RELAX WANNY, IT'S ALL OVER

The Panthers got LOIs from all 24 recruits today, so the Stache can sleep a little easier tonight and let the fax machine rest for a year. The most coveted among this year's incoming haul: DL Aaron Donald, QB Anthony Gonzalez, WR Kevin Weatherspoon, DL T.J. Clemmings, and prep school athlete Todd Thomas.

As I always tell myself, recruiting rankings are always subjective, so fan bases shouldn't get too high or too low on a day like today. If I can recall, there wasn't much fanfare about a recruit named Dion Lewis last year, and that seemed to work out OK for everyone involved.

Pitt finalizes class of 24 signees [ESPN Big East Blog]

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GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS FOR PITT

I usually try to be optimistic, so let's start with the good news: yesterday, The Wannstache got a verbal commitment from QB Anthony Gonzalez, the AP Pennsylvania Player of the Year last season. The 6'2", 205-pound Gonzalez, a dual-threat, ran for 1,697 yards and completed 114 of 206 passes for 1,570 yards at Bethlehem Liberty HS, where he won a PIAA Class AAAA state championship.

Gonzalez had scholarship offers from Penn State, Florida State, Oregon and Maryland, among others, even going as far as attending the dramatic Florida State-Miami game on Labor Day. I can only assume someone distracted him during the Pitt home opener when their current quarterback was booed so quickly by his own fans. Wouldn't want the kid to know what he's in for if he's not perfect. But good luck to Gonzalez (currently nursing a torn meniscus that will sideline him for 2-3 weeks) and congrats to Wanny on a nice recruit.

Now on to the bad news. When it rains, it pours for the Pitt men's basketball program. Things just haven't gone well since the season ended so abruptly against Villanova in the Elite Eight. Dejuan Blair and Sam Young were both drafted well below their projected slots. Gilbert Brown, recipient of the team's Academic Excellence Award last season, was ironically placed on academic suspension and will probably not return until late December. And now, injuries have reared their ugly head.

Shooting guard Jermaine Dixon, a starter last season, might miss eight weeks with a fractured fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot. It's the same type of injury that plagued Levance Fields the past two seasons.

Dixon's status for the November 13 opener against Wofford is up in the air, but he should be healthy shortly thereafter, at least if the eight weeks calculation is correct. He averaged 8.4 points per game for the Panthers last year. He will be replaced in the lineup by either Brad Wanamaker or Ashton Gibbs at shooting guard in his absence. And in closing, I would recommend that no one take Jamie Dixon with them to Vegas in the near future, because his luck has been horrible.

Recruiting: Panthers land dual-threat QB [PG]
Shooting guard Dixon might miss 8 weeks [PG]

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