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June 22, 2015

Third Commit From Ohio

Filed under: Football,Recruiting — Chas @ 7:09 am

Hope everyone had a nice Father’s Day either in self-celebration or in honor of your own father. I’m sure at some point in the future, I will want to do or be around my family more for the day. At this point, however, the best gift the kids can give me is letting me have a bit of peace on the day. I got to sit out by the smoker “tending” to ribs yesterday with a growler of Brew Kettle Old 21 DIPA and some books. Just perfect.

Also happening yesterday, Pitt football got its fifth commit.

Running back Chawntez Moss out of Bedford, Ohio committed after attending the camp and getting an offer.

“Then Pitt got the new coaching staff, and I wasn’t sure if they were recruiting me so they weren’t in my top three. But my coach told me Coach (Pat) Narduzzi wanted me to come down to camp and that all the coaches wanted to see me.

“So I went down [Saturday] and did a quick workout. I planned on committing if they offered me, but Coach Narduzzi told me he wanted me to call him Sunday. I called and he said, ‘You have an offer; we’re really excited about you.’ I said, ‘I’m excited about you, too,’ and I committed.”

Saturday was the first time Moss visited Pitt, but he said he saw more than enough to confirm that he wanted to be a Panther and spend his college career in Pittsburgh.

“They’re on the come-up; they’re on the verge of being the next step above and being a great team,” he said. “In the next couple years they’re going to be doing great things and I want to be a part of that.”

Prior to Pitt offering, his offers included Iowa, Cinci, Indiana and a host of MAC schools. Moss is a 3-star recruit according to all the sites (except ESPN.com which has no evaluation on him to this point).

Not surprisingly, his high school coach speaks well of him.

Moss (5-foot-11 1?2, 200 pounds) was a workhorse running back last season for Bedford, which plays in the second-largest classification in Ohio. He rushed for more than 2,000 yards, including memorable efforts of 394 yards and seven touchdowns against Lorain and 365 and four scores in a 34-32 loss to Mayfield in the regional final.

“He’s a kid who really is a leader on and off the field,” Bedford coach Sean Williams said. “He plays hard and runs the ball well. He is very good with his hands. He’s really a total back.”

Williams said Moss is a threat in the passing game, recording 32 overall touchdowns last season.

The ability to catch the ball has become an increasingly important part of the skill set for running backs. Especially for backs that are not 4- or 5-star recruits. Versatility becomes that much more important.

This is the third commit from Ohio and the second from the Cleveland area. It shouldn’t be surprising with a staff that is strong with Ohio recruiting area and Big Ten ties.





I like the fact the he sees the Panthers as a team on the “Come-up!!!” Encouraging words from the mouth of a 17 jr. old. Win 7-8 games this year and the recruits will start to take Notice- start to see and hear more about Pitt. As an avid hunter, I was taught a long time ago that a deer has to recognize you with at least two of three senses(sight,smell or movement) to notice a hunter is present. the program smells so much nicer..Welcome to Pitt Chawntez..you made an excellent decision.

Comment by BigB 06.22.15 @ 7:24 am

To continue comments about Moss from yesterday’s post, I think this is an OK pickup for the LONG run but also feel that this is the year Narduzzi has to take some chances and land some decent kids on defense to field in the two-deep as soon as next season in some positions.

link to blogs.post-gazette.com

According to the “PITT Post-Spring Two-Deep” issued by the staff going into this season we have five starters who will be SRs and gone in 2016. Two other starters are JRs who will be gone after the ’16 season.

To look at it more critically right now 14 of our 22 players on the two deep are SRs & JRs and will be gone after ’16. Narduzzi has to get some quality defensive recruits in the two-deep who can play as soon as their FR or rsFR year.

Right now we have a total of one 4* recruit in the combined ’15 & ’16 classes in Jordan Whitehead. So I suppose you can add him in as some relief to the above. Other than that no one jumps out at me that is a candidate to get on the field for a good amount of PT in ’16…. Maybe Brightwell or McKee at LB but that’s iffy. We just don’t have real talent in the existing pipeline to starting that we need in the near future.

