Signing Day

[abpk2903]

I don't follow recruiting near as closely as some of our users. On signing day, I do tend to look at it a little closer. For those that keep a closer eye on it, please fill us in on any surprises and such. I heard Penn State could take 1-2 more. What about Pitt? Also, I heard that the Blue Chip OT Damien Prince out of MD has warmed slightly to the Nittany Lions. Any truth behind this?

[KirkHerbstreit]

Penn State' class is basically complete. Lloyd Tubman, who decommitted from Vandy and committed to Penn State, sounds like he is going to end up at Kentucky. Penn State picked up another Defensive back last night (3 star from Alabama) and offered a DE/LB from Bama today to replace Tubman named Torrence Brown.

Penn State's class is ranked 20 on Rivals, 19 on Scout, 21st on 247 sports.
Wr's, TE, DB, and Safety are the strengths of the class.
OL, DL, and LB are the weakness of the class.
Damian Prince will commit to Maryland or Florida tomorrow. I think PSU is out of the picture.
If Torrence Brown does not commit, it will leave PSU with 1 scholarship.
Kids I am most excited to see play....Saeed Blacknall WR, Koa Farmer S, Mike Geseki TE, Chris Godwin WR, Amani Oruwariye DB.
Biggest Loss : Thomas Holley - 5star DT

From Rivals : http://BWI.RIVALS.COM

Name Pos Stars Position Rank
Tarow Barney DE 3 NR
Michael O'Connor QB 4 7
De'Andre Thompkins WR 4 40
Antoine White DT 3 37
Chasz Wright OL 3 NR
Marcus Allen DB 3 NR
Mark Allen RB 2 NR
Troy Apke WR 3 73
Noah Beh DE 3 27
Saeed Blacknall WR 4 32
Brendan Brosnan OL 3 NR
Jason Cabinda LB 3 NR
Christian Campbell DB 3 NR
Koa Farmer ATH 4 21
Mike Gesicki TE 4 10
Chris Godwin WR 4 21
Grant Haley DB 3 51
Trace McSorley ATH 3 50
Amani Oruwariye DB 3 61
Troy Reeder LB 3 32
Nick Scott RB 3 10
Chance Sorrell OL 3 64
Johnathan Thomas RB 3 39
Daquan Worley DB 3 53

[DragonsDoExist]

Great work Herbie!

[Nets77]

That is a pretty good class considering the coaching change and short period of time the new staff had to recruit. Anxious to see how Franklin's team does on the field, he has delivered off the field so far.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Pitt ranking 23 to 1 by me on Cardiachill.com

http://www.cardiachill.com/pitt-recruit ... h-panthers


#41 on Rivals, 42 on 24/7, 41 on Scout

Hanging around 7th or 8th in the ACC.

[KirkHerbstreit]

Crimson, any thoughts on this years class? or Chryst's recruiting ability?

If I were a Pitt fan, I'd be excited about the numbers of potentially good lineman they have lined up the past 2 years. I don't think Bisnowaty or Johnson played well last year, but they were young and Grimm and Bookser are very big. Would have loved to see PSU get either. I think James looks like a good back. I think Pitt fans will want him to replace Connor pretty quickly. Connor strikes me as a back that runs well against teams that are overmatched. Not so well against others. Pitt should move him to DE, IMO. The rest of the class looks like a lot of reaches, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I think Pitt will regret losing Freebeck, not because he will be a great one, but more because of depth. If Voytik gets hurt next year, you will have Trey Anderson or a True Freshman who played low level football in Ohio.


This class and the next will be critical to the start of the PSU-Pitt series in 2016.

[Crimson's Ghost]

I have a different read on Conner, and I think he is going to be a very good player for this team. Wisconsin's banner season for running the ball was in 2010 when Chryst was the OC for the Badgers. White 156 carries,Clay 187, Ball 163. So in a perfect world for where this offense is run correctly, you are going to need 2-3 reliable backs, and Conner certainly fits that bill as one of them.

