There’s so many tabs I expected to get to the last couple days and then the offense went splat in the final scrimmage and that kind of overwhelmed everything.

The one thing I didn’t read that much about was how much was it the offensive line being overwhelmed and how much was it the QB play stunk. A lot seemed to fall on the QB, but clearly there are still concerns.

The starting offensive line is going to be Jason Pinkston, Lucas Nix, Alex Karabin, Greg Gaskins and Chris Jacobson. I know we’ve been told there is an open competition at some of the spots but Gaskins has taken pretty much every snap with the first team and Karabin’s primary “competition” at center was from Jack Lippert, who coaches are talking about moving to guard. The good news is this unit of five has played together all camp, so they should have some chemistry by the time the Utah game comes around. But as yesterday showed, the unit still has some work to do in order to prove it can be the kind of unit which can dominate defenses.

Let me see if I have this straight. The walk-on senior is going to be the starting center. Fine. Sounds good. Reasonable, all things considered when you have converted a D-lineman that is a redshirt freshman as his back-up. Let him spend the year really learning the position and being ready to take over next season, getting ready to play this year.

Wait, what?

(more…)

We interrupt puff pieces, minor injury reports, good news in recruiting, overall optimism for the season, free floating offensive line angst, and all other things that have been in the blog for breaking news.

The offense sucked in the second and final scrimmage of training camp.

It wasn’t quite so enjoyable Wednesday afternoon when the Pitt offense struggled mightily against the Panther defense in the final training camp scrimmage. While offensive stars Dion Lewis and Jon Baldwin took part in only about 10 plays, there were turnovers, dropped balls, penalties and an overall lack of execution.

“I think there is disappointment,” Cignetti said. “I saw things out there today that could lose football games.”

During the two-hour scrimmage, Pitt rushed for 64 yards on 54 carries as a team. The quarterbacks completed 12 of 37 pass attempts for 90 yards and one interception. The only touchdown was a 34-yard pass from backup quarterback Pat Bostick to senior wide receiver Greg Cross on an underthrown ball that Cross adjusted to catch.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” coach Dave Wannstedt said. “It’s obvious that we’ve got some strengths, but we also have some areas of much-needed improvement.”

Sunseri was 6-17 for 36 yards and just didn’t look good (not that Bostick looked very good either). The sad thing, the defense was a bit sloppy in the area of turnovers, so it could have been worse.

(more…)

That doesn’t mean anyone is really feeling good about things.

It’s been a few days since there was an angst-y post on the offensive line.  Clearly I am slacking.

Alex Karabin has locked down the starting center position.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt proclaimed Alex Karabin “the starting center right now” Monday and called the fifth-year senior walk-on from Greensburg Central Catholic “a top candidate” to earn a scholarship.

Offensive line coach Tony Wise said the 6-foot-1, 290-pound Karabin, who turns 24 in October, makes up for his height and range shortcomings by using his football sense, lower-body strength and effort.

“The guy has overcome a lot. He’s waited his turn, and he’s taken advantage of it,” Wannstedt said. “Tony Wise, he doesn’t say things to say it. When he makes a comment about a player, it’s usually a comment that’s been thought out and well-documented.”

Well, I hope the scholarship gets free. Karabin has definitely earned it.

He will also probably be subject to a lot of abuse by fans if he can’t handle the position. Still, it’s hard to blame Karabin for being put in this position. That goes to big whiffs and errors by Coach Wannstedt in recruiting. It has been beaten into the ground, but there is no excuse that the only players available for center are a walk-on senior and a redshirt freshman converted from the D-line. That’s just absurd. There were no injuries to the spot. There were no academic casualties. Just poor recruiting on the O-line. (more…)

A scrimmage on Saturday and for the next two practices, players have been held out of practice.

“We had a couple of guys get banged up in the scrimmage. Henry Hynoski had a mild concussion, so we held him today. Dion Lewis has a touch of the flu, he was sick, so we held him. Ray Graham didn’t practice today. He sprained his knee, so we held him. The only real significant injury is Bryan Murphy. Unfortunately, he got stepped on, and broke a little bone in his foot. He’s going to have surgery tomorrow, and it’ll probably be six weeks before he’s back with us.

It was a good practice today. We’re into it now. We haven’t had a break, we haven’t had a day off and we got better today. I liked what I saw. We had some new guys getting some opportunities today because of the guys that were missing, and they took advantage of it. Today was a good, solid camp practice.”

