Jeremiah Bryson was one of the stranger pick-ups in recruiting, even before Dave Wannstedt was fired. Not in terms of size or potential, but being a kid from Tennessee. Like many of the other recruits after Wannstedt was fired and then the chaos of Haywood, Bryson’s commitment was understandably shaky. It probably didn’t help that his mom wanted him to stay closer to home — but on signing day he signed with Pitt.

Now after a month at Pitt, Bryson has decided that he should not be at Pitt. He’s withdrawn from classes at Pitt and will go with his second choice, Middle Tennessee State.

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More link clearance time. This one on the football side of things.

More Zach Brown stuff. Nice thing for media on transfers. Everyone can talk right away about it. Coaches can talk freely.

“I’m excited about having him,” Pitt co-offensive coordinator Calvin Magee said. “I’m excited about the experience he is going to bring. He’s been in big games. He’s a big, punishing running back. Now, we have two veterans (backs) who have been in the game and understand what we want.”

Brown, who was twice voted his high school team’s most unselfish player, epitomizes what Pitt is seeking, Magee said.

“He brings a great work ethic and so much character. This is what we are preaching.”

Brown, who is from Florida, was down to Pitt or Wisconsin when he was in high school. Glad to see he gets a do-over, even if the coaches are different.

“It’s a great opportunity to play there and showcase my talents,” he said. “Plus it’s a great school academic-wise.” Brown has a degree in history.

Brown, who likely would have started the season no higher than third on Wisconsin’s depth chart, said the ability to play right away at Pitt appealed to him.

I’m sure the academics are a nice plus, but let’s be honest. It’s knowing he comes to Pitt and immediately has the #2 spot on the depth chart going into camp.

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Morning all. A week plus off for me to recharge the batteries a bit. Mounds of stuff piled up.  Have to say that the downtime from posting for me was surprisingly needed. A break that helps remind me that this should be fun to do — not a grind. A very big thanks to the boys of both the Incline Blog and Fighting Wannstaches for minding the place while I was doing other things. Judging by the volume of comments, I guess they stirred things up in this little sandbox. Don’t forget to check these guys out on their home blogs.

Also, thanks to Silver Panther in NYC for getting his Summer School series going. Judging by the number of posts in the draft queue, you can expect more of this in the coming weeks.

Lets jump back into it. The long (well, maybe a week or so) rumored transfer of Zach Brown from Wisconsin to Pitt for his final year of eligibility finally took place. Brown played three seasons — with diminishing opportunities — took a redshirt and is set to graduate by August. Under NCAA regulations, he can transfer to another school and begin taking graduate level classes if the school to which he is transferring offers a program not offered at his present school.

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The depth chart for Pitt at tailback has been expected to be Ray Graham and one of four freshmen coming in August. Not exactly the most inspiring, but since Pitt has had two true freshman tailbacks emerge as impact starters previously, it hasn’t been the most pressing concern to most Pitt fans.

Yet it seems Pitt might end up with some experienced help, to back up Graham.

Wisconsin running back Zach Brown visited Pittsburgh the past three days and is considering transferring there, sources told ESPN’s Joe Schad.

…

Brown redshirted last season and is expected to be eligible to play in the fall after finishing his history degree. Brown ran for 568 yards as a freshman, but saw his playing time diminish as a sophomore and junior.

He decided to redshirt last year, with the Badgers boasting a group of backs that included Montee Ball, James White and John Clay.

Clay left school early, but Brown never jumped up the depth chart this spring.

Brown would make a useful back-up and give a chance to redshirt more of the incoming freshmen running backs.

I see it as a sign of how far the basketball talent at Pitt has improved. Even a few years ago, an undersized, but gritty and hard-working center/forward like J.J. Richardson would be an important part of Pitt’s team. Looking at significant minutes.

Instead, the talent ahead of him and coming in this year made his playing time prospects dim. He likely would have seen some early chances, but as the season progressed those minutes would diminish as the experience of Khem Birch and Malcolm Gilbert increased their minutes. This had him looking for an opportunity to play more than minor reserve minutes.

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Reports are that former 5-star linebacker from Gateway, Dorian Bell, might be looking to transfer to Pitt from Ohio State (hat tip to DeVanzo and others who have shot me msgs about this). Given all that is swirling around Ohio State’s program and Jim Tressel, this might be considered a situation where a player just wants out of what could be a really messed up program.