So I like this kid, glad to have him here and I’m sure the staff knows what they have in his to get him onboard so soon. His tape looks good but so does every other recruit’s you see on the web. But I’d rather have seen his name committed toward the end of the recruiting season when we have already filled other needs with more highly rated and highly offered recruits.

Comment by Reed 06.22.15 @ 8:45 am

Moss was getting serious looks from Maryland and Iowa also. Depending on what recruiting site you rely on, he was even offered by Iowa. No matter, he’s a Panther now.

I’m not sure about that “smell” analogy just yet BigB, it’s going to take a couple payback victories over the likes of YSU and Akron before the stink of $hitting the bed against Houston is eradicated from this team, IMO. I will give you the “movement” of the program is definitely going in the right direction now however with the new blood of Gallagher, Barnes Narduzzi & Co. Flowing thru the Panthers now!

I feel to be able to fully appreciate that sweet smell of success this year an 8-4 regular season has to transpire. That will show that Narduzzi is the real deal as a newbie HC. Many have said that he gets a pass this year because of his lack of experience as a HC. I say that’s SOP talking.

Narduzzi isn’t accepting of that offer and is preaching already that winning now is a high priority for him, his staff and this team. I totally agree.

If you want 2016 recruits to really take notice of where Pitt is headed, you have to prove it on the field this season. 8-4 is the benchmark to prove that.

Comment by Dr. Tom 06.22.15 @ 8:57 am

Reed, I think that you are going to be surprised when Narduzzi burns both Brightwell’s and McKee’s redshirts this season. I see both providing depth to an aggressive defense this year simply to utilize their speed that they bring to the defense. They both will contribute on special!teams also for the same reason.

As I said above, Narduzzi is all in on the concept of winning now and he isn’t going to be shy about playing the talent that is on the roster this year irrespective of how raw it might be coming out of HS. As long as they’re healthy McKee and Brightwell’s get playing time this season.

Comment by Dr. Tom 06.22.15 @ 9:06 am

It’s funny how some commitments come out of left field. I’ve been following Pitt recruiting pretty closely over the past few months and didn’t hear his name mentioned. And then, boom! Committed.

I’m certainly no expert but I really like his tape. Good speed, vision, athleticism, etc. It also seems like he produced against god competition. Additionally, his Nike Sparq scores are very impressive (for whatever that’s worth). H2P and welcome!!

Comment by JAM05Pitt 06.22.15 @ 9:16 am

@ Dr. Tom..You get the analogy..the smelly SOP..got rid of a lot of the “smell” with the departure Nordy/SPederman and all those on field episodes of $hitting to bed..now start to win and recruits will HEAR and/or SEE..put 2 outta three together we get back as a top place to play in the eyes of the 17 yr. old. Hey, Dr. Tom, come to think of it, my analogy doesn’t make a lot of sense.Clean up the program and start winning the games we should an pull off and upset 1-2 times a year, and win more away games On another note, if we can get a baby sitter we plan to go to the GA. Tech game.Have family we need to visit. Have a great week.

Comment by BigB 06.22.15 @ 9:17 am

good* competition. Obviously lol

Comment by JAM05Pitt 06.22.15 @ 9:18 am

@Jam05, you mentioned he played against good competition, what classification does he play in?

I never heard of this kid until he announced.

Comment by bj 06.22.15 @ 9:24 am

Yes his recruitment was he showed at camp in a workout and Chaney loved his skill and athleticism. I think the staff grasps the need for athleticism and speed.

Comment by Chethejet 06.22.15 @ 9:30 am

I don’t get the Sanders talk…isn’t he committed to PSU? If so, forget about him. We nailed down a good RB/athlete for this class now.

Let’s talk about kids not yet committed, time to move on to the next positions of need. Anything on D!