Murphy was the most noticeable injury. The true freshman DE actually stood a chance of breaking into the depth chart with the way he was playing. He is almost certainly heading for a redshirt year. That means the 4th DE spot on the 2-deep will come down to Nate Nix or Shane Hayle.

(more…)

All the attention seems to be on the offense. Which really is typical for the first week of camp. There are concerns. There have been articles about players or spots of concern on the defense. But there just doesn’t seem to be nearly the angst. If anything, a bit of swagger on the defensive side that things will be fine.

Even at cornerback, where Saheed Imoru has not grabbed the starting cornerback spot like everyone has expected from the JUCO transfer. Ricky Gary struggled early as well (“…somewhat of a disaster as neither Saheed Imoru or Ricky Gary has played particularly well. In fact, this morning both were beat several times each on long passes by insert-receiver not named Jonathan Baldwin’s-name-here”), but is now getting lauded (or puffed).

“I feel like I have to step up,” he said. “I’ve got to compete harder.”

Gary is working opposite junior Antwuan Reed as the Panthers break in two new cornerbacks following the departure of Aaron Berry, a two-time all-Big East pick, and Jovani Chappel.

Gary was one of the defensive heroes of Pitt’s practice Wednesday when he helped break up a pass intended for Jon Baldwin on a fourth-and-5 red-zone drill to end practice. As Gary was mobbed by his defensive teammates, everybody in white jerseys (offense) did 10 up-downs for losing the drill.

“He’s competing right now like I’ve never seen him go,” Pitt defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley said of Gary. “This is it for him. This is his last year here.”

Not that Imoru is the only guy that is vaguely disappointing right now. Buddy Jackson has been at Pitt seemingly for 7 years, yet never seems to make an impact after training camp.

(more…)

Another practice, another day with Romeus sidelined. But don’t worry, he is getting closer to returning.

Greg Romeus is much improved. He was active today, he worked out hard inside and I expect him to be out there tomorrow practicing.

And the day before that?

He’s fine. He’s just stiff. Hopefully tomorrow he’ll start doing something.

And before that?

Greg Romeus is just sore, I’m not worried. He worked out inside, he’s out here and he’s doing fine. If he feels better, we expect him back out here tomorrow.

Coach Wannstedt is going to be a lot of fun when it comes time to issue weekly injury reports.

(more…)

A question many of us have asked.

Q: In your camp reports and blog entries you consistently mention a lack of depth at offensive line and linebackers. I would also consider there to be little quality depth at cornerback as well. For all of Wannstedt’s acclaimed recruiting, doesn’t the lack of capable backups speak poorly to this staff’s ability to get these players to translate that talent to the field?

ZEISE: Well, it is one of two things — there is an issue with evaluation of talent and recruitment or there is an issue of development of talent.

I think one thing that may help with the linebackers is it seems in recent years they’ve actually recruited linebackers — as opposed to safeties or receivers they want to turn into linebackers. But I really don’t know that it is a recruiting issue at linebacker or corner — I think, like you said, they seem to recruit a lot of good athletes and they have a lot of younger players on the field who seem to have some talent. To me that speaks to perhaps a development of talent issue and it is something that likely needs to be addressed. There is no reason there shouldn’t be a few more linebackers and corners out of this group who are ready to play. I’m not sure what the issue is but you are right, it is something that needs to improve.

Now the offensive line, to me, is an entirely different issue and that is all about evaluation and recruiting. They seem to take a lot of kids who are reaches based on potential or because they have “good feet” or whatever but as one high school coach said to me “if a kid can’t block anyone in high school, what makes you think he’ll learn to in college when guys are bigger, faster and stronger.”

So in short, I think they’ve missed on a lot of recruits at that position and they don’t have nearly as many viable options as they should given how many scholarships they’ve devoted to linemen in recent years. That position to me seems to be more of an issue of scouting and evaluation than development of talent.

Simply put, six years into a program you should not be in a position where your best center is a walk-on and his primary back-up is a redshirt freshman defensive lineman who has never played center. So I’d say recruiting for that position — offensive line — has been hit or miss and right now it looks like a lot more misses than hits.

As well as the offensive line played last year (and the good health the starters had) and the development of some players, the lack of quality depth on the O-line has been glaring. Especially with a coach that wants to run the ball, and was an offensive lineman in his playing days. It almost seems inexplicable. The failure to recruit true centers over the years has really bothered me.

