in ACC, Pitt Football, Pitt POV, Players, Podcasts, Recruiting, Statistics, Writing 434 Words

Pitt POV Sunday Podcast; July 31

Sunday’s Pitt POV Podcast:

 

Sorry about the abrupt ending there – must have hit the wrong button.  Here is the remainder of the Podcast:

Two Pitt Players Named to All-ACC Team
Pitt offensive lineman Dorian Johnson and defensive end Ejuan Price were voted to the preseason all-ACC team, the conference announced Wednesday.

Johnson, a Belle Vernon graduate, has started 27 consecutive games and enters his senior season as a pillar on an offensive line that is expected to be among the conference’s best. Price, a Woodland Hills graduate, rejuvenated an injury-riddled career last season with 48 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks on his way to earning first-team all-ACC honors.

OUR NEW PUNTER:

Upon visiting the United States this month, his good fortune continued when Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi offered him a scholarship to be the team’s next punter. He quickly accepted.

“If they ask me to jump,” Christodoulou said, “I’ll say, ‘How high?’ ”

Christodoulou, who graduated from Balwyn High School in Melbourne last year with a 3.62 GPA, hopes to enroll at Pitt in January when he will become the school’s first Australian-born football player in anyone’s memory. He is part of a huge wave of Australian athletes who grew up playing Australian Rules Football and now find themselves on U.S. college campuses or NFL teams, becoming part of a game they usually only watch back home on pay TV.

Australians have won the past three Ray Guy Awards, given annually to the best punter in college football. Utah’s Tom Hackett won it in 2014 and ’15 and is with the New York Jets. Memphis’ Tom Hornsey was the 2013 winner.

PITT 3rd in preseason PollWhatever…

Pitt Self-Reported NCAA Violations Long Ago

PITTSBURGH — The NCAA accused the University of Pittsburgh of 15 recruiting violations in football and one in basketball, and the Big East school said Friday it planned to cooperate with investigators.

Mark Jones, a director of enforcement for the NCAA, confirmed a letter of inquiry had been sent to Pitt but declined to comment on specifics.

Athletic Director Oval Jaynes said the 15 violations against the football program were self-reported by Pitt last May, some as violations and others as possible violations.

The school said then that staff members under former coach Mike Gottfried and former AD Edward Bozik broke NCAA rules by giving football players money, meals and clothing and giving recruits limousine rides and deluxe hotel rooms.

Peak’s Podcast

22 thoughts on “Pitt POV Sunday Podcast; July 31”

  1. Reed, let me tell you first hand, the upgraded facilities definitely cater to the student athlete life, not just an athlete. I think you’ll definitely agree.

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  2. 3 star cornerback Josiah Scott from Fairfield Ohio will make his decision today at 5 pm.

    I’m pretty sure it’s down to Pitt and Michigan St. The Spartans got in the picture late, offering a scholarship just a couple weeks ago.

    So far Narduzzi has been very successful recruiting Ohio and hopefully that continues. Before Michigan St got in the picture I was pretty positive Pitt was it for Scott. Not so sure now. Going by what I’ve read and gut instinct I think he chooses Michigan St.

    Also lost out to Maryland on talented lineman Johnny Jordan this weekend. Duzz is in a bit of a slump recruiting and while it’s good to have these talented kids interested in your program, you have to win some of these battles. Hopefully today is one of those victories. We shall see around 5 pm today…

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  3. I hear ya especially on the incoming QB’s and how Thomas MacVittie didn’t have a ton of offers. And I agree with you as you mentioned this clearly —> it’s because he played only one season at QB as a senior after being a role-playing Wideout, dutifully helping his team.

    By the time Thomas MacVittie took his first snap as a High School Quarterback, 95% of the offers offerted to Quarterbacks from Power 5 programs had already been out on the table for months, maybe years. Many if not most “highly ranked” QB’s had already months before Thomas MacVittie ever committed. Look at Pitt’s Quarterback recruit this year! Offered awhile ago and already committed, months before his Senior year even starts!

