Recruiting Heats Up - Pitt lands a big-time running back

   Hello, welcome back -  I am back from a long vacation and it appears as if there will be some news over the next few weeks regarding recruiting and it won't be long before the season begins so keep checking in here at Redshirt Diaries for news about your Pitt Panthers.

   Right now, however, Pitt's annual football prospect camps have proven to be quite  productive for the Panthers as the they have harvested three commitments in the past week since the camp season began.

   The camps - which are all one-day prospect camps and have been the most attended Pitt camps in recent history - are more combine than camp as players go through a number of drills and are timed, measured and then work out for coaches.

  The latest commitment came this afternoon when Glassboro (NJ) standout running back Corey Clement made a commitment to the Panthers while attending prospect camp at the UPMC SouthSide Facility. 

   Clement, who has a four-star ranking by both major recruiting services, Scout and Rivals chose the Panthers over a number of offers including from Florida State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Nebraska, Iowa and West Virginia. He rushed for 2,510 yards and 34 touchdowns last season as a junior. He is ranked in the top 30 among running backs in the nation according to Rivals.

  

    Clement's commitment came one day after South Fayette receiver Zach Challingsworth chose the Panthers over Toledo, Temple, Akron and a host of other offers from Mid-American Conference schools. Challingsworth actually had been committed to Toledo but de-committed when Pitt coach Paul Chryst offered him a scholarship earlier this week on the heels of him attending Pitt's prospect camp last weekend.

    And last Saturday Tony Harper, a defensive back/tight end from St. Johns high school in Toledo, Ohio, camped at Pitt and received an offer and made a commitment to the Panthers before he left campus. Harper chose the Panthers over offers from Akron, Ohio and Toledo.

   

   One other recruiting note from the prospect camps - Theodore Roosevelt (Kent, Ohio) standout quarterback Tra'von Chapman has attended Pitt's prospect camp both last Saturday and today and is expected to make a commitment to the Panthers on July 1st. If Chapman, who has more than a dozen offers, does commit to the Panthers, it would be a big boost to the recruiting class as he is the top quarterback target from the class of 2013 on Pitt's recruiting board.

   So recruiting is moving along very well and what I like about the approach of this staff is that they have taken there time and been very thorough and thoughtful and it appears to be a good strategy because they are getting a number of very good players - and if they bring Chapman into the mix as expected, it will put them in great position in the future at a position of great need.