That’s not necessarily the case with Dorian Bell, who was suspended for the entire upcoming season for the always nebulous “violation of team rules.” This was his third violation of the unnamed rule. It cost him the Sugar Bowl this past season. Yes that’s right, Pryor and all the other tattoo boys made it to the Sugar Bowl but not Bell and his rules violation.

Obviously this is not a  player that has shown good judgment to this point. The talent is mostly undeniable, but the decision making has been poor. I’m not sure about this one, from a character standpoint. His talent suggests taking the risk, but with three failures at Ohio State it isn’t so clear-cut.

Bell would have been a redshirt sophomore this season. Sitting out if he transfers would still give him two years of eligibility.

News of this started showing up on Monday. Yet another DB transferring to Pitt.

This time it is Brendon Felder from UNC.

Felder came out of Gateway High. He plays both WR and cornerback. He redshirted last year, but was a highly sought after recruit as Bryan runs down the recruiting rankings when he came out of high school.

The reason for his transfer is not the lack of playing time or some coaching turnover. It’s personal.

Former Gateway wide receiver Brendon Felder said he has left the University of North Carolina and will return home to help care for his ailing grandparents and enroll at Pitt.

“They are very important to me in my life,” Felder said Tuesday night while waiting to board an airplane for Pittsburgh. “My grandmother would take care of me when I was little and being close to home will enable me to focus (on college).”

Felder, 6-foot-0, 180 pounds, was redshirted last year during his freshman season at North Carolina. He said it was difficult to leave.

“I teared up a lot today,” he said of saying goodbye to his friends. “It was an emotional day. North Carolina was a place I grew to love.”

That is honorable of him, and I know everyone is hoping that he is able to help them.

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Obviously this year is a big questionmark. What with the question of whether the new schemes on defense help the secondary, or greatly put it at risk for exploitation. A lot depends on the corner positions. Can Buddy Jackson finally put it together in the fall, rather than just every spring? Will Antwuan Reed be better? Will guys like K’Wuan Williams, and/or Saheed Imoru move up? Does Lafayette Pitts get out there as a true freshman?

Come 2012, though, there’s more optimism. Pitts and Williams alone would provide that optimism. But the addition of Cullen Christian to the depth chart is a big plus.

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Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and holiday. Tried to get started on the long, long list of outdoor projects around the house, but the rain has been so frequent that not much was really accomplished. Well, aside from a lot more crap in the garage that needs to get out of there. Not sure if there has been two consecutive dry days in the Cleveland area for the past few weeks — well without the temperature dipping below 40. The lack of a spring this year has been worse than normal. That or I’m just old and cranky, and less tolerant of the weather.

So, for nearly a month, the links have been accumulating related to football. I’ve been lazy. The writing of Reed has let me slack off on this stuff. Now it’s time to clear it out — even if it’s a little dated.

Starting with the newest news, though, another Michigan transfer (paywall). Cullen Christian asked for and received his release from Michigan last week. Since Christian went to Penn Hills and several of his coaches at Michigan are now at Pitt — well, the math seemed obvious. This is a really good get, though. Christian was one of the top recruits in Pennsylvania in 2010. One of the top CB recruits in the country. He was a 4-star recruit and an US Army All-American. Injuries and attrition at Michigan forced him to play a lot more than he should have — 10 games. Look forward to seeing him out there in 2012.

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Rich Rodriguez was fired as Michigan Head Coach in early January. Todd Graham was hired as Pitt’s head coach shortly afterwards and proceeded to nab several Michigan assistants for his staff. It was assumed and/or hoped that a few Michigan players might jump to Pitt.

Well at long last it has happened. Please welcome Tate Forcier Denard Robinson Ray Vinopal. Who?

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Michigan under Rich Rodriguez has struggled with depth and transfers. Especially on defense. It doesn’t look to be getting much better.

Today’s announcement that redshirt freshman cornerback Justin Turner is leaving the Michigan football program shines an intense spotlight on one of U-M’s biggest concerns for this season — secondary depth.

Turner, from Massillon, Ohio, asked for and was granted his scholarship release Tuesday, according to U-M spokesman Dave Ablauf.

The 6-foot-2, 198-pound Turner, the top-ranked recruit in the 2009 state of Ohio class, was expected to compete at either safety or cornerback, depending on his skills or the need.

Turner was a 5-star recruit and he’s looking at his options now that he is free.

