Football recruiting roundup is on its way ...
Posted: February 3rd, 2005, 4:20 pm
2005 Football Recruiting Round-Up ....
The 2004-2005 recruiting season reaching an end yesterday, the WPIAL again proved to be a fertile ground for collegiate football talent. Over thirty graduating seniors and junior college transfers from WPIAL schools signed binding letters-of-intent to Division 1-A schools and scores of others to 1-AA schools.
The new-look Big East Conference was the leader in recruits in 2005 with 14. The MAC added eight WPIAL players and the Big Ten took 4.
The University of Pittsburgh put together a solid, but not strong, class this year that pulled in eight WPIAL players. Tops on the list for the Panthers are TE John Pelusi of Pittsburgh Central Catholic and QB Bill Stull of Seton-LaSalle. One of Pitt’s biggest needs may have been offensive line and the Panthers received commitments from three talented WPIAL lineman.
It was intra-state rival Penn State, though that got the best two local recruits yesterday. DB Justin King of Gateway and LB Sean Lee of Upper Saint Clair signed with the Nittany Lions and both will add to an already strong defensive unit.
Pittsburgh Central Catholic RB Eugene Jarvis signed with Akron and will join Seton-LaSalle’s Carmen Connelly (West Virginia) in skipping the 2005 season and starting with their teams in January of 2006.
Signing day facts:
Graduating class of 2005: 30 players signed with 1A schools
Nationwide: Players signed with a total of 13 different schools from Connecticut to Hawaii.
Penn State goes international: PSU got recruits from seven states, the District of Columbia and went international with Francis Claude a 6-5, 246 pound TE from Canada.
Pitt reaches out: Most of Pitt’s 24 recruits are from Pennsylvania, but they got nods from players in a total of seven states including Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia.
Streak ends: For the first time in the school’s history (18 years) Woodland Hills’ did not have a graduating senior sign with a Division 1-A or 1-AA school.
Aloha “Title Town”: Mike Washington, a 5-7, 160 pound WR from Aliquippa signed with the University of Hawaii.
Kicking for scholarships: Although it is often difficult for a placekicker to gain a full scholarship out of high school, Pat McAfee of Plum signed with West Virginia University.
WPIAL Class of 2005
Eugene Jarvis - RB - Central Catholic - Akron
Kevin Garner - DE - West Mifflin - Akron
Mick Williams - LB - Monessen - Pitt
Pat McAfee - PK - Plum - West Virginia
Mitch Morsillo - FB - Moon - Ohio
Carmen Connelly - WR - Seton-LaSalle - West Virginia
Mike Washington - WR - Aliquippa - Hawaii
C.J. Davis - OL - West Allegheny - Pitt
John Pelusi - TE - Pittsburgh Central Catholic - Pitt
Alex Karabin - OL - Greensburg Central Catholic - Air Force Academy
Keith Huebner - OL – Baldwin - Akron
Shane Steffy - OL – Riverview – Bowling Green
Bill Stull - QB - Seton LaSalle - Pitt
Josh Byrom - OL - Montour - Louisville
Justin King - DB – Gateway – Penn State
Sean Lee - DB - Upper St. Clair – Penn State
John Bachman - OL – Moon - Pitt
Joe DeSanzo - QB - Riverside - Temple
Lawrence Green - OL - McKeesport – UConn
Scott Uziel - TE - Franklin Regional - Akron
John Brown, Jr. - OL – Burrell – Pitt
Tommie Campbell - WR – Aliquippa - Pitt
Jason Kacinko - OL - Penn-Trafford - Purdue
Jeremy Bruce - RB/DB – Blackhawk – West Virginia
Ed Collington - RB - Penn Hills – West Virginia
Merce Poindexter - TE - Ellwood City - Akron
Dana Brown - RB - Clairton – Iowa
Elliot Bates - OL - Chartiers-Houston - Akron
Shane Murray – QB/SS - Pittsburgh Central Catholic - Pitt
Shane Brooks - RB – Duquesne – Pitt
Craig Bokor - LB - Valley Forge Military (Hopewell) - Pitt
"THE CHOPS".
