Pitt recruiters hold their own at home

By Darrell Laurant  |   Monday, February 11, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Pittsburgh Panthers
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(First in a series on Big East 2008 recruiting classes.)

If Dave Wannstedt and his staff keep recruiting like this, one of two things are going to happen -- they'll either start winning, or they'll get fired.

The 2008 crop of 19 Panthers was Wannstedt's third consecutive strong class, all of which have been ranked in the top 25 by at least one of the major scouting services. And while this is bound to boost optimism in football-mad Western Pennsylvania, it also ratchets up the pressure on Wannstedt.

The first priority for any recruiting staff is to win at home, and Pitt accomplished that. Five-star wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin (6-foot-6, 233 pounds, 4.4-second 40-yard dash) and four-star signees Shayne Hale (LB), Cameron Saddler (athlete), Lucas Nix (OT) and Chris Burns (RB) were all from Western Pennsylvania. The biggest loss was two-way back A.J. Alexander of Altoona, who wound up signing with Florida State.

Ironically, though, the Panthers' highest-profile recruit -- Baldwin -- came at a position where Pitt is already deep. Top 2007 receivers T.J. Porter, Oderick Turner, Marcel Pestano and Cedric McGee are all back, and leading 2006 pass catcher Derek Kinder has a medical redshirt coming after blowing out his knee in fall practice last year. Nevertheless, Baldwin might be hard to keep off the field -- and with a little more weight work, he could even become a mind-blowing tight end.

Except that Pitt has already brought in 6-4, 255-pound Johnstown, Pa., moose Mike Cruz and 6-5, 251-pound Justin Virbitsky as possible replacements for the departed Darrell Strong at TE. And that's only if Nate Byham doesn't come all the way back from knee surgery.

If nothing else, the 2008 Panthers will be very scary physically for opposing defensive backs.

Junior college transfer Rob Houser, a 6-3, 285-pound brute from Butte (Junior College) who bench-presses 400 pounds could have a chance to move in immediately at center. And while Pitt lost NFL prospects Jeff Otah and Mike McGlynn on the interior line, National Signing Day put the 6-6, 300-pound Nix (brother of current Panther Nate Nix) and 6-5, 300-pound Ryan Turnley into the pipeline.

The Panthers already had three quarterbacks -- Bill Stull, Kevan Smith and Pat Bostick -- but added two more in JuCo import Greg Cross and Pittsburgh Catholic product Tino Sunseri (son of Carolina Panthers coach Sal Sunseri). Chris Burns may have a hard time competing with LeSean McCoy for touches at running back, but you have to take notice of someone who averaged 8.7 yards per rush and scored 38 touchdowns in the tough WPIAL league. And Antwaun Reed and Anthony Taglianetti (17 interceptions as a senior) will join a secondary that lost three members to graduation.

Conor Lee is solid as the Panthers' placekicker, but he'll be a senior in 2007. That's why the team brought in Kevin Harper of Mentor, OH, who nailed a 62-yarder last season and could wind up getting some kickoff work (50 touchbacks as a prep senior).

Perhaps the most intriguing import, however, is the 5-6, 160-pound Saddler, a player on the order of LSU's Trindan Holliday. An electrifying kick returner, he had six scoring returns as a junior and averaged 30 yards on kickoff returns and 25 on punt returns as a senior. With leading 2007 kickoff returner Lowell Robinson having used up his eligibility, this mighty mite could be the freshman first to see 2008 playing time.
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