…Turner is looking over more than a half dozen offers from Division I colleges since he announced he would leave Michigan. Turner fell out of Rich Rodriguez’s good graces this summer because, reportedly, he missed some summer workouts.

That probably isn’t the end of the story and there is likely a Justin Turner side to this, too. Turner has not spoken publicly about it.

People close to him say Pitt and Cincinnati are the two schools most likely to attract Turner.

Now few programs in their right mind would turn down this kid. There is one red flag, however, relating to Turner.

It sounds like the 11 pounds Turner put on in the offseason were not the good variety, and that he was never in a position where he was physically ready to play because of sheer lack of desire.

Turner ended up redshirting in 2009 because of some delays because of academics.

You hope it was just a clash with Rodriguez and the coaches there. If it is a conditioning issue and Turner isn’t willing to put in the time, then he wastes his own talent. I don’t see how Pitt wouldn’t at least take a shot at him.

It isn’t quite the minimal risk that Josh Marks was (and failed), but it’s worth a scholarship spot for the potential.

Pitt Script Blog is taking in summer league games, and providing a recap. So, definitely check it out, as that provides yet another perspective on what is happening there and how the players look. It’s good stuff, so make sure you go read it.

Meanwhile Cardiac Hill provides the link round-up from Pantherlair/Rivals.com as well as the Pitt News. The popularity of the summer league and interest in how the players look is obviously reflected in the coverage it is generating. One more thing that has been built in the last 4 years as Coach Dixon has helped to foster a culture that generates interest and supports Pitt basketball.

As a brief aside, if you don’t have Cardiac Hill and Pitt Script on your daily reads for Pitt info, then you are doing yourself a disservice. Both Bryan and Anson are doing some great work.

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Well, Cameron Wright was elevated into the ESPNU Top-100 recruits.

Also joining the rankings are: No. 77 Allen Crabbe of Price (Los Angeles); No. 85 Stargell Love of Quality Education (Winston-Salem, N.C.); No. 86 Maurice Jones of Arthur Hill (Saginaw, Mich.); No. 90 Geron Johnson of Dunbar (Dayton, Ohio); No. 91 Cameron Wright of Benedictine (Cleveland); and No. 99 Joe Young of Yates (Houston).

Interestingly, one of the players that fell out of their top-100 was Jordan Sibert, an Ohio PG that Ohio State pursued and got — then lost interest in Wright. Sibert got hurt last spring and is still healing. He’s playing and the two actually ended up facing off in Columbus this past weekend.

In turn, Wright committed to Pittsburgh and gave Thad a glimpse of what he may be missing as his team defeated Sibert’s by a score of 55-48.

Sibert’s outside shooting was off Saturday as he shot just 2-7 from 3-point range, but the senior did score 19 points. Although it looked like he is not 100% recovered from a knee injury suffered last spring, Sibert did look strong and Buckeye fans should be excited to have him as part of this class. He did not have as good of a supporting cast as Wright did and despite not playing as well as he liked, he never quit and kept his team in the game.

Wright, on the other hand, must have felt good with his 19 point performance at the venue he once though he would be playing at for the next four years. Unlike Sibert, who likes to make it rain from the outside, Wright is kind of a high-glider who plays really well above the rim and can attack the basket with ease. He is going to be a really good player for Jamie Dixon…

Coach Dixon received a midterm grade of “A” from DeCourcy at the Sporting News.

Useless information that I never knew about college basketballs.

You may not have thought much about this, but there is not a standard ball in NCAA basketball. Each school can decide to use its own brand of basketball (as long as it conforms to specifications), and leagues like the Big East can use up to five or six different basketballs, depending upon the manufacturers each school has deals with. One game, you may be playing with a Nike ball, then a Wilson, then The Rock, then an Adidas ball, then a Molten ball.

Last week, Notre Dame played at Cincinnati and the Fighting Irish players felt that the ball used was smaller than they were used to. Notre Dame, like most teams, has several of every different brand of ball used by teams on its schedule so that the Irish can practice with the same ball they will be playing with next. Basketball is still very much a game of feel, and it is a game of attention to detail.

Weird. I have to believe that the NCAA has an official (read: heavily paid for the rights) basketball for the NCAA Tournament.

Someone tries to get Gary Parrish at CBSSportsline to go negative on Pitt for luck. Parrish won’t bite.

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I’ll say two makes a trend. At least for blog post headline puporses. Andrew Devlin sat out this year, and Hubie Graham will sit out next.

