So, there were a couple recruits at practice on Thursday.
Erie Strong Vincent assistant coach Jeff Gibbens and standout athlete Maurice Williams made the two hour trek to Pittsburgh on Thursday for spring practice.
“It went well, he had the chance to talk to (Dave) Wannstedt and (Paul) Rhoades,” Gibbens said. “He walked around all practice and took everything in. he got the chance to sit in on a wide receivers meeting with Aubrey Hill.”
Pittsburgh seems to be taking the pole position in the race for Williams service’s.
Williams plays QB and DB, and might be projected as a WR in college. He holds offers from Pitt, Syracuse, Maryland and WVU. Judging by the variety of positions, he might best fall into that nebulous but always intriguing category of “athlete.”
Then there was one other recruit of substantive note.
One of the visitors to practice yesterday was Cameron Heyward, a 6-foot-7, 270-pound junior defensive tackle from Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee (Ga.). The last name should be familiar to Pitt fans as he is the son of former Panther running back Craig “Ironhead“ Heyward. The younger Heyward, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds and has a vertical leap of 29 inches, is one of the Panthers top targeted recruits for next season, but they will be in a battle with a number of SEC and ACC schools for his services. He is one of the top defensive line prospects from Georgia.
As much as Pitt was his father’s school, considering the ongoing medical problems his father faces, I’m not sure whether Pitt will have a great shot at him. I would think that he might — quite reasonably — choose to stay closer to Atlanta. I don’t think anyone will begrudge him that.
The unofficial recruiting with practice theme continued with the high school road show on Friday. About 300 to 500 people showed up to watch Pitt practice. Actually pretty good considering there was a severe storm warning and the practice was actually cut short because of lightning.
Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt has made it one of his top priorities to bring the Panthers back into the community.
Last year, the Panthers had their spring game at Gateway High School and Wannstedt said public practices will be a part of spring drills as long as he is the coach.
And while there are obvious benefits to showcasing your program at the schools were prospective players play, Wannstedt insists building the fan base is a big reason he’s a proponent of public practices.
“No, it really isn’t about recruiting,” Wannstedt said. “We just want to get out to all the areas around the city and allow our fans to become more familiar with us.
“It is a neat thing to do and it is good for both us and for the high school programs around the area as well.”
Not that there weren’t some top recruits on hand or anything.
Two key recruits attended practice — fullback Henry Hynoski and lineman Josh Marks, both from PIAA Class A champion Southern Columbia.
Well, if you still want to see Pitt this spring and you have (or plan to have) your taxes done before then the Blue-Gold Scrimmage is next Saturday, April 15. It’s at Heinz Field and it isn’t free. It’s $5 to park and $5 per person over the age of 2. It is free to Pitt students.
Activities will take place on the Gate A Plaza as fans enter from 12:00PM to 1:00PM. Will include: Pitt Band, Pitt Cheerleaders and Dance Team, Roc the Panther, US Army, Chick-fil-a, Dress like a Panther, and a Football Toss. Season Tickets will be on Sale. Official Pitt Merchandise will be on Sale.
Kickoff is at 1.