Comment by notrocketscience 06.22.15 @ 9:31 am

agree on Sanders even though he visited Pitt and other places, he is still committed to PSU.

Here is write-up in Plain Dealer for Moss

link to highschoolsports.cleveland.com

Comment by wbb 06.22.15 @ 9:36 am

@notrocket, The talk is there because Bama, Auburn, FSU, Miami, Michigan, MSU, Nebraska, ND, VT, WVU and others think he is a player.

On top of that, he’s visited Pitt multiple times. Even if he was a PSU verbal and he didn’t visit Pitt….I would still fully expect our staff to continue to recruit him. You can bet your bottom dollar if the shoe was on the other foot, Franklin and his staff would be chasing after this kid.

The Pitt staff should be relentless on the PA top kids every year, especially ones in our back yard.

If we expect to compete with FSU, Clemson and the like, kids like Sanders will be needed.

Comment by bj 06.22.15 @ 9:50 am

Put this post on the previous thread, but it is more relevant to this one…

Really feel like other RB’s commitments should be slow-played at this point as to not deter any shot with have with Sanders.

On another note…

This is the reason I can’t stand some of the things Dokish, Zovko, Vucovcan and those guys say on Twitter about Pitt’s chances with recruits. They make it sound like we are getting a top 10 class and then we get a 2/3 star commitment from a player with minimal P5 offers and mostly MAC offers. Then Dokish, etc. goes into damage control and says things like “I don’t know why this kid doesn’t have more offers after watching his tape” or “This guy has the potential to blow up.”

Generally I’m pretty positive about recruiting and I have full trust in the staff’s judgement on players they offer, but our Pitt Twitter media members really make Pitt look bad in this regard. They keep taking shots at Penn State or WVU and I’m beginning to really question why? We are not sticking it to anyone really in recruiting (maybe Cincinnati), we are by no means dominating the state, and we don’t have one 4 star recruit to date. I’m not even big on the stars, but stars crate perception and perception creates expectation. Right now we look like same old Pitt as far as recruiting goes. I still think we end up with multiple 4 stars in this class but until we even get one, I wish the Pitt media would shut the fuck up about it.

P.S- Dokish really got owned a couple weeks ago by a national recruiting analyst after he criticized an analyst’s tweet about PSU recruiting. He also said something last week about a Cincy recruit who seemed 100% set on going there and then the recruit got a Pitt offer and then dropped Cincy. Well no shit, it’s fucking Cincinnati, they aren’t even a P5 program.

I really hate getting hung up on recruiting, but Pitt isn’t Top 25 in recruiting yet and I wish our media members would wait to talk shit until we actually can back it up.

Comment by Timmeh 06.22.15 @ 10:05 am

Dokish knows a lot or people connected to college recruiting, but he also is a Pitt fan (and alum) … thus, whatever he says about Pitt’s chances of getting someone must be taken with a grain of salt.

Another issue is that many of these kids still don’t know themselves where they are headed … they have their favorites, but their final choice may change 5 or 6 times before LOI.

Comment by wbb 06.22.15 @ 10:12 am

Sanders is that proverbial “2 birds in the bush” target bj. Moss on the other “hand” is firmly in Pitt’s grasp at the moment. wbb’s link rates Moss as a top 100 RB in the nation, so we got that going for the kid.

Likewise, I’m much more concerned at this point with swaying those undecided recruits towards Pitt as home for the next few years than centering our attentions on flipping those recruits who have made decisions already, no matter how misguided those decisions are.

Give me Matthews, Wheeler, Hamlin and Pugh and then I couldn’t care less on how many years Sanders spends picking up the soap bar in the Penn state showers.

Hail to Pitt!

Comment by Dr. Tom 06.22.15 @ 10:17 am

Those 4 are allegedly doable, not only per Dokish, but other sources also. If we can get them plus a few more 3-stars from Ohio and maybe some from FL and Zach Gilbert … it will be a good first full class.