    MacVittie’s highlights are epic, playing as high of level competition week-out as any High School QB in the nation:
    http://www.hudl.com/video/3/1825013/5721d4b1c124573b547c95be

    He played at the Elite level of Ohio High School football, and I don’t think any quarterback’s high school highlights can get any more fantastic than this. MacVittie is flipping balls on the run 30+ yards past the line of scrimmage with a flick of his wrist. Let’s be happy here and not so suspicious, Pitt got one Heckuva steal!!! Urban Meyer’s gonna be punching through his windshield and firing his assistants for how the heck they let MacVittie just slip away!

    “Dark Knight’s” QB Breakdowns: Sorry Reed I strongly think you’re being wayyy to bullish on Nate Peterman and his Arm Talent. For example, I thought and said that Chad Voytik objectively should not have a Power 5 football scholarship. Now, I’m saying that the most any Pitt fan can reasonably expect of Nate Peterman is for him to be Pitt Football’s Bill Stull – redux (could be way worse, how bout a Tino Sunseri redux?).

    It’s not fair to put unfair expectations on Nathan Peterman this year. He can help push the sled with a great Oline and great playcalling from Matt Canada…..but he doesn’t have either the arm talent or great athleticism to drag the entire load by himself. Even if you feel like he does have the pure arm strength (I personally felt like his balls float unless he has a huge pocket to step into a throw), I don’t feel confident in his accuracy unless he has a pristine pocket to throw out of.

    But back to you thinking about Bo Schneider actually being brought in to compete for a starting job…..though this is all way in advance —- I truly feel that Thomas Macvittie will be an absolute Star at the University of Pittsburgh for at least 2 seasons, where he can potentially leave early for the NFL. He already has an almost NFL body.

    Tangent>>>>>>>
    ____________________________________________________________________________________
    Funny note (using 24/7 rankings):

    I feel no shame / trepidation in already making this comparison to Pitt fans/supporters:

    Marcus Mariota / Class of 2011 / St. Louis High School, Honolulu, HI

    6’4” , 190 3* , #519 overall recruit, *** 18th-ranked dual threat QB in nation ***
    *2 Scholarship offers — Oregon, Memphis. Signed with Oregon…..rest was history — started as a R.S. Freshman

    http://247sports.com/Player/Marcus-Mariota-7219?PlayerInstitution=2229

    Thomas MacVittie / Class of 2016 / Archbishop Moeller, Cincinnati, OH

    6’4” , 210 3* #435 Overall recruit, ***18th ranked dual threat QB in nation ***
    5 scholarship offers —- PITT, Cincinnati, Miami (OH), Toledo, Ohio. Signed with Pitt —- rest is soon-to-be history 🙂 🙂

    http://247sports.com/player/thomas-macvittie-38132

    If that comparison sounds asinine, I’m just saying I get strong intuitions on peoples’ Abilities /+ Character and I think MacVittie is a young guy who will blow the roof-off the Pitt offense come his R.S. Freshman year.
    ____________________________________________________________________________________
    >>>>>>Tangent Over

    ——– P.S. on your wide receiver talk, I frankly think in press coverage against even average CB’s Dontez Ford and Challingsworth will get totally-stuffed at the line. Those 2 are possession receiver “Role Players”, and they’re very limited athletically. Tough, give-it-their-all guys, but in the end they’re slow twitch athletes. And all of our other quicker-twitch wide receivers who have decent athleticism and speed are smallish slot guys. This is important to your point on why Pitt fans are so desperate for Jester Weah:

    It is definitely hoping for the best-case-scenario: But the reason everyone is pushing so hard for Jester Weah is simply that he is a physical and athletic specimen who is vastly superior to all of the other split-out wide receivers on this roster. It would be a complete game changer for this upcoming season if Weah can get-on with Peterman and finally fulfill his promise. I’m talking Bill Stull to Jon Baldwin level potential if Weah steps up. Heck, Jester Weah is almost as tall and powerful as Jon Baldwin too, except with sprinter’s speed.

