So, I was watching the US-Mexico game last night and stopped
following twitter at halftime and just put my phone away. Thank God I did that. When I checked in the morning, it seems the
rumors started right around that time. As I am sure you have heard by now,
starting Sophomore running back to be, Rushel Shell is strongly considering
transferring from Pitt to another school.
Some are reporting it is a done deal and there are enough of those
reports to say it is almost certain at this point. Speculations are that there
are several factors on and off the field. Those are just reports and we may
never know the full story, but it seems that Shell is considering a few schools
and one is (PLEASE PUT DOWN ALL SHARP OBJECTS NOW)…Arizona State and Todd
Graham.
I was on the message boards and social media today and the reactions of the Pitt fan base were about as you would expect. It ranged from harmless jokes to the usual
jagoffs bashing Shell, and of course you had the delusional portion of the fan
base that claimed that Shell is no good anyways, so who cares. I think the jokes are fine as long as they
remain harmless and everyone is entitled to their own opinion about his skills,
but if you are bashing the kid (and he is a kid) with vulgarity, you probably
have your own issues. Not only do you
not know his situation Shell is in, but you also make Pitt look bad. If you don’t believe me, go look at Shai
McKenzie’s twitter. McKenzie is a top PA
recruit for next year and considering Pitt.
Look…for selfish reasons, I want him to commit to Pitt badly. It would be nice to see a fellow Prexie playing
for the Panthers on Saturday, but besides that, he is a top NATIONAL recruit
and would help out at Pitt ASAP at Shell’s position.
This advice should really apply to just about every
situation involving these kids. Brace yourself…there will be more players. As a matter of fact, it was just reported
that DT Terrell Jackson has asked for his release and there are rumors about LB
Deaysean Rippy too. Try and keep in mind
that social media goes everywhere when these reports come out. Also, attempt to tell yourself that it needs
to happen anyways…Pitt is several players over the scholarship limit right now
and a few players were going to leave anyways.
Like I said, harmless jokes are okay (the one I saw today of Shell’s
head on Graham’s body on the ASU airplane was pretty funny), but try and keep
it clean. We all (including myself) have tweets we wish we didn’t put out
there, but some of the ones I saw today were just plain dumb and vulgar.
Enough bad news for today.
Let’s look at some of the good quick notes from spring practice that
have been reported:
·
We all remember that Juantez Hollins
was to be the starting left tackle last year before a suspension, so he does
have some talent and he is back this year.
As of this moment, it appears that former defensive end, TJ Clemmings
has the edge on Hollins and this is before the big man, Dorian Johnson comes
into camp this summer. So, it appears that there will be a real competition for
right tackle and that is a good thing, considering how thin the offensive line
was supposed to be.
·
While Pitt may be losing a few
weapons, transfer Manasseh Garner appears to be a match up nightmare for
opposing teams. The 6’2, 220 pound
H-Back has been used in the slot, backfield, and tight end positions so far and
is impressing the coaching staff.
·
With Dan Mason having off the field
issues and Shane Gordon out with a neck injury still and the defensive line as
thin as it is, some freshmen are getting some good looks and the reports are
positive. Freshman Shakir Soto has a motor that doesn’t stop and red-shirt
Freshman Mike Caprara may be small for middle linebacker, but reports are he is
making up for it with knowledge and a nose for the ball.
·
Tom Savage and Chad Voytik are
staging a nice little battle for QB and it appears that Savage has the edge. Both sound like they will give Pitt a passing
game, no matter who is in the game.