(more…)

The pads went on yesterday, and suddenly things changed.

Today, however, the Panthers put on the shoulder pads and that meant the speed of the game went up a few notches as the drills became semi-live (meaning there is contact but players must do their  best to stay on their feet and not tackle to the ground) and it was easy to see the difference because Sunseri struggled.

He threw two picks, was not nearly as accurate as he was the first two days, missed some easy throws and by the end looked a little bit rattled.

That’s not a big deal – in fact I expected as much from him because the speed of the game was so much different from yesterday until today. I also expected the offensive line to be a step behind as they got used to a full speed rush and they were as well.

When camp started, even Tino Sunseri was well aware that things change when the pads go on.

(more…)

Time to cram some things into posts and attempt to catch-up on training camp and the links to them, with a passing attempt to tie them together.

Starting with the injuries. Coach Wannstedt pointed out some before camp even began.

We do have a few guys that will be limited from an injury standpoint. Nothing has occurred this summer. Two or three of the freshman that have reported were banged up in All-Star games, and actually before they arrived here. There were some surgeries that a couple of kids had done: Jeff Knox had shoulder surgery from a basketball injury; Arthur Doakes had something done right after the season from an old shoulder injury; Derrick Burns hurt his leg up at the Big 33 game. He (Derrick) came here , was training and suddenly couldn’t participate. We have more incoming freshmen on the injury list this year than what we’ve had in years past.

…

Two players will be on the medical list and will not be participating. Aundre Wright had a bad knee injury at camp and Aaron Smith — neither of those two guys will be out participating due to medical reasons, and will be out for the duration of the year.

None of the incoming freshman were likely to even sniff the depth chart, so taking a medical redshirt is probably not a big deal.Wright tore his ACL at the end of spring practice and Aaron Smith’s injury was not disclosed.

At the start of last year’s training camp, Wright and Smith were at the top of the depth chart for kick and punt returns respectively. Neither exactly distinguished themselves. Wright is not even on the depth chart for kickoff returns, and was the 3d cornerback behind Antwuan Reed and Buddy Jackson.

(more…)

Just trying to finish as many projects around the house and get family visits finished before the end of August. Once the games begin, well, nothing gets done.

The Ireland trip is finished and Pitt didn’t lose a game — including beating the Melbourne team that included the still hateable Eric Devendorf. Cardiac Hill has a nice recap on things with the scoring averages and some thoughts for the upcoming season.

Over at Pitt Script, there’s a look at Pitt recruiting. Steve Adams is getting good reviews from his play in the States. Khem Birch is looking good and Malcolm Gilbert has Pitt near the top of his board.

In more basketball stuff…

(more…)

I swear, it wouldn’t be Pitt training camp without concerns over the O-line. Last year, the primary concern was whether Robb Houser would be sufficiently recovered to play center. Whether there was sufficient depth, and if new starters would perform.

This year the concern is all about center and the interior O-line spots. It does have a decided, Groundhog Day feel to it. Only the names have changed.

“We have some issues on our team we need to address, football-wise, right off the bat,” Wannstedt said. “In the spring, Jack Lippert moved to center, we had Chris Jacobson working at left guard and Greg Gaskins working along with Ryan Turnley at right guard, so there is some good competition going there.

“But I don’t think any of us really walked away from the spring and said we are locked in at any one of the three positions, so that is a good thing because it means we will have competition and so we need to get that solidified.”

Of the three spots, only Chris Jacobson seems a lock to be the starter at left guard. Gaskins is penciled in as starter, but Turnley is right there.

Right guard is redshirt junior Gaskins’ to lose, but he will face stiff competition from redshirt sophomore Turnley. The two battled in the spring, but neither distinguished himself. Their competition will be closely monitored.

As for the center spot, well this is where it gets interesting/terrifying. As much as Coach Wannstedt has had a philosophy of having versatility on the O-line, the lack of good recruiting at the center position is noticeable. The battle is between a converted D-line player (Lippert) and a walk-on (Alex Karabin). At the moment, Karabin is the starter. How can there not be more than a little nervousness?

Naturally, Coach Wannstedt is more confident — publicly.

On the realistic expectations for the offensive line for the season opener:

“The offensive line probably takes longer than any other position to come together, but Tony Wise will get them ready. I am confident of that.

