2014 Western Pennsylvania Recruiting.

            2014?  Already?   Yep. The 2013 recruiting class is far from over, but many programs are nearing the end process. Offers have been made and visits are happening. It is all up to the kid at this point. Most players that are uncommitted will wait until their high school seasons are over or until the official visits end. December-January is the final hurrah for recruiting classes, but it is also the start for the next recruiting cycle. Coaches can start making serious contact and that is when the class of 2014 will come to forefront.
           Pitt, Penn State, and Ohio State are the real true players in Western Pennsylvania these days. It is interesting because all three coaches are in their first year with the respective programs. The players do not know what each coach offers just yet. Penn State will be behind for quite some time, so Ohio State and Pitt should really take advantage of their opportunity to take control of the talent rich Pennsylvania pipeline.
             Paul Chryst and Urban Meyer are battling out to get the top un-committed prospects of 2013 still. Dorian Johnson and Robert Foster both have recently named "top threes" and Pitt and Ohio State made both cuts. This looks like it will be a trend for the foreseeable future. Obviously Meyer is eons ahead of Chryst is just about every coaching category, but Chryst has something nice building at Pitt. 2014 will feature a number of prospects that will attract national attention, and here is a look at some of the names to watch out for...

-Chandler Kincade QB Blackhawk HS- Kincade only has one offer, but the offer is from Pitt. Kincade committed to Todd Graham's staff last season, and recently re-affirmed that to Paul Chryst. Kincade has been receiving some local attention from the Tribune Review, and one article mentioned him as being compared to Dan Marino and Ben Roethlisberger. That is some pretty nice company to be mentioned with at only 16 years old. He has received interest from Michigan and Michigan State. Many other schools will come in to play for Kincade's services. I think he will stay with Pitt, and could be that quarterback Panther fans have longed for. I suspect he will be rated a top 250 prospect, perhaps even top 100. That will earn him 4 star rating from just about all the recruiting services.

-Dravon Henry S Aliquippa HS-The tiny little football factory has another elite prospect. Henry is likely to be a four star rated player, and another local prospect that could end up at Pitt. He already has earned offers from Pitt, Rutgers, Maryland, and WVU. I suspect more ACC and Big East teams to come calling. Henryis versatile and could play corner, safety, or even receiver in college.

-Montae Nicholson S Gateway HS-Nicholson will be the next great Gateway prospect. He has offers from Pitt, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and WVU. Most of the Big Ten and ACC will take notice of Nicholson's skills. He will be a top 100 player, and may be good enough to garner 5 star ratings. He will be one of the most sought after Safetys for the 2014 recruiting class. Not sure where he will end up, but Pitt and Ohio State may be set for another year long battle.

-Justice Rawlins LB Monessen HS-Rawlins' older brother, Chavis, is committed to play ball at West Virginia. Justice may follow him there, but I get the sense he will try to be his own man. Pitt and Rutgers have offered. He will create noise throughout the country, and some SEC schools will come calling. He will be a four star player, and potential top 100 guy. He will get offers from big time Big Ten,SEC, and ACC teams, and it is too early to say where he will pick. I do not anticipate him going to Pitt, but stranger things have happened.

-Shai McKenzie RB/LB Washington HS-McKenzie has not garned a lot of attention just yet, but he will. Pitt and Toledo have offered, but I expect more BCS level teams to take interest. He should be a three star guy during the ranking process. He is a big guy at 6-0 210, and that is why teams could see him as a Linebacker. He could be a power back in some running schemes as well. I assume he will be a Pitt Panther when it is all said and done.

-Brenon Thrift LB Gateway-Thrift is another high level prospect from Gateway. He has offers from Pitt and WVU, and is already high on WVU. He is a big guy at 6-3 230 pounds, and could play as a defensive end in college. I'm sure other teams will offer, but some may back off if he chooses WVU early. I see him as a three star.

-Elijah Zeise S North Allegheny-Zeise has an early offer from Pitt, interesting because Zeise's dad is Paul Zeise. Paul Zeise is the usual Pitt beat writer, but has since moved positions to avoid a conflict of interest. I have a feeling Elijah will try to go somewhere else to be his own man. He may end up at Pitt, who knows. He should be a three star player and will earn some more recognition after the season. North Allegheny is the best team in Pennsylvania, which should bring more exposure.

-Mike Grimm OT Bethel Park-Grimm is huge and could end up being a big recruit as the process moves on. Pitt is the only team to offer, but the 6-7 315 frame should attract attention. He is the perfect size to be a Pitt offensive linemen. Chryst loves giant linemen, and Grimm fits the bill. I could see him climbing the charts to a four star player, but certainly a three star.

Many other names out there will make Western PA recruiting pretty special in 2014.....keep an eye on these guys...

-Brock Boxen DT Beaver Falls
-Brendan Blair CB Sto Rox
-Niko Thorpe LB Central Catholic
-Nate Stone LB Greensburg CC
-Ricky Rogers WR Gateway
-Tyree Spearman CB McDowell
-Anthony Davis DB Gateway