2009 Scouting Report - Pittsburgh

[BigEastBeasts]

2009-2010 SCHEDULE

09/05/09 vs. Youngstown State

09/12/09 at Buffalo

09/19/09 vs. Navy

09/26/09 at North Carolina State

10/02/09 at Louisville

10/10/09 vs. Connecticut

10/16/09 at Rutgers

10/24/09 vs. USF

11/07/09 vs. Syracuse

11/14/09 vs. Notre Dame

11/27/09 at West Virginia

 

12/05/09 vs. Cincinnati

Links of Interest:

Official Athletics Site Football Page

http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-footbl/pitt-m-footbl-body.html

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pitt Panthers Page

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pitt/

Between Fifth and Forbes Message Boards

http://pittsburgh.rivals.com/forum.asp?sid=996&fid=551

ESPN Pittsburgh Home Page

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=221

More to come........

[Brad]

Thank you sir, I'll add your thread to the Scouting Report thread at top.

[BigEastBeasts]

SPORTING NEWS PICKS PITT AS 2009 BIG EAST FOOTBALL CHAMP

SN picks Pitt to win the Big East and go BCS bowling.

May 29, 2009

PITTSBURGH— In its recently released annual college football yearbook, Sporting News has picked Pitt to win the Big East Conference and go BCS bowling in 2009.

“Dave Wannstedt has the personnel in place,†writes Sporting News, which predicts the Panthers will earn a visit to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.

Four Pitt players were named to its All-Big East team, including junior offensive tackle Jason Pinkston, senior tight end Nate Byham, junior defensive end Greg Romeus and senior cornerback Aaron Berry. Additionally, tailback Dion Lewis was rated the Big East’s “Top Impact Freshman.â€

In breaking down Pitt’s 2009 schedule, Sporting News highlighted the annual November clash with West Virginia as the “Game to Watch.â€

“The conference title could be decided under a national spotlight the day after Thanksgiving,†wrote SN. “The Panthers have won two straight low-scoring affairs.â€

Also out on the newsstands is Athlon Sports Big East 2009 Preview, which picks Pitt to finish fourth in the conference. In its unit rankings, the Panthers’ defensive line and secondary were ranked No. 1 in the Big East.

Athlon’s first-team All-Big East selections include Byham, Pinkston, Romeus and Berry. Additionally, senior defensive tackle Mick Williams is a second-team pick. Named third-team All-Big East are Lewis, sophomore receiver Jonathan Baldwin, senior offensive guard John Malecki, junior defensive end Jabaal Sheard and junior safety Dom DeCicco.

Athlon additionally named a “Big East All-Decade Team.†Pitt tied for the most selections with five, including current NFL Pro Bowlers in receiver Larry Fitzgerald and cornerback Darrelle Revis. Pitt’s other All-Decade picks were linebackers H.B. Blades and Scott McKillop and offensive lineman Rob Petitti.

The Panthers will play a 12-game regular-season schedule this year, including seven contests at Heinz Field. Pitt’s home slate includes games with Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Navy, Syracuse, USF and Youngstown State.

Season-ticket packages are currently on sale for as low as $82 and can be purchased online (PittsburghPanthers.com), by phone (800/643-PITT) or in person at the Petersen Events Center ticket office.

http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/052909aab.html

[BigEastBeasts]

PG South: Mt. Lebanon grad Devlin transfers to Pitt to finish his college career

Thursday, May 28, 2009

By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Tim and Bridgetta Devlin of Mt. Lebanon traveled by car to watch their son, Andrew, play college football for the University of Virginia every weekend last fall.

Sometimes, Bridgetta would text her son when they were driving through Pittsburgh and past Heinz Field, joking with Andrew that they would be there to see him had he decided to go to Pitt instead of the Atlantic Coast Conference school in Charlottesville, Va.

Now the Devlin family's commute to watch their son play will shrink from a little more than five hours to a little more than five minutes with Andrew's decision to return to his roots to continue his college football career with the Panthers.

Devlin, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end, has transferred from Virginia to Pitt. He must sit out one season under NCAA transfer rules, but he will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

"I'm really excited about it," Devlin said. "It all happened so quickly. It's been kind of a whirlwind."

Devlin left the Cavaliers because coach Al Groh fired his offensive coaching staff and brought in a new set of coaches who implemented the spread offense. Tight ends do not have a big role in spread offenses.

