Pitt Panthers Football: No Time to Panic Over 2012 Recruiting Class

by Matt Shetler

Pitt head coach Todd Graham’s recent additions of twin brothers Demitrious and Chris Davis, both speedy athletes from Austintown, Ohio, brings the Panthers total up to a mere nine commitments for their 2012 recruiting class.

While some Panthers fans may be in a state of panic due to the low numbers, there is actually no need for panic at all.

One item of note is that things appear to be going well for the Panthers on the Chad Voytik front. Voytik recently came off a strong showing at the Elite 11 and Rivals.com currently ranks him among the top 10 in the camp. Voytik, a 4-star recruit out of Cleveland, Tennessee, could be the quarterback of the future for the Panthers and is one of Graham’s top targets for the class of 2012.

As far as the low numbers at the moment, several factors have played a role in that, none of which can’t turn around for the Panthers.

At first glance at the class, it looks like Graham has a bunch of guys that chose the panthers over a collection of MAC schools. They aren’t exactly splashy signings or big names at the moment.

Looking more closely at the list of commitments, though, they all are 3-star or high 2-star commits. While other schools in the Big East may have more commits in terms of numbers, not one school has a recruit that ranks among the ESPNU 150.

One major factor in Pitt’s lack of numbers to date is the offseason turmoil that occurred at Pitt. Bad PR will play a role in recruiting. Graham needs time to get his message out. Within time, the overall numbers should pick up.

Another factor is that very few potential recruits know who Graham is or what his offense is capable of. Sure they may have read that he did a good job at Tulsa, but I can bet none of them ever sat down to watch a Tulsa game on television, if one was even available to them.

Once they see what Pitt look like on the field, it should generate a lot more interest in the Panthers.

One positive going for Graham is that many of the Pennsylvania recruits haven’t committed as of yet. That gives him more time to make a splash in state. People forget that former coach Dave Wannstedt not only attended Pitt, he grew up in the area which made things much easier for him. Graham will eventually get out and make an impact in the area.

It takes a while to develop relationships with high school coaches, something Graham will likely get done within due time.

Overall, Graham is in a good spot when it comes to recruiting. He has a fresh start. There is no negativity linked back to the old coaching staff and if his offense can do what he thinks he can do, potential recruits eyes will light up over the numbers they could potentially put up.

Remember that there is plenty of time. Take your fingers off the panic button and let’s look at how Graham and the Panthers finish in recruiting instead of how they started out.