    If Jester Weah comes-on and gets that confidence under the lights — he can do everything for Matt Canada’s offense. He has the game breaking speed to blow tops off of defenses. He can take bubble screens to the house if he secures the darn ball. Plus he’s a huge, 6’3” 220lb specimen who can fight for balls in the air.

    But, alas, if it doesn’t click with him it is what it is. But that’s a monster issue to pay attention to come Fall Camp, how Weah asserts himself in the first team and his chemistry with Nate P. Only ONE WEEK AWAY 🙂 🙂 🙂

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  4. @Pap i agree with you on Scott. 4 weeks ago, thought he was coming our way. My gut feel is that he chooses MSU but it wouldn’t shock me if he comes our way. We are in a little bit of a recruiting slump, if I’m not mistaken, a little over a month since our last verbal. We need some playmakers on offense. Maybe we should pull a Franklin and start complaining about negative recruiting.

    It seemed to work for him with about 5 verbals in the last 10 days or so. I kid i kid….that was a complete punk move by Franklin and their AD. If Meyer and Dantonio get the chance they are going to run up the scoreboard big time against Franklin this year.

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  5. So the dairy college brought in a safety from Charleston, WV. My cousins son has been a starter on that team for two years and is pretty confident that trouble will find that young man unless he turns his life around. Disinterested in school, likes to party and feels entitled.

    As far as Scott is concerned, I think he picks Pitt. The sell is that why go to a defense that Narduzzi built and others are trying to continue instead of going with the man himself as Conner Cook says.

    Also, I think Lamont Wade waited to long for an OSU verbal. His handlers need to start doing what’s best for him or he will end up at WVU, where a new head coach is not out of the question next year. He needs to go to offense (slot receiver) if his height is truly 5’9″. Slot receiver in college and on defense, I would use him as a nickel back in college.

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  6. I have disabled the “nested replies” function – which means that only original comments will be shown like we had it on the Pitt Blather.

    That means if you want to address what someone commented about you’d start your new comments with “@Reed” or … “Hey Reed, you are stupid…” instead of hitting the reply button and keeping all the thoughts together.

    Let me know which you guys like better – not hard to change it back.

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  8. Reed my thoughts to Ellicot (sp) 3 years ago my wife and I were seriously flooded 70k damages to 120k house. Without friends volunteering help it would have been overwhelming. Advice to those going through it – one thing at a time, one day at a time. That and expect to fight with insurance and FEMA.
    You get more comfortable with each podcast..Honorable mention to your daughter for her help..

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  9. I hope you’re right about the wr’s but i have to disagree. Im not saying theyre bad but simply they are unknown (except ford). Im also of the opinion that the runningacks need to be used as much as possible, often in the passing game. We have a bunch of good rb’s and a bunch of ?’s at wr, so no sense in keeping guys like ibrahim & moss on the bench if theyre capable of producing.

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  11. Reed were due to get a few commitments soon. Our coaching staff has worked hard this year and know what fits their system best. It all works out by February. Our number one concern today is getting this years team ready for a very tuff schedule I like our coaching staff Andy the hard work and dedication. I also like the support they are getting from administration. I listened to Chris’s podcast and he offers a lot of insight Between your posting and his we the fans are getting some great Pitt information in football. Keep up the good work and Thank you

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  12. DB Josh Scott from OH commits to MSU. I’d rather Pitt snag Lamont Wade from Clairton.

    HTP!

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  13. @Huff Narduzzi is not the only coach in America that knows something about defense. Dantonio knows a thing or two as well. He was a big time DC before leading Cinci and MSU. If Narduzzi walked on water we would be bringing in 5 star defensive players. We’re not. Lots of good coaches/recruiters around.