The coaches switched Devlin to defensive end and he tried out his new position for a month during spring drills. Giving away 50-plus pounds against offensive tackles was an eye-opening experience for Devlin. He knew it would be a struggle to add the necessary weight to compete for playing time on the defense next season, so he decided to transfer to a school where he could play tight end in a traditional pro-style offense.

"I want to stress that I really liked my time at Virginia," Devlin said. "I loved my coaches. My teammates were great. But I couldn't be unhappy on the football field for three more years. Virginia runs the 3-4 [defense]. The two defensive ends who played last year were 290 and 285 pounds. I was playing a full 30 pounds lighter at the position. If you're light and you're going up against 330-pound tackles, it's not good.

"They tried to find a place for me to fit in, but I wanted to be happy playing football. I probably wouldn't have seen the field next season because of my weight. It didn't bother me to transfer because if I went somewhere else, I'd be sitting out anyway."

Devlin chose Virginia over Pitt two years ago when he was a standout player at Mt. Lebanon High School, so the decision to call the Pitt coaches when it came time to transfer was an easy one. Some college coaches hold it against recruits when they decide to play at another school, but Devlin said head coach Dave Wannstedt and associate head coach Greg Gattuso, who recruited Devlin out of high school, showed no such animosity.

"It was tough for me to tell the coaches at Pitt no because we had built such a strong relationship," Devlin said. "They were very supportive. They weren't angry. When I made my decision, I called every school and thanked them for recruiting me. Some were great and some weren't so great. And the coaches at Pitt were great."

They're also easy to contact. Wannstedt and Gattuso live in Mt. Lebanon. Devlin and Gattuso are two blocks apart.

"I can throw a football from my backyard to coach Gattuso's," Devlin said.

Now Devlin will be catching footballs from Pitt quarterbacks. At Virginia last season as a redshirt freshman, Devlin caught three passes for 22 yards. He learned his craft well behind Cavaliers tight end John Phillips, who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys last month.

With three senior tight ends leaving the Pitt program after the 2009 season, Devlin will have an excellent opportunity to earn playing time in 2010.

Nate Byham, Dorin Dickerson and John Pelusi are graduating after the coming season. Devlin will battle Mike Cruz and incoming freshman Brock DeCicco for playing time, but there should be plenty of opportunities for all because Wannstedt likes to use double-tight end formations.

"It's a good situation for me," Devlin said. "Hopefully, I can learn from the seniors and see how they run their offense. Even though it's a pro-style offense like we ran at Virginia, there are differences. I look forward to meeting those guys and working with them."

Devlin knows many of his new teammates. He played in the Big 33 Classic with fellow South Hills area players Chris Jacobson (Keystone Oaks), Myles Caragein (Keystone Oaks) and Dom DeCicco (Thomas Jefferson).

Devlin is set to enroll June 22 at Pitt. For the next month he is working out with his former Mt. Lebanon teammates, getting ready for the second half of his college football career.

"It will be unbelievable to come back here to play," Devlin said.

Ray Fittipaldo can be reached at rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1230.

First published on May 28, 2009 at 12:00 am

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09148/973075-142.stm

[BigEastBeasts]

2009 Spring Prospectus. Decent position by position breakdowns in the first few pages.

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/pitt/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/SpringGuide2009.pdf

[BigEastBeasts]

Panthers Picked 23rd In The Country In Phil Steele's College Football Preview

Sixteen players were named to the Big East team

June 3, 2009

PITTSBURGH -

The Pitt football team received recognition by Phil Steele’s 2009 College Football Preview magazine, as they selected the Panthers 23rd in the preseason poll. Pitt was also picked to finish second in the Big East standings.

“They only have 5 road games and most of those are in the winnable category and Pitt is the top Big East team in my Power Poll,†Steele comments in his top 40 rundown.

Pitt has 16 players named to Phil Steele’s Big East Team including tight end Nate Byham, offensive guard John Malecki, offensive tackle Jason Pinkston, defensive end Greg Romeus and cornerback Aaron Berry named to the first team.

Also recognized were wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin, defensive end Jabaal Sheard and defensive tackle Mick Williams on the second team; running back Shariff Harris, linebacker Greg Williams and strong safety Dom DeCicco on the third team; and quarterback Bill Stull, wide receiver Oderick Turner, center Robb Houser, offensive guard Joe Thomas and linebacker Shane Murray named to the fourth team.

Phil Steele also selected Pitt as his No. 6 surprise team of 2009, while also listing the defensive line at No. 12 in the country and receivers at No. 15.