Then, it’s mostly about a winning record.

Comment by wbb 06.22.15 @ 10:23 am

Timmeh – I hear you and agree. Dokish is awesome at writing detailed reports on prospective PITT recruits, really does his homework and that makes me very happy because I link to his recruiting stuff as much as I can in my articles. But as far as picking who goes where he’s on par with anyone else and is hit and miss. So for that aspect I don’t really follow him.

I think the problem is that these beat writers for the recruiting websites talk to the players themselves a lot and shy off on getting into deep discussions with the parents/grandparents about what THEY want to see the kid do.

When I first started writing on here I was friends with about six different sets of parents and a grandparent and talked with them and a lot of individual players over the years about the recruiting process and why they chose PITT.

Surprisingly enough the pure football part of it wasn’t nearly as large a factor as I assumed it to be. I was surprised that the academics, campus, support system PITT provides the players (one of the best in college football I gather), the Southside facilities, the urban situation its and proximity to internships and jobs all of that was talked about as much as how much playing time a kid might get of his chances for the NFL.

When I mentioned the great history of PITT football and our All-Americans and trophy winners that subject fell flat almost every time. The parents appreciated it a bit as a footnote “nice to know” type of thing and the kids didn’t seem to care at all. Of course that was due to the young age of recruits also.

I’d say for ‘regular recruits’ the order of importance it would be the personalities of the HC and his staff as the #1 reason, #2 was all the external things I mentioned above especially academics and life after football & college, and after that was how much playing time they could get. Maybe playing time came in at #2 for some but as often as not I heard about PITT life more than football, especially from the parents.

For most 4* star and 5* recruits of course it was the staff’s character, getting PT as soon as possible and the shot at the NFL was right up at the top of the list. however, some 4* kids I talked to mentioned PITT’s academics and a big factor in their choice.

BTW when I mentioned playing for a possible MNC I got a some strange looks along with “Yeah, that too”.

That’s why I keep saying that what we see in the recruiting articles and now in social media is like the tip of the iceberg. We don’t see or really know about 75% of what is really going down. It almost doesn’t matter what the kids say about what schools they want to go to until their parents buy off on that school and, in turn, the staff meets and talks with the family… then has the kid in for camp or drills to see his skills in person… or vice versa.

Also, one interesting thing is that a few parents mentioned that some of the recruiting info for their sons, specifically scholarship offers, was continually wrong and most often it was writers/researchers adding some big football schools when the kids never heard from them at all.

Comment by Reed 06.22.15 @ 10:40 am

Narduzzi and the staff bring the element has been missing from Pitt recruiting for years…energy and excitement. It is early, but you hear recruits speak to Pitt as something going on with the program. Maybe wanny did bring some of that early on, but recruits especially local big time recruits are giving more than lip service to the program. Win games and beat quality opponents and recruiting will take off.

Comment by Chethejet 06.22.15 @ 11:00 am

@BigB, just secured my hotel reservations in Atlanta for the GT game. Looks like a Pitt Blather contingent is going to show for some form of tailgate/pregame festivities. Keep me in mind for future details come fall when plans solidify if you are going to be there too.

Comment by Dr. Tom 06.22.15 @ 11:51 am

Interesting stuff Reed, before I retired, never had enough time to be concerned about recruiting. Always knew its importance but, didn’t invest any interest until a kid was on campus. Has to be the toughest part of the job for a coach, especially one from a lesser program “unfortunately us” to convince a kid to come play for him.

But ultimately you cannot win big if you don’t recruit big, so probably the most important aspect of a coaches job.

Hate to bring it up, but Narduzzi has it all over Chryst at least in terms of recruiting demeanor. Unlike Chryst who hired House and unknown. Narduzzi has said he only wants coaches that can recruit. Whether they can get it done remains to be seen, but he seems to have at least changed the mindset.