I’ve always believed that going into training camp, from a coaching standpoint, is that you focus in and make each player understand that he needs to get his game to the highest possible level that he can play, and I believe that can happen. If our starting center is Alex Karabin, our job and his job is getting Alex to play as well as he can. On the other side, Jason Pinkston who has been around here, better get his game playing at the level that he is most capable of, as is Jon Baldwin and Dion Lewis. That really has to be both the players’ and coaches’ focus coming out of training camp.

With opening out at Utah, there’s no margin for error. We’re going to have to go out there and play as well as we can in order to win that game, and everybody knows that. This is a very, very important training camp for us as a football team. We have a lot to get done in the next 27 days.”

Right now the O-line concerns outweigh even the worries over a new QB.

After two games in Cork, Ireland the Pitt basketball players will travel to Dublin for two games and finish with two in Belfast.

The games in Cork were not even close. Game 1, a 99-54 whupping on the Irish National Team. In Game 2, more of the same with a 92-52 blasting of the South Regional All-Stars.

These dominating performances should not be a surprise. There is something of a disparity in talent level with the competition thus far. Here’s the interesting note from the second game.

The Panthers started [Talib] Zanna and Lamar Patterson at forward, Dante Taylor at center and Wanamaker and Travon Woodall at guard. Pitt’s three freshmen — [J.J.] Moore, Aron Nwankwo and Cameron Wright–all saw their first action in the game. Due to NCAA rules, Sunday marked the first day that the trio was eligible to compete on the trip.

[Emphasis added.]

Clearly Coach Dixon is taking advantage of this time to play with line-ups. Make sure everyone sees some time, and see what kind of chemistry there is with certain groups.

Unfortunately, the box scores do not include minutes played.

Villanova By the Numbers has some tempo-free stat breakdowns of both games (he has the spare time in the offseason) that are very useful.

Zanna logged a double-double in the second game and was 5-5 on shooting. Gilbert Brown has had his way in the first two games and VBTN has what I find to be an outstanding bit of snark:

…the offense will run through junior point guard Ashton Gibbs and senior forward Gilbert Brown. This was the fourth consecutive off season in which Pitt observers have predicted a “break out” year for the athletic forward. Maybe they are right this time.

Sooner or later it could happen.

Other casual observations from the box scores.

— Dante Taylor has been aggressive in rebounding with 16 in two games.

— Brad Wanamaker will continue to play a significant role in running the offense/distributing the ball. 16 assists and 2 turnovers in the two games. (Also, he could do that in two regular season games and there would still be people complaining that he “looked” out of control.)

— Zanna is 8-9 shooting so far. Trying not to read too much into it other than to assume that he is showing a soft touch, working for inside position, and — with 8 offensive rebounds — some easy put-backs.

— Not having minutes breakdown is frustrating, but I am guessing that Gary McGhee is getting very few minutes as Coach Dixon plays the younger big guys more minutes.

— Nasir Robinson is 4-5 on free throws.

Assistant AD for basketball and Director of Media Relations, Greg Hotchkiss, has done a couple entries talking about the trip. He has one on the arrival in Dublin, and the trip to see the Blarney Stone.

We also encountered a Mountaineer fan who started yelling, “Go Mountaineers, Go Mountaineers!” And at that point, one of our travel party responded, “How’s Huggins?”

Fantastic.

And this.

While at Neptune Stadium, athletic trainer Tony Salesi and Big East official Wally Rutecki, who was presented with a gift of two pint glasses of *Murphy’s Stout beer, both took a quick tour of the home lockerroom. Keeping with Irish tradition, the lockerroom contained a full Irish bar with Irish lagers and stouts on tap in a setting of dark stained woods. Also in the lockerroom was luxurious plush leather seating made specifically for the home team to relax. The players will not be partaking in the post-game amenities, but the support staff certainly will take some time to visit to the room!

But can you get growlers to go?

While the Pitt football team is making the Mouse Monopoly rounds, the basketball team should be in Ireland. For many it is their first time out of the United States, and while they are looking forward to seeing some of the sights, they also just want to play some basketball.

“I’m anxious to play,” Wanamaker said. “I can’t wait. Guys are learning their roles. We’re becoming better as a team, bonding together. Guys are getting their confidence and getting ready for the season. I think it will help a lot.

“We know what we have to improve on, what and what not to do. I think it will be a big plus for us.”

And Coach Jamie Dixon isn’t doing this trip just because it is fun for the kids. It’s an opportunity.