One of the most heavily recruited players in the country in 2007, Graham played the last two seasons at the University of Illinois, having recently been released upon his request from his scholarship.

“It was a tough decision to leave Illinois, but it’s something I felt I had to do for myself,” Graham said. “I had the opportunity when I was being recruited in high school to maintain the relationships with a lot of universities, which allowed me to have the chance to transfer.

“Down deep in my heart, I just know that the University of Pittsburgh is the place I want to be now.”

In two seasons with Illinois, Graham played in all 12 games as a freshman, seeing action on 109 offensive snaps and 44 on special teams.

This season, he played in eight games and started against Penn State. However, he missed three Big Ten games with a back injury and did not play in the season finale against Fresno State.

He had four receptions for 59 yards.

“I’m extremely happy to be headed to the University of Pittsburgh and having the opportunity to play closer to home,” Graham said. “I’m excited. The coaching staff is great and they have a great program. They run a pro-style offense where they use the tight end.

“I think that Pittsburgh offers me a chance to use my skills in a good system.”

I think, “One of the most heavily recruited players in the country in 2007” might be a touch of hometown hyperbole. Graham was a consensus 4-star recruit and not even top-10 at his position. The top choices for him were Illinois, GT, Pitt, UCLA and Michigan.

This is not meant to denigrate Graham, or piss on picking him up. He seems like a solid transfer pick-up. A player that will fit very well in Pitt’s offense and a very good player. Let’s just keep it in perspective.

Pitt also got a long expected local commit from 3-star safety/cornerback Brandon Ifill. Pitt beat out Maryland, Rutgers, Michigan (where his more hyped and starred teammate Cullen Christian committed) and WVU.

Here’s some of his evaluation from ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. (Insider subs).

Ifill is a very versatile football player with a lot of athletic talent. He has good height but could afford to put on some bulk and lower body strength. A very heads up and instinctive football player from the safety position. Breaks quickly on run support and has the ability to change his angle of support and redirect if the ball bounces out or cuts back. Doesn’t mind mixing it up and delivering on bigger ball carriers but would be more effective with some more lead in his behind. Very reliable openfield tackler that does whatever is necessary to bring the guy down.

Maryland was the early favorite at the start of the season, but…

“Pitt really came on with me this fall,” Ifill said. “I started talking to their coaches a lot more and the more I talked to them, the more I got comfortable. They’re just so well-rounded in everything they have. Their academics and academic support are great, just as well as the coaching.”

Sure Dan Mason worked him hard as well, but I think we all know the real reason. Pitt had the built-in advantage since in a preseason Q&A he admitted his favorite place to eat is the “O.”

Depth up-front. It’s there. At least defensively.

Defensive line coach Greg Gattuso, who coached tight ends that first year, remembers those early days of the Wannstedt era and is almost giddy about the wealth of talent he has to work with now.

“I think our depth was challenged a little bit this camp, but we showed we do have the numbers now to survive an injury or two,” Gattuso said. “Obviously, we want all of our guys healthy, but when we first got here we just didn’t have many options. I’ve been impressed with how well the backup guys have played this camp and the great thing is, most of them still have a lot of football to play here so they will only get better.”

Gattuso said a great example of how far the Panthers’ depth at defensive line has come can be found in the fact that a player like Tyrone Ezell (6 feet 4, 270 pounds) — who certainly looks the part — will almost assuredly be redshirted. Five years ago, he would have not only been put on the field and asked to contribute, he might have been the unit’s best player.

“I always say it takes three years for a defensive lineman to really come into his own as a player,” Gattuso said. “We now have enough depth where we can really develop our young guys properly and don’t feel pressured to get them ready to play a game on a given Saturday.”

One other luxury is the variation of players. This gives Gattuso a lot of flexibility, and it gives opposing offenses a lot to think about when deciding how to block.

The match-up stuff may be good, but it is still up to the coaches to use it. Something the defensive coaches struggled to adjust appropriately  in a couple key losses last year (see also, BGSU and Rutgers).

A bit of focus on the defensive backfields as Paul Zeise tries to spell out why he (and presumably the coaching staff) gets so frustrated with Elijah Fields.

Q: I don’t understand exactly what the problem is with Elijah Fields from reading your remarks. Can’t he learn the defenses? Can he not pay attention? Does he not care? We can talk all we want about his “talent” but is it anything more than he runs fast?