You build football teams with great linemen. Chryst got us some O guys, now Narduzzi has to keep it up and also stockpile bigtime D- linemen. Hendrix is a great start, but we need 2-4 more this year.

Dokish and the others want to be the first to break the story, that is important to their business. I am glad they are out there promoting Pitt and have a positive bias, and appreciate the info they bring to the table.

My favorite was Bob Prince, the biggest homer of them all. Like Emel says, there are enough negative Pitt reporters.

Comment by gc 06.22.15 @ 3:25 pm

@ Dr Tom …what hotel is the Pitt contingency staying… We went to Charlottesville and stayed at the Doubletree last year… Same hotel as the team… I have some great pictures of me with the beautiful Panther cheerleaders in the bar before they loaded up on the bus and headed to the field. I was the only one wearing Script… The girls were all jealous

Comment by BigB 06.22.15 @ 4:26 pm

Was at the same hotel as you in Charlottesville BigB. Closed hotel bar Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We had a great time. May have sat right next to you at some point.

Going to Blacksburg for this years road trip.

Comment by Pap76 06.22.15 @ 4:38 pm

I’ll tag along to Blacksville if there is a contingency going…

gc – as I said I read all of Dokish’s stuff regularly but I have to be careful when I’m writing a ‘time driven’ article not to read anyone as I’m a stickler for my stuff being my own… unless I link and credit the author in print.

I don’t read his BB stuff much but he seems very knowledgable there also.

Comment by Reed 06.22.15 @ 6:00 pm

On the basketball front:

6/22/2015 – 2015 SG Kobe Eubanks (6-5, 213, 3.7*) | Position Rank: 29 committed to Alabama. – Per Link

6/22/2015 – 2016 PG C.J. Walker (6-0, 155, 2*) committed to Florida State.

6/18/2015 – 2017 SG Jarrod Simmons (6-4, -, 2*) has received an offer from Pittsburgh. – Per Link

6/16/2015 – 2017 SF D.J. Harvey (6-5, 175, 4.3*)
Overall Rank: 16 | Position Rank: 3 has received an offer from Pittsburgh. – Per Link

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 6:03 pm

BTW Blatherites, after the ’15 Spring Game we had a group of us meet up for the first time and we had a blast comparing PITT stories and getting to know each other over drinks.

I’ll try to set something like that up after every game this season… or someone else can if I’m not driving up but it really was a great time.

Also, the ND game this season is only a few days after my 60th B-Day and I plan on doing something special for my PITT football friends to celebrate that milestone so make sure your liver is ready for that.

Comment by Reed 06.22.15 @ 6:09 pm

Looks like a big commit from Chase Pine. Virginia OLB/DE.

Comment by Bowling Green Panther 06.22.15 @ 6:18 pm

Is the VA guy the reason for the Pat Signal tonight?

Comment by Yeti 06.22.15 @ 6:27 pm

Where did you see that BG Panther….can’t find anything on the web other that Pitt is in Chase Pine’s Final 5 list.

Apparently he was at Notre Dame’s camp a couple days ago.

As a LB, he would be a really good get.

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 6:28 pm

As Georgia offered him.

link to scout.com

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 6:29 pm

Yep Yeti,

Pat Signal up !

Pat Narduzzi ?@CoachDuzzPittFB 17 minutes ago Pennsylvania, USA
PITT IS IT! #H2P

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 6:30 pm

Dokish, & Peak both have tweeted it. Adam Friedman at rivals has as well.
Pat Signal was sent.

Apparently his friends were tweeting it before he told Narduzzi.

Comment by Bowling Green Panther 06.22.15 @ 6:31 pm

Nice Live Wire video, Nard Dog linked.

link to youtube.com

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 6:32 pm

Good deal BG !!

Adam Friedman ?@RivalsFriedman 51m51 minutes ago
I can confirm that 3-Star LB Chase Pine has committed to #Pitt link to sports.yahoo.com … @rivals @PantherLair @rivalsmike @PineStar11

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 6:41 pm

This kid has lots of legit offers.