I will say this about Chryst, he is good at finding guys that maybe others overlook, and I think that fits in well with what they are trying to do, all the while getting the best lineman in the state typically. I think Pitt's line in the next 2-3 years will start to pick up.

A few names I really like from this class that maybe float under the radar....

1. Mike Herndon 6-4 325 DT - Played MLB and FB in High School and moves reallllly well on film for an interior defensive lineman. Of all the defensive recruits in this class, I think he's a pretty good one.

2. Avonte Maddox 5-8 160 ATH - I'm not sure if he will play offense or defense, but he was the fastest player in the state of Michigan last year. I think he makes an impact at the return game, and maybe a slot receiver. He's fun to watch.

3. James Folston 6-3 205 LB - Folston's Dad played in the league, Folston played for a power HS in Florida. I think a 2 star in Florida is worth more than it is up here. The ACC style will need a lot more athletes at the LB positions, and Folston could find a role due to his speed.

I don't think Chrsyt does a great job, but he does not do as bad of a job as some like to think he is doing. Wisconsin been to more Rose Bowls recently than PSU and Michigan with far less star power on their team. I think Pitt is trying to mimic that to a degree. I think it's going to take time in certain areas more than others, but I am really excited about where this offense can be next year and beyond. The defense is still in question, but with any rebuilding job, Chryst is adding bulk first. We'll see how it translates.



I think Pitt is off to a good start to next year. Paulina is a good lineman, Bowers is a good under the radar guy with size. Pitt won't get the stars PSU ever does, and that may not appease the physco Pitt fans, but I think Chryst will get the guys that fit his style first.

[Crimson's Ghost]

As far as the Dominate the State stuff, I think both Chryst and Franklin understand that's not the way to go. Pitt's class is represented by 10 states, and PSU 14 i think? Both programs are wise to not classes dominated by Pennsylvania, because the talent is not here to complete supply both schools and the out of state poaches like WVU and OSU.


I know Franklin was on his world tour with a lot of fan fare in the past few weeks, but Chryst was also touring through the Jersey, Virginia, Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida at the same time. Smart for both coaches to get out and sell themselves and programs to other states.

[KirkHerbstreit]

I think a lot of Pitt fans think James Franklin wants to get 8 or 9 guys from Pittsburgh and if Pitt gets 11, then he didn't dominate the state. That isn't the case at all. What does Franklin want? He wants a Tyler Boyd, Terrell Pryor, Dorian Johnson, Nicholson, Henry, etc to end up at Penn State. He wants the best in Philly, the best in Pittsburgh, the best in DC, the best in Jersey. Will this happen all the time? No. But, if you win more of those battles than you lose you end up with really good team. James Franklin did not mean he wants to dominate Pitt. He wants that to be a no brainer. If you think he is setting his sites on a team that finishes 40th in recruiting and 9th in the ACC, then he isn't doing his job. Dominate the State is a mentality he is trying to build. Much like an Ohio kid who dreams of playing at Ohio State and not Cincinnati. He wants to pick the best kids in the region. It won't work all the time. There are kids who want to stay home, like an urban campus, etc. That being said, with the facilities, fanbase, tradition, and relentless recruiting it should happen much more than it has been.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Didn't know you were inside Franklin's head, but thanks for explaining what he meant.

But seriously, my point was both coaches are smart enough to know Pennsylvania isn't that talented to fully support both programs. I was merely pointing out that PSU fans (like the way you are implying things) think Pitt is fiddling away in Pittsburgh trying to lock down the WPIAL, when in reality, Chryst was down South for a week making in-roads elsewhere. Like when James Franklin was at Woodland Hills, Chryst was at a school in Florida. Both making their rounds.


Dominating the State was a little propaganda campaign that made PSU fans think James Franklin is some messiah, and Pitt thought he was making a jab. Fans from both sides took it a little out of context. Coaches say things in press conferences just to get people fired up, it wasn't much more than that. It was "Coach Speak" I think we all realize that.