The Panthers will play a 12-game regular-season schedule this year, including seven contests at Heinz Field. Pitt’s home slate includes games with Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Navy, Syracuse, USF and Youngstown State.

Season-ticket packages are currently on sale for as low as $82 and can be purchased online (PittsburghPanthers.com), by phone (800/643-PITT) or in person at the Petersen Events Center ticket office.

http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/060309aaa.html

[BigEastBeasts]

Wannstedt's fence in need of repair

By Bob Smizik | Friday, 6 a.m.

It hasn’t been a good week for Pitt football. Two prized offensive linemen from suburban high schools -- players Pitt wanted -- announced they would be attending Penn State.

Seeing top local talent heading elsewhere reminded reader Howard Weiss, a Pitt grad living in Lafayette, La., of coach Dave Wannstedt’s promise to build a recruiting fence around Western Pennsylvania.

Wrote Weiss: "Dave Wannstedt's fence around Western Pennsylvania appears to be even less effective than the ones at the U.S.-Mexico border."

Ouch!

Wannstedt isn’t laughing. Losing linemen Miles Dieffenbach of Fox Chapel and Tom Ricketts of North Allegheny cut far deeper than most recruiting losses.

Dieffenbach is the son of George Dieffenbach, the long-time coach of the women’s tennis team at Pitt. Ricketts is the son of Tom Ricketts, a starter on the offensive line for Pitt in the 1980s and a first-round draft choice of the Steelers.

Wannstedt had reason to believe both would committ to Pitt. That neither did had to be a bitter pill but one Wannstedt had to suffer in silence.

That wasn’t the case with the blowhards on the Internet message boards, who were merciless with the two dads whose sons strayed.

That’s too bad, but life is not fair and that’s particularly true on message boards, where facts often don’t get in the road and anonymity breeds courage.

There should be no criticism of Tom Ricketts and George Dieffenbach, only praise. They are real men and real dads who did not interfere with their sons when they made one of the most important decisions in the lives.

The pressure on George Dieffenbach had to be enormous. In effect, the Pitt football team, along with the men’s basketball team, funds the women’s tennis program, as it does most non-revenue sports. But the elder Dieffenbach did not allow his loyalty or his allegiance to sway his son. That takes courage.

The same goes for Tom Ricketts, whose less-than-stellar pro career was savage by Internet bullies. The elder Ricketts, of course, has nothing to be ashamed of. He was an outstanding college player and is part of the tiny fraction of Americans who had an NFL career.

We can only wish their sons well at Penn State.

Wannstedt is up against a tough opponent when he recruits against Penn State and Joe Paterno these days. The fact Penn State regularly draws in excess of 100,000 fans for its games and that Pitt often draws less than half of that is tough to overcome. There’s no disputing the atmosphere at Penn State is far superior to Pitt‘s, despite how hard the Panthers try to upgrade their game days.

The fact the Penn State has had a recent revival under Paterno also is hurting Pitt. At the moment, at least, Penn State is a better program. When high school seniors evaluate colleges, it’s tough to overlook Penn State.

As might be expected, the Lions have a decided edge in recruiting so far this year and that goes far beyond Dieffenbach and Ricketts. Writing in the "Pittsburgh Sports Report," recruiting expert Chris Dokish ranked the top 25 players in the state. Numbers 3, 4, 10, 11 and 16 had committed to Penn State. Numbers 14 and 25 had committed to Pitt.

This is not to suggest recruiting rankings win football games, but they are an early barometer of success

And when you can’t get two "legacies," as was the case with Ptt, well, you know you’ve got problems.

http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/bobsmizik/archive/2009/06/05/a-bad-week-for-pitt-football.aspx

[Guest hm101]

this is going to be a tough game

[BigEastBeasts]

Pitt Football: Recruiting losses hamper Panthers

Wannstedt: Sky is not falling

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It certainly was not the discussion that Wannstedt wanted to have yesterday, but it was not something he shied away from when he met with reporters.

His message was loud and clear: The sky is not falling at Pitt, the program is in good shape and, though the Panthers have lost a few key recruiting battles, it is early in the process.

Wannstedt addressed the discipline issues first and said that they are a concern, but that he has addressed them and that he is confident that the team has learned from them.

The troubles began in spring football when two players -- receiver T.J. Porter (driving while intoxicated) and Tommie Duhart (insubordination) ­--were dismissed from the program.

In early May, receiver Jonathan Baldwin was charged with a misdemeanor indecent assault and summary harassment and disorderly conduct in an incident involving a female student on a campus bus.