    @Erie I don’t see Wade coming our way either

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  15. BJ- All three and four star recruits get recruited by good recruiters. We win some, we lose some. Not so sure that I said our coach is the only one that knows a thing or two about defense. I keep thinking back to Nickerson and Narduzzi sweeping in and going over game film to sway that commitment to MSU, not Dantonio. I referenced the Conner Cook / Gruden camp video when he indicated that Narduzzi found him and recruited him. Called him “the man”. MSU was late to the dance, so to me, it was a quick trigger. It’s early. Time will tell.We have some strong db’s in the stable and one more would be nice.

    Reed, good pod. An insider look at Pitt support staff would be interesting. I can tell you that our support staff is on par with other power5 teams, so I don’t see that as a win for our athletes during recruiting. I think it is more of a “push”. Compliance University is the name of the game from a support standpoint. Look, Syracuse and north Carolina had all the bells and whistles too. The issue is what really happens behind the scenes and candidly, we won’t see that.

    I still get asked whether a Sandusky situation could happen across the Big and at Pitt. My response is that despite all your compliance and coaches training, etc., it could happen at any campus tomorrow. A background check wouldn’t have caught Sandusky. It only takes a couple scoundrels to implode the status quo, see Baylor as most recent issue. If they are covering up third party sexual assaults, what do you think is happening with first party education? Good luck getting an answer to that question and then good luck getting people to believe it. I like Bostick and I like you (not in an awkward way). So much is controlled by a select few that do not share outside their circle. Bostick is not inner circle to what really goes on. The inner circle is typically the head coach, the AD (sometimes), the President…..and sometimes a Board member. That’s it.

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  16. Erie, not sure how BIG that Butler commitment is. His only other big 5 offer was from NC State. Only had 10 catches last year as a secondary target to their big TE that committed to Michigan.

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  17. jrnpitt – BIG as in size – 6’3″ 205lbs – seems very athletic with 4.55 speed in the 40. Plays for a run dominated team that is not only a FL power, but a nationally ranked team as well. His HS coach says he is a very high character guy who is very mature on & off the field.

    This team still has many needs and holes to fill – I say welcome Mr. Dontavius Butler – we’re glad you committed.

    HTP!

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  18. here is what his HS coach said of Butler … “His best strength is his character. Yes, he has great physical strength and plays with great intensity, but his best attribute is his character. One other thing about Dontarius, he has great hands. He doesn’t catch the ball, he snatches it,” said Perez.

    (from Pittsburgh Sports Now)

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  20. Bj – our WR corps old now and you see it when you look at the roster. OF the ‘established’ WRs we have populating the two-deep you’ll see that 3 out of 4 are SRs and JRs. Here is the current preseason two-deep:

    19 Dontez Ford 6-2/210 WR RS SR McKees Rocks, Pa./Sto-Rox

    85 Jester Weah 6-3/210 WR RS JR Madison, Wis./Madison Memorial

    80 Zach Challingsworth 6-2/195 WR RS JR McDonald, Pa./South Fayette

    10 Quadree Henderson 5-8/190 WR SO Wilmington, Del./Alexis I. du Pont

    17 Chris Wuestner 6-2/210 WR RS SR Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle

    48 Kellen McAlone 6-2/205 WR RS SO Dallas, Texas/Jesuit College Preparatory School

    11 Ruben Flowers 6-3/190 WR FR Lima, Ohio/Lima Senior

    82 Rafael Araujo-Lopes 5-9/185 WR RS SO Kissimmee, Fla./Reedley (Calif.)

    6 Aaron Mathews 6-4/195 WR FR Clairton, Pa./Clairton

    5 Maurice Ffrench 5-11/185 WR FR New Brunswick, N.J./New Brunswick

    2 Tre Tipton 6-0/190 WR RS FR Apollo, Pa./Apollo-Ridge

    So of course we are going to be recruiting WRs… as we do every year. They are one of the most populated positions on the roster with 11 out of 85 scholarships represented going into this season.

    Dark – the bump in the passing game for this year is very much a gut feeling on my part but I have to say that I’ve been pretty spot on with that over the last decade or so when discussing big ticket items about Pitt football.

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