Might be Nard Dog’s best recruit yet !!

link to sports.yahoo.com

H2P !
VeV ! (for whoever was requesting that)

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 6:43 pm

6’4″ 220 at 18 yrs old.

This kid could be like 235-240 or more by soph. year.

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 6:46 pm

Apparently Rob Harley(Davidson) was instrumental in Chase Pine’s recruitment.

Coach Harley ?@robharley34 30m30 minutes ago
Big time addition to the #pittfootball family tonight…Pitt Is It! Tiiiiiiiimbeeeeeer #runandhit

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 6:50 pm

@Emel,

Agreed. On paper he looks like a fantastic pass rusher at OLB or DE after a red shirt year or so. I imagine him playing at 235-255.

At least on paper. But I said the same thing about Shayne Hale.

The proof will be on the field. But I like his chances with this staff and an attacking defense.

Comment by Bowling Green Panther 06.22.15 @ 6:51 pm

Depending on how the current and near future DE’s perform, I wouldn’t be surprised if this kid plays his freshman year.

Getting a Virginia kid, that had offers from a lot of our ACC rivals, (UNC, VT, NCSU, UVA) could be big in gaining further in-roads in ACC country. (and SEC country, as he had an offer from Georgia)
and from the Hillbillies.

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 7:02 pm

And did I just read he will be his high school’s starting QB next year? Smart and a leader.

Same article said he did not start until HS playoffs last year. Very similar to MacVittie in that respect.

Comment by Bowling Green Panther 06.22.15 @ 7:12 pm

New Pat Signal at 7:30 pm.

Comment by Dr. Tom 06.22.15 @ 7:22 pm

I like the chase pine pickup.

Comment by Bj 06.22.15 @ 7:22 pm

Yeah man! Finally, a defensive end/linebacker!!! How many recruits can we get in this class?? @Pap76 we probably sat together at the Doubletree bar and didn’t even know it.. Unless you were the Pitt dentist from Punxy. Let’s lift up our glasses dear son’s of Pittsburgh ..” Cheers to Chase” welcome to Pitt!!!

Comment by BigB 06.22.15 @ 7:30 pm

a 3-star linebacker, OK by me

Comment by wbb 06.22.15 @ 7:30 pm

It’s Chase Pine from Virginia. Another solid 3 star, plays at LB.

Comment by Dr. Tom 06.22.15 @ 7:30 pm

Time to celebrate… The weekend hath cometh early.

Comment by BigB 06.22.15 @ 7:31 pm

We can sign 17 players. Another thing to remember with Rivals ratings, they have stars and an overall rating. a 3 star could be a kid rated 5.6 and a 4 star can be rated at a 5.7. Also a lot of the updates for ratings happen after summer camps are done and kids are back in school. Peak mentioned he thinks we currently have 3 guys, MacVittie, Butler, and Pine who will end up as 4 stars.

Comment by tedsptman 06.22.15 @ 7:35 pm

Chalk one up for Coach Harley!

Comment by BigB 06.22.15 @ 7:36 pm

Good for us.

Comment by Reed 06.22.15 @ 7:38 pm

@ChrisDokish: There it is. Sounds like Chase Pine is a Panther. I’ve raved about him for awhile. Really good linebacker.

@ChrisDokish: Pitt hasn’t been that great at LB for a long time but that’s going to change big time in the near future.

@ChrisDokish: If things fall the way I think, the LBs and DBs at Pitt are going to be loaded soon. Have to get that DL, too. Then things will get serious.

@ChrisDokish: Other offers for Chase Pine included West Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia Tech, and Virginia.

Comment by NickC 06.22.15 @ 7:40 pm

nice story from home newspaper .. don’t believe it was posted

link to dailypress.com

Comment by wbb 06.22.15 @ 7:42 pm

Looks like the ball is starting to roll. A pass rusher!