A few days later, senior middle linebacker Adam Gunn, was suspended indefinitely after he was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, failure to disperse and public drunkenness in an altercation with police officers outside a Station Square night club.

Wannstedt said the status of Gunn and Baldwin won't change until their cases are resolved.

Wannstedt said he has taken a proactive approach toward making sure the bad behavior does not become a trend. He also made it clear that he doesn't take any incident involving his players lightly and that he made that point crystal clear to his players at a 7:30 a.m. meeting the first day of the summer session.

"Everybody that knows me, knows what I stand for and knows that discipline is, has been and always will be a major part of our program," Wannstedt said. "We don't tolerate those types of things and we're disappointed that they happen. Discipline is a very big thing with me, and we went a few years with no problems.

"I know we have great kids here, we had a couple make mistakes and they are being held accountable and dealt with accordingly, but at some point we move forward. The players understand what I am about and I think the [ones involved in the incidents] are as disappointed as I am that they would disappoint themselves, their families and our football program in that manner because they know better.

"When someone makes a mistake, you have to use that as an example and hope that not only teaches that individual a lesson, but the rest of the members on our football team learn from someone's mistakes."

Wannstedt said he reads news articles on almost a daily basis to his team about incidents involving players all across the country and uses those articles as a teaching tool.

He also said he has made sure his players have remained active in the community and in charity work. In coming weeks, they will volunteer at the Mel Blount Youth Home and work at a fundraiser for the Fallen Heroes Fund.

"The more you can get them out in the community to do things," Wannstedt said, "it helps support the right way to do things. Like I said, I don't tolerate these kinds of things, but I do believe they are behind us."

In addition to the discipline issues, Wannstedt has had to deal with the fact that the "recruiting fence" he has tried to build around Western Pennsylvania prospects has seemingly developed a major hole.

There have been eight players from the WPIAL this year with offers from Pitt who have already made verbal commitments, and only one of them (Penn Hills' Aaron Donald) has committed to the Panthers.

Worse for Pitt, five recruits have committed to Penn State, including two players with deep Pitt ties -- Fox Chapel's Miles Dieffenbach (his father is Pitt's tennis coach) and North Allegheny's Tom Ricketts (his dad is a former Pitt player).

Wannstedt said he's confident the Panthers will have a great recruiting class by February. This week, the Panthers will hold two more prospect camps and he expects the total number of players to come through to be about 650, which is far more than they have had in the past.

"If you think about, we had about 50 or 60 kids at our prospect camps," Wannstedt said.

"So we're making a lot of progress in that area. And at this point, we are way ahead in recruiting than we have been -- at this point the last few years there were probably 40 kids I was comfortable offering a scholarship to -- right now, I'd say we are at about 75.

"We are further ahead with quality names at every position and more players come through here than at any point since I have been here. We're banging heads with the top programs for kids and there will be some wins and losses. We believe we have the best program in the country, but it may not be for everyone.

"But we're going to get our share of guys, and they are going to be great players who are going to be excited about winning and being a part of Pitt football."

NOTES -- Wannstedt said that the careers of defensive end Doug Fulmer (knee) and tight end John Pelusi (shoulder) are over due to their injuries. Both will remain involved with the team in various capacities and work on their graduate degrees. ... Wannstedt said that the only incoming recruit who is still in doubt due to academics is Beaver Falls' Todd Thomas, who is in summer school. If Thomas doesn't become eligible, he will likely head to Milford Academy for prep school for a year.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09168/977855-233.stm

[Bullpride08]

this is going to be a tough game

It always has been since Wanny has been there because he plays tough, disciplined D.  We're 2 and 2 since his arrival.  The big question for them is they're desperate for a QB to step up, Stull has shown nothing...and losing Shady McCoy who single handedly beat us last year will be a test especially with the two top gainers behind him Stephen-Howlings, and Condredge Collins also graduating along with three OL...oh and McKillop who was a Bulls killer. 

Tough game, but they're struggling to find a competent RB, and QB and they lost a top WR to grades....so they'll have some questions that need answering going into the season again.  As I see Pitt they're the same team they've always been under Wanny- stout D, and a struggling ball control offense.  Unfortunately for them Shady McCoy and his nearly 3000 rushing yards and over 500 receiving, the past two years was the main catalyst that bailed them out most of the year last year, won't be there.  Is there a RB to help if their passing game continues to sputter?  If not then I see another 6-6 type season for Pitt.