Over the weekend Pitt pulled a verbal from Florida. Today two more were added. Chryst really likes June.
First up, running back Sekai Lindsey verballed over the weekend.
[Sekai] Lindsay, who attends Melbourne Palm Bay High School, joins defensive back Malik Henderson of Hallandale Beach, Fla.
Lindsay, 5-foot-10, 205, is rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com. He also has offers from Cincinnati, Florida International, Georgia Tech, South Florida, Temple, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina State and Georgia Southern.
Lindsay is also considered a 3-star running back by 247. Scout.com has him at 2-stars and ESPN.com does not have an evaluation on him (and mixed up his name). Still, some decent offers do offset the star situation.
Today, saw two more verbals.
There was a local verbal in Dane Jackson. Jackson plays both ways, but is being– very specifically — recruited to be a cornerback.
Jackson attends Cornell but starred for Quaker Valley’s football team through a cooperative agreement between the schools. As a junior, the quarterback had more than 2,000 combined yards rushing and passing last season. He was a member of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Terrific 25 and led the Quakers to their first WPIAL playoff victory.
Pitt offered a scholarship Sunday after watching him practice at cornerback.
“I’m fine with (defense),” he said. “I’ll play anywhere I’m needed.”
Jackson is not exactly highly starred. He has 2-stars from 247 and Rivals.com. ESPN.com and Scout.com do not have him ranked and/or evaluated. The Pitt coaching staff apparently really liked his potential as a cornerback — and it was very clear from both pieces that they were explicit in where he was being recruited to play.
The other verbal came later today in the form of a player who has inherited half-a-billion dollars and has overcome deafness and — whoops, that’s Devon Hamilton from the Young & the Restless. This verbal was DaVon Hamilton a defensive tackle from Ohio who had previously verballed to the Ohio Bobcats (see, Toledo, you aren’t the only MAC program from whom Pitt takes recruits).
“Coach Chryst offered me and he said it was about hard work and what I was willing to put into it,” Hamilton said. “They said they liked what they saw of how I worked and what I did when they came to see me at my school and at the camp.
“I knew they were interested but I didn’t know what to expect when I visited, so I was kind of surprised that the offer came.”
Hamilton said he considered committing on the spot, but decided to head home and sleep on the decision for a night. By the time Tuesday afternoon rolled around, he knew there was no more reason to wait.
Hamilton is the second DT in the 2015 class, and both are from Ohio. Rivals.com has him as 3-stars. Scout.com says 2-stars. ESPN.com has him unranked/unevaluated. 247, I’m just not sure since their page for him has no stars but on Pitt’s commitment list he shows 3-stars.
There is no question that Coach Chryst is recruiting players that are willing to work. The question that nags is whether they have the ceiling to match.
And everyone of TB’s batters tagged the ball against Melancon. Good thing 3 of them were at least catchable.
Come on Hurdle do your homework next time, it took forever for this team to get above .500 and you almost blew it.
Yea that’s it !
I think it is 11. Our first 9 were all pretty much across the board legit 3 stars. The latest 2 not as much, but they are a both defensive recruits which I am happy about. I agree I would like to see a 4 or star or 2 added to this class, I don’t see us landing a 5 star.
This is a program that has gone 6-6 three years in a row. We all want to see more 4 and 5 star recruits added, but that is going to take a couple 8-10 win seasons, otherwise your only studs are gonna be the occasional local kid that just wants to stay home.
That said I like that coach Chryst is targeting blue collar type kids that often through hard work overachieve. I also like that he seems to be building an “all in” family type atmosphere.
Probably Boone’s Farm I would imagine.
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I sure hope all of Chryst’s 2-3 star guys meet the “IF” criteria (or at least have the frame to catch up on the weight part of it by the time they are upperclassmen). Otherwise Pitt will remain mired in the 6-8 win land of mediocrity.
I suspect WVU will be selling “Appalachian Mountain Wine” . . . also known as moonshine.
On the other hand Davon Hamilton, as wbb says, seems to be a total crapshoot! He is hardly a “diamond in the rough” as us Pitt fans like to classify our lowly rated/unrated recruits. This guy hardly plays the position that he is being recruited for, since his main time has been spent on the OL. What do I know,however. The move by HCPC to put TJ Clemmings on the OL from his recruited DL position seems to have worked out pretty well for the Panthers. Just maybe Chryst sees something in this kids’s potential that spells success on the DL to Coach Chryst.
I do like Hamilton’s height and size as a incoming HS senior though. You can’t coach up those statistics! And of course, we all have been clamoring for DL recruits to commit. So we got one for that side of the ball. I guess that’s a good thing?
Let’s remember this situation for future reference, because if Hamilton turns out to be a contributor like the solid journeyman Ezell was then we know that Paul Chyrst has the ability to cherry pick HS players that he feels have the potential to contribute at the next level and that he has the ability to get the most out of these no name guys.
My gut feeling on this one however seems to be just a position of need being filled by an available body at this point, not impressed.
I’ve actually become a bit more easy going about stars and such.
I think when some people come on with the same trash talking about recruiting, that gets my ire’ up and I respond. That’s on me and I need to remember my reasoning below, and not respond. Hard to do though sometimes.
The reason being I’ve calmed about recruiting??? Very simple.
I’ll see it on the field in the next two years.
Either HCPC is building a program, or he isn’t.
Nice thing about sports, there will be answers and I (we) will be able to tell very easily.
H2P!