The BCS Triangle: Wannstedt holding his own in recruiting
The BCS Triangle: Wannstedt holding his own in recruiting
Despite the presence of three Bowl Championship Series winners from
last season in his own back yard Wannstedt doesn't feel like a loser
on the recruiting trail.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When second-year Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt hit the road to recruit
last May, he received the kind of royal treatment usually reserved
for dignitaries at almost every stop along the way.
But he had yet to coach a game, so his success and his reception was
largely because of his strength as a recruiter and his ability to
sell his vision of making the Panthers national title contenders
once again.
The result was Pitt's best recruiting class in at least two decades.
As a bonus, Wannstedt renewed many ties between the university and
the community and established the Panthers as a force not only in
Western Pennsylvania, but also in the eastern and central parts of
the state as well.
Wannstedt has been on the road again this May, and this time the
situation is much different.
The Panthers are coming off a losing season, and Wannstedt must deal
with the fact that three of the four BCS winners -- Penn State, West
Virginia and Ohio State -- are within three hours of Pitt's campus.
Conventional wisdom would hold that Wannstedt has little chance of
duplicating last year's success. But Wannstedt, based on his
experiences thus far, disagrees. He said if anything his chances for
success are even better this year than they were last year for
several reasons. The biggest one being that he has a much better
understanding of what it is he is trying to sell.
Pitt's losing record has not been an issue, he said, because people
understand the roster has some holes that need to be filled, which
the team's struggles clearly highlight.
"Last year, we were selling dreams and frankly didn't fully know
what we were dealing with because we were new," Wannstedt said. "And
people also know now that we really do mean business. They see we
are genuine and they respect our work ethic. They see we really have
made a commitment, especially in Pennsylvania, and they are more
excited about what we're doing now then they were last year because
it is real.
"I can say this with all honesty -- the reception for us has been
even better this year than it was last. We're going to get six or
seven more commitments heading into the fall and we'll be off and
running again."
While Wannstedts' track record of success as a recruiter is hard to
argue with, there are a few signs that his second time around won't
be as easy.
Wannstedt and the Panthers did well in recruiting in Pennsylvania
last season and got just about every top athlete they wanted,
particularly from the western part of the state.
But within the past two weeks, two top players from Western
Pennsylvania -- Hampton's Steve Paskorz (Notre Dame) and Seneca
Valley's Donny Barclay (West Virginia) -- chose to go elsewhere, and
tackle Josh Marks, who is from Southern Columbia in Central
Pennsylvania, picked Penn State over Pitt.
There are a number of other top players from the area mulling offers
from Pitt, but the Panthers will have to battle to get any one of
them.
Wannstedt said recruiting battles are nothing new, it's all part of
the process. Plus, the Panthers have a limited number of
scholarships to give, so they must be a little more selective about
who they take because of the holes they have to fill.
"Ultimately, our record or our rivals' records is not an issue
because our program is still being established," Wannstedt said. "We
are going to battle Penn State, we are going to battle Ohio State,
Notre Dame, West Virginia -- we are going to battle those schools
for recruits no matter what. That's not going to change.
"We are going to have another excellent recruiting class, I'm not
even concerned about it. We are off to a good start and people need
to realize we're not going to get every kid."
To Wannstedt's credit, the three commitments he has picked up have
been from players ranked among the top 25 in the state -- Keystone
Oaks offensive guard Chris Jacobson, who is one of the state's top-
rated linemen, the state's top-rated quarterback in Manheim's Pat
Bostick and Perry defensive back Jared Williams.
Wannstedt also is being very proactive to maintain the Panthers'
recruiting momentum and the enthusiasm surrounding the program,
which remains very high. That's a big reason he spent the spring
evaluation period -- coaches get four weeks in the spring to
evaluate prospects -- on the road with his assistant coaches.
Most head coaches, especially those at established programs, stay
home in the spring, saving their road trips until later in the year
when they are able to make school and home visits with prospects.
Wannstedt, however, believes the work he does on the road in the
spring is building a foundation for another successful signing day
for the Panthers.
"I need to be out on the road right now to help get things
established," he said. "A few years down the road, once we get
things up and running like we want it to be, like we know it will
be, maybe I sit back a bit and do it the way other head coaches do
it.
"But I just don't think it would be fair for me to push my
assistants out the door and make them do the hard work of rebuilding
things. I want to be there to help. I also never get tired of
selling people on our great city and our great university.
"I am far more excited about our future now than I ever was at any
point last year."
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The BCS Triangle: Wannstedt holding his own in recruiting