“We’re going over there more for the freshmen,” Dixon said. “More and more teams will be doing it with the new freshman rule.”

Until this year, teams could take foreign competition tours, but incoming freshmen could not participate. As a result, teams did not always take advantage of the NCAA rules that allow a foreign trip once every four years.

Dixon predicts that will change now.

…

“We got a lot out of it already with the practices,” Dixon said. “For returning guys it was good. But even more so for the new guys and for Lamar [Patterson] and Talib [Zanna], the guys who redshirted.

“You can see their growth. You’ll have the experience of the travel. You gain some things doing things together.”

While these games are exhibitions, the players aren’t taking them lightly. They know that some of the competition is more than merely a local team.

Pitt will face Australia’s oldest and most respected basketball club, the Melbourne Tigers, on Aug. 6 in Belfast. The Tigers, which feature former Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf and former Utah center Luke Nevill, have claimed four Australian NBL championships. The Panthers will take on the English National Team the following day on Aug. 7 in Belfast and the Irish National Team two times in Dublin.

…

“We’re going out there playing against grown men, and we all want to show how much stronger we got as a team, especially in the Big East,” Woodall said. “The rules are kind of different, they’re a lot different, but we’ve just got to get acclimated much faster. It gives us a chance to build chemistry and play against more physical talent.”

There will also be adjustments to some of the international rules.

The ball has a slightly different feel. The three-second lane is wider. The shot clock is shorter (24 seconds). There are no one-and-one free throws. There are four 10-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute halves. Only the coach can call timeout, and the three-point line is three inches closer.

To simulate the foreign game, Dixon employed a 20-second clock during 5-on-5 drills in practice.

“It’s basketball,” Brown said. “There are just a few different changes. We’ll be all right.”

The one rule that has the Pitt players excited is the lack of goaltending, offensive or defensive, once the ball hits the rim. Any player can touch the ball in the cylinder, which could lead to some thunderous put-backs.

“I like that rule,” Woodall said. “We’ve got a bunch of athletic guys who will definitely do that.”

I kind of worry about some bad habits developing with the goaltending stuff, but I think that is counterbalanced with an encouragement to be more aggressive on rebounding and shot-blocking.

Of course, lost in all the talk of what this means for Pitt and the Pitt players is the aegis under which Pitt is traveling and playing in Ireland.

When he speaks of the 10-second rule, Ringland is referring to basketball programs that bring Protestant and Catholic kids together through a non-profit organization called PeacePlayers International. The Pitt basketball team will get a close-up look at the program during a 12-day, six-game exhibition tour that is sure to leave a lasting impression. The Panthers take off today and are scheduled to visit Belfast next weekend.

Steelers president emeritus Dan Rooney, the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, and his wife, Patricia, helped organize Pitt’s trip. So did the Panthers’ director of basketball operations, Brian Regan, who has witnessed first-hand the power of PeacePlayers.

“These are kids who could be sitting together at the negotiating table someday,” Regan says.

Basketball is a non-sectarian sport in Ireland. It is neutral. The miracle happens almost the instant the PeacePlayer participants — usually ages 9 to 15 — are set loose on the court and immerse themselves in a swirl of chatter of errant shots.

Ten seconds later, the whistle blows, and the kid standing next to you might be from the other side of the wall. But you’re 11 years old, so why would you care?

“The idea is to throw them together before they realize they’re actually together,” Ringland says. “They mix naturally. The divisions disappear.”

The AC in our house went last night. It’s a balmy 84 in the house at the moment. I’d be doing this in just my boxers but the kids have been traumatized enough by my parenting to this point.

In case you have ever forgotten that as much as the Big East is a basketball conference, the ACC is still a basketball first conference. The ACC Sports Journal has been bothered by the overall mediocrity (or worse) of the ACC since they expanded. Yes, the conference can claim 3 national titles (2 for UNC, 1 for Duke) since expansion but the overall depth of the conference has been rather meh.

Even with back-to-back national champions, the ACC’s NCAA tournament winning percentage has fallen to 59.67 percent; the Big East is now essentially even with the ACC in that category, with a 59.34 winning percentage during that time span. The ACC’s average seed has dropped to 5.21, while the Big East’s has risen to 4.6. And the two leagues have gotten teams into the tournament at an identical 46-percent rate.