ZEISE: I think Pat Benatar would classify Elijah Fields as a “heartbreaker,” because that is what he constantly does to his coaches and his teammates – he breaks their heart. They put their trust in him, they root for him and they believe in him and he seems to find a way to let them down just when they think he is ready to turn the corner and finally realize his enormous potential. A great example was a practice last week when Fields at times was looking like the best player on the field as he flying around and knocking guys senseless. It was one of his best practices. Of course, then near the end in a two-minute drill, he is blitzing on a play and he runs in and knocks quarterback Bill Stull to the ground — even though it was clear the quarterbacks were not live. And instead of taking redirection from coaches about it, he cops an attitude and is promptly sent off the field. It is stuff like that — it is almost never anything malicious but almost always just a sign of immaturity. Another day, he was late for a meeting or something and got demoted to the second team. Again, the he is not a bad kid and I don’t think he is a dumb kid. He knows what he needs to do, he knows where he needs to be — I just think he needs to grow up a little bit and if he does that, then I have no question he is an NFL talent. The problem he has, however, is that time is running out on him and sooner or later he is going to run out of second chances. It really is time for him to get focused on becoming the dominant player he should be.

You know a copy of that ended up nailed in Fields’ locker. Even if he probably reads it and says, “Who the #@%&* is Pat Benatar and where did he coach?”

Anyone else wonder if Buddy Jackson will ever get fully healthy in a preseason to take part in enough practices to be trusted to get in a game? Jared Holley will at least be out there in packages for obvious passing situations. Here’s hoping Aaron Berry is as consistent as he’s been in camp.

Q: Aaron Berry got picked on a lot last year by opposing offensive coordinators — do you see that continuing? If so, does he have the skill to recover and make it stop?

ZEISE: I don’t know that I agree with that completely. He gave up some big plays and I don’t think he had a great year by any measure. But he wasn’t as bad as some people seem convinced he was and he was and is still the Panthers best corner. And don’t forget, he was All-Big East, so he must have done a few things right. And teams certainly didn’t pick on him. That being said, Aaron Berry really had a great camp. He has played as well as anyone on the team and he really does seem more focused this year. I’ve even heard coaches talk about him as a shutdown corner who can take away half the field. I really expect him to have a big season.

The mystery of what is going on with Tony Tucker is still unknown. Pitt has said it is “personal reasons,” excused him and really don’t seem to expect him to return. The kid is from Maryland, and according to the Maryland blog, it seems that there are family things that are in play. So he is looking to be closer to home. Maybe transferring to Maryland or a 1-AA school. Sorry that he’s leaving, but I hope things work out for him.

Then there’s the return game. Cam Saddler and Aaron Smith are battling it out.

The 6-foot, 180-pound Smith is known for possessing the best set of hands among Pitt receivers not named Jonathan Baldwin.

“Aaron makes it look easy,” Saddler said. “I take tips from him every day. He’s relaxed and looks so confident.

“We’re two different types of returners. He has sure hands, and I’ve got the big-play ability. Once I get ‘Aaron hands,’ I think I’ll be all right.”

Smith, however, is haunted by dropping a critical third-down pass against Bowling Green last year in the season opener. Although he played in four games, Smith never saw another pass thrown his way.

“I got caught in a bad situation,” Smith said. “I can’t wait to rebound from that. I had to wait all season to gain their trust back. It’s still up in the air until I get on the field (to prove) I can catch the ball.”

That’s what has kept Saddler from winning the starting punt return job, although he was sidelined last season with a torn ACL in his left knee.

The 5-6, 170-pounder had seven kickoff returns for touchdowns in high school, one short of a national record, and a pair of punt returns for scores as a senior. He averaged 30.7 yards on kick returns and 25.1 on punt returns that year, but he has struggled to catch punts since arriving at Pitt.

“I was never really coached how to catch it,” said Saddler, who is on the first kickoff return unit. “It was just, get back there and catch the ball. Now, I’m getting coached on doing it, and (Wannstedt) wants me to catch everything, so it makes it harder.

“Plus, it doesn’t help that these guys know how to kick. My senior year of high school, it was the center or guard kicking the ball. I knew it wasn’t going over 30 yards, so I could catch it on the bounce.”

Last year, we expected big things from the return game and just ended up with scary. This year I expect a lot more excitement from the return game this year. Almost as scary at times, but also exciting.