Comment by gc 06.22.15 @ 7:42 pm

link to dailypress.com

Pine, a rising senior at Lafayette High, said Monday that he has committed to play for the University of Pittsburgh. He cited the close relationship he has built with Panthers linebackers coach Rob Harley and his desire to play for new head coach Pat Narduzzi.

Pine said Harley and Narduzzi convinced him that he could play early at outside linebacker for the Panthers.

“They feel I can guard receivers in the slot, run with tight ends and tackle running backs in the open field,” Pine said. “They said I have a linebacker’s mentality.”

It’s an attitude Pine, 6-foot-3 1/2, 220 pounds, has displayed since moving into the defensive starting lineup in November for Lafayette’s second playoff game. During the Rams’ ensuing four-game run that fell just six points short of a Group 3A state title, Pine had numerous sacks and tackles for loss as well as two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, one for a touchdown.

Comment by NickC 06.22.15 @ 7:47 pm

Its starting to look like Narduzzi & Co. are NOT passing up kids they want while waiting for the “Big Kill”. Like any other HC these kids look like they are what the staff wants regardless of what the star rankings are and I think that is just fine… as long as they get the proper coaching they need to fit the role the staff wants them to play.

That’s why I think it is very hard to compare this class with any of Chryst’s because with his players the question of the “Chicken or the Egg” still isn’t answered. That question is were the kids not that good or did the defensive and their defensive position coaching suck so bad the kid’s talents couldn’t really shine?

I’ve a feeling that some of those players that Chryst recruited and we weren’t all that excited about when they played might show a completely different side with proper position and defensive coaching.

This is going to be a fun camp and I really hope it gets opened up for us media types to watch and talk about. (EJ, you listening??)

Comment by Reed 06.22.15 @ 7:49 pm

Numerous sacks an tfls, I like the sound of that!

Comment by gc 06.22.15 @ 7:54 pm

A bit telling to me that Pitt was able to get a kid from Virginia that had offers from both Virginia Tech and Virginia. Nice get!!!

Comment by Mailman 06.22.15 @ 8:06 pm

I had posted yesterday. Keep a good portion of WPIAL talent home, hit Ohio hard, and reach into south with newfound ACC connection and you will start to see some good classes put together.

Of course for this to work you gotta start winning and we as fans have to make Heinz a better home field advantage and a place recruits want to call their home turf.

I am cautiously optimistic. As a Pitt fan the last 30 years, optimism has to be guarded…

Welcome aboard Chase Pine!

Hail to Pitt!!

Comment by Pap76 06.22.15 @ 8:44 pm

Need 4 stars to compete for excellence. Need more 4 stars. I think the coaching and recruiting are going to be solid 4 stars. Now we need a 4 star atmosphere on game day.

Comment by TX Panther 06.22.15 @ 9:14 pm

Chase Pine, based on the quality of his offers, is a good get. A really good one by this coaching staff, when you consider, he had a couple of home state offers.

The coaches are showing why most of us are excited again about a future for PITT football.

These coaches are earning their keep and they haven’t even coached their first game.

Maybe my expectations are much lower after the last four and 1/2 yrs.

Comment by Old Pitt Grad 06.22.15 @ 9:14 pm

A hungry Pit Bull has been guarding the Pitt optimism for the past 30 years. Maybe we get clever and bring a juicy Nitter to the junk yard for that Pit. Will allow us to make off with optimism.

Comment by TX Panther 06.22.15 @ 9:16 pm

Pitt has been hunting in grounds during the past decade that didn’t have the Big Bucks. Therefore, Pitt couldn’t get the Big Kill and had to settle for 2 and 3 star Does. Expand your hunting grounds, call in the Big Bucks (4-stars) and become a better shooter, you’ll then be able to mount some trophy players…or antlers.