Furthermore, just three ACC teams have advanced to the Final Four over the last five years, while four Big East teams have turned the trick. True, the ACC holds a 2-0 edge in national championships. But consider this: Only seven ACC teams – and only one (2006 Boston College) not named North Carolina or Duke – have made it as far as the Sweet 16 over the last four seasons. A whopping 16 Big East teams have advanced that far.

In fact, if you take UNC and Duke out of the mix, the ACC’s post-expansion tournament record is an unsightly 12-18. That’s Atlantic 10 or Mountain West territory.

Interestingly, they do not put the blame on the newcomers.

(more…)

Probably without intending to, ESPN.com’s Andy Katz managed to make me a little nervous about Pitt’s upcoming trip to Ireland this summer.

The Panthers are the pick to win the Big East with the return of every starter save Jermaine Dixon. The last time Pitt went on a foreign trip it was to Canada in August 2004. Coach Jamie Dixon had just completed his first year and the core of the group was still young with Levon Kendall, Carl Krauser, Chevon Troutman, Ronald Ramon and Chris Taft highlighting the roster. That team finished 20-9 and was a No. 9 seed.

The expectations are even higher for this group. That’s why Dixon wanted to take advantage of the new rule, and the team will be in Ireland from July 29 to Aug. 9.

From a basketball perspective, the practices — like the one the Panthers held last Friday and will again this Friday — are key. The most important issue for Pitt is figuring out the rotation, especially up front.

Pitt has several big men, Nasir Robinson, Gary McGhee, Dante Taylor, J.J. Richardson and Lamar Patterson, who will all have to figure out their roles. In the backcourt, the Panthers will likely go with a three-guard lineup of returnees Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker and Gilbert Brown in place of Jermaine Dixon. But incoming freshmen Isaiah Epps and Cameron Wright could certainly push those three at times. Learning how they handle the road will be key for Jamie Dixon.

Dixon said that when he took the team to Canada in 2004, he was hoping to find an effective 3. He didn’t on the trip and said he was still searching in March.

This roster isn’t devoid of options for him. But he’ll learn quite a bit more on this excursion and he’ll have plenty to ponder come October.

But way to remind what a disappointing season 2004-05 turned out to be, and just how little that trip did to help.

The new rule this year with the trip is that freshman are eligible to go as long as they have taken at least one summer class.

Katz also points out that last year the Pac-10 sought to have the NCAA ban these trips outright — ostensibly to save athletic departments money. This despite the fact that most teams get the funds for the trips from other sources (last year, Vandy coach Kevin Stallings paid for his team’s overseas trip out of his own pocket).

I find this somewhat illustrative, however, of the fact that while the NCAA gets blasted for many things, it is not simply some 3d party monolith that imposes its will capriciously on the helpless schools. The NCAA is made and run by the schools and reflects their own desires and controls. All of those strange, arcane and strange decisions have their basis and genesis usually from the member institutions.

Ray Mernagh has a puff piece on Pitt assistant Brandin Knight.

So when Knight’s phone rang earlier in the spring and former fellow assistant Mike Rice was on the line offering him the associate head coach position at Rutgers, three versions of Knight’s “family” came into play. The fact that it was Rice calling changed the whole scenario for Knight and for the first time since being at Pittsburgh as a coach he really had to consider leaving. Another aspect of the job offer was that it would bring Knight and his family back to their roots in Jersey, and more importantly, back close to Mel and Brenda Knight who are getting older. The job offer was also a chance for Knight to go somewhere else (he’s spent his entire coaching career at Pitt) and to spread his wings a little. It was also a “promotion” in terms of hierarchy, he would be the point man for Rice, working hand in hand trying to bring a program from the depths back to a place that mattered.

Knight thought about it before deciding that he had already been a part of a reclamation project of that scale, and while he thinks Rice is likely to get the job done at Rutgers, things are pretty good at Pitt. Knight knows that when the time comes to leave he’ll know it, and the thought here is that it will be for a head coaching opportunity at a lower level and not an assistant spot. Dixon has become a coach that helps guys get jobs if that’s what they want. For Knight, the situation will have to be right to jump. He’ll need to know he has a really good chance to succeed at whatever job he eventually leaves Pittsburgh for.

It had to be a tempting offer. Staying for at least this year could be even more beneficial. If Pitt can have the kind of year hoped, then his stock rises higher. It also has to be remembered that Knight is only 28. Still rather young for coaching. He definitely is on a fast track, but there is time.