As stated a few posts down, the biggest news on National Letter of Intent Day for the Pitt Panthers was OC Matt Cavanaugh taking a job with the New York Jets. That's one less person Panther fans have to kick around. But the Panthers did sign some players - 20 of them, in fact - to their 2009 recruiting class.
Here's the highlights, from Pitt's official release:
Pitt's 2009 class includes:
· Four players named All-Americans by national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, including tight end Brock DeCicco (Thomas Jefferson), defensive lineman Tyrone Ezell (Steel Valley), defensive lineman Jack Lippert (Central Dauphin) and wide receiver Todd Thomas (Beaver Falls).
· A total of six players named All-Americans by either PrepStar or SuperPrep recruiting annuals, including linebacker Dan Mason (Penn Hills), who was honored by both publications.
· Nine players who earned Associated Press All-State honors in Pennsylvania. Todd Thomas was named AP All-State each of the last three years at Beaver Falls -- and at three different positions (receiver, running back and defensive back).
· Five of the top 12 prospects in Pennsylvania according to Rivals.com, the most of any school.
· Five players from New Jersey high schools, the Panthers' most signees from the Garden State since the mid-1980s. The group is led by PrepStar All-America all-purpose back Ray Graham (Elizabeth).
It wasn't the sexiest recruiting class in Wannstache history, but then again, it wasn't bad, either. Scout ranked the Panthers 28th, with zero five-stars and five four-stars. The highest in the Big East was WVU at 23, the lowest being Syracuse at 94. The Big East was ranked sixth among conferences. Rivals.com had Pitt ranked 47th.
It's also important to remember that these rankings are not scientific and are many times influenced by what school is recruiting a player. If a guy is being wooed by smaller schools and suddenly gets noticed by Urban Meyer, his stock is going to rise. And also remember that a good class ranking does not guarantee on-field success, unless I missed Charlie Weis coaching in the BCS Championship game the last few years. In short, don't get too whipped up about today's news one way or the other.
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