Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette Pitt's Scott McKillop works on his footwork Saturday during practice at the Panthers' South Side facility. Click photo for larger image.

Dave Wannstedt's yearned-for wall around Western Pennsylvania football recruiting already appears to encase the linebacker position at Pitt.

The thing is, it keeps out folks from elsewhere. No trespassers allowed. Not even any Floridians.

The first-team linebackers are from the WPIAL, two from Kiski Area High School.

The second-team linebackers are from the WPIAL.

Two of the three third-teamers are from the WPIAL.

"Really?" said middle linebacker Scott McKillop, aligning this spring at the first-team middle linebacker spot where H.B. Blades of Plantation, Fla., patrolled the past four years. "Wow. I didn't even think about that."

Want to show everybody what Pittsburgh-area football is about?

"Amen to that," he added.

Yesterday, when Wannstedt's Panthers put on full pads for the first time this spring, rising junior McKillop was flanked at strongside linebacker by junior Adam Gunn, just like their old days at Kiski Area, along with older brother and Pitt senior defensive end Chris McKillop, and at weakside linebacker by redshirt freshman Nate Nix of Thomas Jefferson.

The second team had Woodland Hills redshirt freshman Greg Webster flanked by Central Catholic redshirt freshman Shane Murray and West Allegheny sophomore Dorin Dickerson.

The third team had redshirt freshman Dan Loheyde of Gateway and Baldwin freshman Justin Hargrove alongside the lone foreigner, Brian Kaiser from Highstown, N.J.

Mere geography plays no role when replacing exiting seniors Blades, a three-time all-Big East selection, along with fellow Floridian Clint Sessions and Brian Bennett, plus suspended Tommie Campbell of Aliquippa.

"With H.B., Clint, Brian Bennett, we have great shoes to fill," the younger McKillop said. "We really feel the challenge. That provides motivation for us every day."

External forces are shaping them as well, with defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads and special teams coordinator Charlie Partridge both taking over as linebacker co-coaches for the departed Curtis Bray.

"We have coaching nonstop, which helps us out a lot. It's two on one," Scott McKillop said. "And we're going to be the most in-shape position on the field. That's one thing coach Rhoads strives."

It's an eclectic group, as linebackers go. Rhoads mentioned how Dickerson, being converted from tailback, may be the most athletically blessed of the bunch.

Rhoads said Nix may be the most raw -- "wrong on two of three snaps, but he's going to make a play on one." He likened Murray to Nix, a pure football player who switched from quarterback to safety to linebacker, even though he "isn't big enough to play linebacker. He's not fast enough to play anything. But he ... makes plays."

He compared Webster to Blades in regard to being a "natural linebacker," though Webster is dealing with Crohn's disease and "isn't close to being 100 percent." He spoke of Scott McKillop owning the most experience and size of this crew.

Gunn then walked past, Rhoads asking him the number of linebacker snaps he played last fall. When Gunn answered 20 to 25, Rhoads responded, "That's your second-most number of snaps right there. And you total up the other guys, it probably adds up to zero.

"They're certainly a melting pot of abilities and personalities, that's for sure."