The 2004-2005 recruiting season reaching an end yesterday, the WPIAL again proved to be a fertile ground for collegiate football talent. Over thirty graduating seniors and junior college transfers from WPIAL schools signed binding letters-of-intent to Division 1-A schools and scores of others to 1-AA schools.
The new-look Big East Conference was the leader in recruits in 2005 with 14. The MAC added eight WPIAL players and the Big Ten took 4.
The University of Pittsburgh put together a solid, but not strong, class this year that pulled in eight WPIAL players. Tops on the list for the Panthers are TE John Pelusi of Pittsburgh Central Catholic and QB Bill Stull of Seton-LaSalle. One of Pitt’s biggest needs may have been offensive line and the Panthers received commitments from three talented WPIAL lineman.
It was intra-state rival Penn State, though that got the best two local recruits yesterday. DB Justin King of Gateway and LB Sean Lee of Upper Saint Clair signed with the Nittany Lions and both will add to an already strong defensive unit.
Pittsburgh Central Catholic RB Eugene Jarvis signed with Akron and will join Seton-LaSalle’s Carmen Connelly (West Virginia) in skipping the 2005 season and starting with their teams in January of 2006.
Signing day facts:
Graduating class of 2005: 30 players signed with 1A schools
Nationwide: Players signed with a total of 13 different schools from Connecticut to Hawaii.
Penn State goes international: PSU got recruits from seven states, the District of Columbia and went international with Francis Claude a 6-5, 246 pound TE from Canada.
Pitt reaches out: Most of Pitt’s 24 recruits are from Pennsylvania, but they got nods from players in a total of seven states including Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Virginia.
Streak ends: For the first time in the school’s history (18 years) Woodland Hills’ did not have a graduating senior sign with a Division 1-A or 1-AA school.
Aloha “Title Town”: Mike Washington, a 5-7, 160 pound WR from Aliquippa signed with the University of Hawaii.
Kicking for scholarships: Although it is often difficult for a placekicker to gain a full scholarship out of high school, Pat McAfee of Plum signed with West Virginia University.
WPIAL Class of 2005
Eugene Jarvis - RB - Central Catholic - Akron
Kevin Garner - DE - West Mifflin - Akron
Mick Williams - LB - Monessen - Pitt
Pat McAfee - PK - Plum - West Virginia
Mitch Morsillo - FB - Moon - Ohio
Carmen Connelly - WR - Seton-LaSalle - West Virginia
Mike Washington - WR - Aliquippa - Hawaii
C.J. Davis - OL - West Allegheny - Pitt
John Pelusi - TE - Pittsburgh Central Catholic - Pitt
Alex Karabin - OL - Greensburg Central Catholic - Air Force Academy
Keith Huebner - OL – Baldwin - Akron
Shane Steffy - OL – Riverview – Bowling Green
Bill Stull - QB - Seton LaSalle - Pitt
Josh Byrom - OL - Montour - Louisville
Justin King - DB – Gateway – Penn State
Sean Lee - DB - Upper St. Clair – Penn State
John Bachman - OL – Moon - Pitt
Joe DeSanzo - QB - Riverside - Temple
Lawrence Green - OL - McKeesport – UConn
Scott Uziel - TE - Franklin Regional - Akron
John Brown, Jr. - OL – Burrell – Pitt
Tommie Campbell - WR – Aliquippa - Pitt
Jason Kacinko - OL - Penn-Trafford - Purdue
Jeremy Bruce - RB/DB – Blackhawk – West Virginia
Ed Collington - RB - Penn Hills – West Virginia
Merce Poindexter - TE - Ellwood City - Akron
Dana Brown - RB - Clairton – Iowa
Elliot Bates - OL - Chartiers-Houston - Akron
Shane Murray – QB/SS - Pittsburgh Central Catholic - Pitt
Shane Brooks - RB – Duquesne – Pitt
Craig Bokor - LB - Valley Forge Military (Hopewell) - Pitt
"THE CHOPS".