Comment by TX Panther 06.22.15 @ 9:25 pm

Timmeh,I’m trying to be realistic about recruiting. Right now, Pitt couldn’t recruit any better even, if we had Nick Sabin and Rochne as the combined head coaches. Look what we have been through the last 4 + years.

5 star recruits aren’t knocking down walls to play for a team that can’t tell who’s coaching from week to week… year to year.

Comment by Old Pitt Grad 06.22.15 @ 9:31 pm

This kid went to the same HS as the great Lawrence Taylor of UNC & NY Giant fame.

Also it’s interesting he’s only played a handful of games on defense, playoff games and he was an immediate playmaker on defense. As his team reached the State finals.

He could have an absolutely huge upside. Since at this time last year, he wasn’t on anybody’s radar.

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 9:59 pm

Replace ^went^ with goes.

Comment by Emel 06.22.15 @ 10:00 pm

Momentum is a wonderful thing. Welcome aboard Mr. Pine. Fast and ferocious is critical for a Narduzzi defense.

Who’s next? WPIAL or FL?

The foundation has been set, now let’s build the powerhouse. OL and DL talent is needed next. I think the 412 defensive backs have us covered there. Need a WR or two and a high caliber rb. Go get em fellas!

Comment by dhuffdaddy 06.22.15 @ 10:32 pm

Not to piss on anyone’s parade. Didn’t see anyone mention it and I apologize if they did…

Chase Pine has said on record that Notre Dame is his “dream school”. They have not offered as of yet…

Comment by Pap76 06.22.15 @ 11:15 pm

I always bring an umbrella to the parade just in case a Parade Pisser shows up. I hope I don’t have to open it. I think the kid sticks with PITT especially due to the personal relationship with the coaches, which is better than dreaming.
Speaking of dreaming, I’m going to bed.

Comment by pittman4ever 06.22.15 @ 11:48 pm

Chris Peak reported last night that Pine has cancelled his visit to ND.

Welcome to Pitt Mr. Pine and Mr. Moss. We’re glad to have you. Make it a great experience…

HTP!

Comment by Erie Express 06.23.15 @ 4:05 am

pittman4ever, as Pitt fans, we are trained to bring golf umbrellas to the parade. Trouble is that too many other fans stay home and watch it on TV.

Comment by wbb 06.23.15 @ 5:50 am

Read an article in Chase Pine’s home town local paper that interviewed him regarding his Pitt commitment. Chase was raised by his Grandmother who unfortunately passed away last year may she RIP. Anyway, story goes on to quote Pine as saying that he has already visited Notre Dame, on his return from that visit he looked for guidance in prayer. In so doing he felt his Grandma’s presence guiding him to select Pitt during this prayer session with God. When God and Grandma say you should go to Pitt, I’m thinking Chase is pretty solid in his Pitt commitment.

Comment by Dr. Tom 06.23.15 @ 6:03 am

so God advised against ND? interesting!

Maybe the karma is changing

Comment by wbb 06.23.15 @ 6:18 am

Chase Pine also credited his relationship with LB Coach Rob Harley, his main Pitt recruiter as a decision maker for him too. Harley is proving to be an Ace recruiter for us! That article is linked below.

link to revcitysports.com

Comment by Dr. Tom 06.23.15 @ 6:18 am

The article mentions his ND visit was scheduled for June 19th. Did he or did he not go? Offer from ND? Anyways…I love Coach Harley. I like what he makes the kid think about. “He wants me to pick a school because he helped me come up with questions to ask coaches. We just talked today about all that.” He’s not doing negative recruiting or telling kids Pitt is the best school ever. He’s making them think about what’s the best decision for their own situation and hopefully they say it’s Pitt like Chase Pine did.

Comment by Pittastic 06.23.15 @ 6:24 am

Another item with Pine that makes me really psyched on this recruit is that he is a very versatile athlete. He’s played at DE, interior lineman, LB, WR & next season full time at QB!

Hail to Pitt on this one for sure!

Comment by Dr. Tom 06.23.15 @ 7:38 am

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