NY Running Back down to Pitt/PSU

[Nets77]

Tough loss for PSU on Henry. I personally think he will choose WVU. He graded his visit to Pitt a D. That can't be good, but you never know with these recruits.

Also, Ollison has stated that he IS going to take all of his visits, so him commitment could change. Nothing is a guarantee until signing day. PSU commit Mark Allen is just coming back from a knee injury, some teams may have backed off, and may offer depending on how his season goes.

[Crimson's Ghost]

Henry has a great relationship with Pitt's staff. He allegedly rated Pitt's secondary's performance a D, not the overall experience. Henry's recruitment is strange, the kids that run the WPIAL Insider Preps.com have pumped out tons of rumors and info, but not one thing directly from Henry. They use their "sources" and talk to Henry's dad apparently. Dravon has been very quiet on a personal level. History tells us Aliquippa kids tend to wait on their commitment until after the season. History also shows Aliquippa kids like Pitt. We have to remember WVU might have 4 wins this season as well. They will get lit up by OK State and others. They did play "welll at OU, but they still lost. I like Pitt's chances with Henry, and he would be a game changer for Pitt's recruiting. If they can land Davis,Nicholson, and Henry. That would be outstanding landing 3 of the better DB recruits in the Northeast

[Crimson's Ghost]

Some think Pitt's secondary under performing could help. They can pitch the immediate playing time angle. And if you don't like the feel at State College, Morgantown doesn't even compare to Happy Valley. So that could play in. Pitt can also sell the Aliquippa pipeline of Looke at Revis and Baldwin (last two Quips upper recruits). Tey came to Pitt, played immediately and became first round picks. Pitt has some nice advantages over WVU in a lot of regards. Another thing to note, leaning Henry gives you a heads up on Jordan Whithead, the top junior in the WPIAL. The two are reportedly great friends.

[KirkHerbstreit]

Actually it would seem its more down to Pitt and WVU for Dravon Henry. That bit of news coming from Penn State's rivals' writer who was informed Henry was no longer interested. His reasoning? He said he was not fond of State College.

Pitt has also found good standing with Anthony Davis and Montae Nicholson of Gateway in recent weeks, another plus sign.




Ollison is a nice back, and I'm excited about his ability. Like I've said, CJ Leggett, Chris James, and Shai McKenzie are still put there, and I believe that is Pitt's top target.



It is interesting Penn State has two running backs, and one is the number 10 "ALL PURPOSE BACK" so he is NOT the 10th best RB in the country. Nick Scott's only other offer is Boston College according to Rivals, and Mark Allen's only other offer is Temple. Those are Penn State's running back recruits this class, I'll take Ollison and his 10 plus BCS offers personally.

Crimson I really don't think you want to compare offer sheets of committs between Pitt and Penn State. Ollison is the first recruiting battle Pitt has won against Penn State. Being rated a top 10 All Purpose back is a lot batter than being ranked "NR" as most of Pitts recruits are with offers from MAC and IVY league teams. I don't view Ollison as a loss for Penn State, because they have 2 backs already in the fold. RB is a much less signifigant position of need for Penn State based on the offense they run.

Henry would be the first recruit Penn State lost to Pitt that I wanted to see them get. That said, we have heard your predictions for Pitt recruits before, so I'd say it's safe to assume 2 of the 3 you mentioned will be elsewhere.

[Crimson's Ghost]

That's all well and good. I was just merely pointing out Penn State does not have the 10th rated running back in the country as it was stated previously. I agree Ollison doesn't fit their style as much, but he is a better prospect than the two the have, that's all I was saying. Pitt is in the running for basically their top 8 prospects to this point; minus Keller Chryst and Chase Winnovich. Yeah they lost out on a few to PSU, but nobody at the tip top of the board. PSU has a nice class going if they plan to play 7 on 7's next year. Seriously not a dig, where are the linemen?

[Nets77]

My source state Henry rated his Pitt visit as a D, I'll go with that, as this source has provided me with very reliable info in the past on recruits.

Recruiting rankings are joke and offer lists are too. A lot of these guys don't play the same position in HS as they will in college. Others will change positions when they arrive on campus. It is all a matter of having the staff to develop the prospect and the level of competition they play against in HS. Sure it's nice seeing you team high in the recruiting rankings, but look at Boise State.

[KirkHerbstreit]

No Offense Crimson, but based on Pitt's past on the field and off the field performances, how many of these players do you see going to Pitt? Not very many.

I have heard a lot of expert Pitt fans bust on Bill O'Briens recruiting stating he has no Offensive Lineman in this class. Penn State has plenty of lineman around next year. The year after they do not. Maybe it is possible Bill O'brien doesn't write for Cardiachill and actually coaches football and knows what he is doing? Maybe all 15 recruits next year will be offensive and defensive lineman and will committ because there is an immediate opportunity to start. Based on what we seen of the 2 coaches recruiting thus far, I'd be a lot more worried about Paul "Ya Know" Chryst than Bill O'brien.

[Nets77]

BOB knows what he is doing as far as recruiting. Sure, they don't have an OL in this class, but we're not sure what he has as far as freshman, RS Freshman, and walk-ons. He has a plan and I'm confident he'll do just fine recruiting.

[Crimson's Ghost]

I could see them getting as many as 6 of those guys, and as few as one. Look I've never said Paul Chryst is some great coach/recruiter. I have my doubts. I can't say his style and approach won't work, since it's way too early yet. I do appreciate the positions he is stockpiling, because it fits what he is preaching. Again, I have the two of you telling my O'Brien is doing great and can do no wrong. I just posed a counter theory that maybe he isn't doing a good job. And the only thing you have told me is "O'Brien knows what he is doing" I'll just accept that I guess?

[KirkHerbstreit]

I have never stated or seen anyone state he can do no wrong. The bottom line is that he is doing an amazing job for the hand he was dealt. How do I know that? Well, Pitt fans who laughed at the hire would be rejoicing if he left for the NFL. Penn State fans who did not want him as a hire will have a hard time finding anywhere near a better representative for the university.


Do you have any idea the momentum Penn State would be building if they weren't on Sanctions? They would be on their way to becoming a permanent fixture in the top 10. Here is a list of players who committed to Bill O'Brien with turmoil at Penn State then decomitted after the sanctions. CB Ross Douglas MICH, DL Greg Webb UNC, OL Dorian Johnson PITT, WR Zack Bradshaw VA, WR Will Fuller ND. Tyler Boyd is said to have been favoring PSU at the time of the sanctions as well as a receiver who went to North Carolina.

Unbelievably he was able to keep 2 5 star recruits at a university where you can't win Big 10 titles, National Titles, or Bowl Games. Players were free to leave without penalty. Few did.

In my opinion, O'Brien will leave after this year, but few will understand the impact he had on keeping these sanctions from destroying Penn State. They would have destroyed most other Universities.