ties to New Jersey? Why wouldn’t it be Engram?
H2P
Oh yea, I forgot to mention our four-star quarterback from Florida (Freebeck) and our darkhorse three-time state champ QB. (Bertke) Granted Bertke won his championships in single A ball, but so did Clairton, and I don’t see anyone complaining about those fellas.
The future is bright fellas. Our defense merely needs to be competent with all the firepower we are going to have at our disposal.
I also like what Coach Chryst is doing. The offense will be fun to watch and the defense, well it will either improve or there will be changes.
HTP! Beat the Terps!
4 star from New Jersey too???
LMAO!!
However, if we got a 3 star from Florida, and the 4 star from New Jersey didn’t choose us, then….
it would be the coaching staff can’t close any deals!!!
Ok, I see now. LOL
Still concerned about defensive recruiting. Need to stockpile some 4 stars every year. Unlikely that any true freshmen will make an impact on D next year. Hopefully some guys on the roster, (redshirt freshmen) will start to show something.
Need to stockpile some pass rushers, these guys take time to develop. This was Wanny’s forte.
Watching the bowl games confirms that you create turnovers to win big games. That starts with pressure on the QB. Our biggest weakness.
But this is a day to celebrate. We got the guy we wanted, let’s hope he lives up to the hype.
Do you wake up and think to yourself, my life sucks therefore I must make sure others are as miserable as I?
It’s kinda like being the fortunate recipient of a beautiful lady’s sexual favors only to hear, while she’s gracing you with her presence that if she only dropped acouple more pounds then she would really be a knockout in the nude! LOL!
That does no one any good. We’ll dicuss our defensive recruiting needs tomorrow, relax, lay back and bask in our good fortune today.
Or, even worse, as you are ready to make your move on her, she says that, if she lost a few pounds, she would have been spending the night with some other guy who was her first choice. Luckily, I never let a few minor comments keep me from having the experience that I wanted. 🙂
H2P
LOL
I’m rarely negative about Pitt football or hoops, however, I do post in reality, and perhaps sometimes that may get construed as negative.
I will take that question on, as someone, who I don’t consider it negative in any way shape or form, but has posted that recruiting has got to get better, (as a process in the next few years building a program), if we want to be a consistent top 20 program.
I have said many a time, we have got to get more players that have offers from other BCS conference teams, and less players that have (also receieved offers from Toledo, Temple and Maine).
Is that negative??? I find it to be pure truth.
You must get better players, to field a better team. No???
But, I digress.
My answer to your question, would be………..
“What a fantastic get. Exciting to see a big time recruit pick Pitt. This is the type of recruit we need more of. I’m excited to see this guy play, hopefully he can come right in and contribute. Along with the running back from Illinois, this recruiting class is shaping up to be pretty good. Need to win some more games next year, and the recruiting will get even better and better. This is the kind of player that I’m talking about getting, and even more and more of them in our recruiting classes in the future. Looks like HCPC and company just may be building something good.”
I would also kick in………
“with the way the Pitt hoop team has been playing, and with the recent top recruits that Dixon has coming in, I would say that this is the best place I’ve seen Pitt sports (fb & bb) in a long, long, time.”
I know it was only a small, small, window to look at, but, I have to say, watching Voytik play against BSU really tickled my fancy and got me excited for the spring.
So potentially 5-6 guys competing for the Z receiver (assuming Boyd is the X, but could go the other way): Jennings, Wuestner, Challingsworth, and Ford are probably the top 4, and then Zeise and Weah.
And then ultimately one of these guys will be T. Boyd’s back-up, whoever is best suited. Looks to be a position with some depth and competition! Hallelujah!
I seem to remember a previous Pitt QB starter that couldn’t bring home a “come from behind” victory in three full years. So Chad has that going for him, already!
It will be very interesting to see how all of the QBs develop over the next couple of years for the Panthers, but it is pretty obvious to me after watching Chad’s performance, that it will be his job to lose in 2014.
H2P!
Shady McCoy, four star from…PA. Wonder who the four+ stars were from FL then and where are they now?
Larry Fitzgerald, four star from…PA (prep). Wonder who the four stars were from FL then and where they are now?
Darelle Revis, three star from….PA. Wonder who the four stars were from FL then and where they are now?
That’s just the Pitt guys who have gone on to be among the best players at their respective positions. What utter crap…
Haven’t looked at their rosters, but U of F not bowl eligible and “The U” blown out in a bowl.
Keep the mantra, four stars+, from Florida, no-MAC offers…
Dr. Tom you forgot Orndorff
Congrats on this get.
I think the talent deficiency is still at LB, DB and DC but hopefully we see positive developments across the board on that side of the ball. I was pleased by an unfamiliar aggressiveness on D in the bowl game, so keeping my fingers crossed.
Hopefully all the young WR and ATH talent shows up in MUCH improved special teams play, which could also use a dedicated coach!!!
Keep the good recruiting karma coming.
I figured that’s who you were talking about.
I understand comments that are tough on the football and/or hoops program, as opposed to “negative” comments. There is definitely a big difference between the two.
Negative just to be negative. I work with a couple of those. Brutal.
