Well as promised, here is the "day after Christmas in February for college football coaches" version of the Pitt Q&A. But first let me make this comment: I understand why there is so much interest in signing day and why it is such an exciting day for coaches, but in light of the fact that we now have 18 year olds calling news conferences to announce that they need more time - and 50 news outlets showing up to report on it - perhaps it is time for a whole lot of people to get a grip when it comes to this whole recruiting thing. I mean, last time I checked - there weren't any games being played yesterday and nobody won a championship.

And let's not forget, while lofty rankings are nice they are, for the most part, meaningless once the season begins.

Go back to Pitt's class from two years ago. One of the lowest-ranked kids was a defensive end by the name of Greg Romeus, a complete afterthought in that class in many ways, and one of the most hyped kids was a defensive end from New York named McKenzie Mathews. Raise your hands if you'd still rate Mathews - or just about every other player in that class, including some four star players -- ahead of Romeus (who, except for perhaps Jeff Otah, might be the best player in that class by the time it is all said and done).

In short, a great recruiting class is nice, but this is year four of the Dave Wannstedt era of Pitt football and all of those lofty rankings have yet to pay off on the field. That being said, there are clearly some signs that the good recruiting classes will start to pay dividends this fall, I just think fans should temper their excitement a bit until the games begin. And it is clear that Wannstedt has signed some potentially excellent football players and has a class that will fill some needs.

The one mild surprise was that quarterback Zach Stoudt opted to sign with Louisville instead of Pitt at the last minute. It is a loss, no doubt, but given the fact that they have five quarterbacks on scholarship, not nearly as big of a deal as if they didn't have two other quarterbacks signed as well. Like I said, I will have one more Q&A to wrap up the offseason tomorrow and then we'll take another break until mid-March when spring football begins.

Q: With a lot of incoming talent (Cameron Saddler, Jon Baldwin, Greg Cross, etc) do you see our offense evolving/changing at all?

Scott Niles, Oakland

ZEISE: Yes, and the key to that is Cross. If he is as good as advertised, he will be the change-of-pace running quarterback every school seems to desire. He will be used in the Wildcat package and some in the conventional package and will provide the kind of dual-threat that can give defenses fits. Ultimately the offense will be run by a conventional quarterback the majority of the time, but I think with players like Saddler and the two 6-foot-5 receivers - and an improved passer be it a retooled Pat Bostick or a healthy Bill Stull - you'll see a lot more from the passing game and a lot more creativity and diversity in how these athletes are used. But again, the biggest changes will involve Cross and how much or how little he is used will be determined by how well he plays once practice begins.

Q: Now that signing day has come and gone, how many of these incoming freshman do you actually see having an impact on the team THIS year? They don't have to lead the league in their category, but anyone you think will fight for a starting position?

Ben Crocker, Cherry Hill, NJ

ZEISE: Great question - I think the best way to answer it is to use some common sense and look at the depth chart. Obviously Rob Houser (a JC kid, not a freshman but an incoming player nonetheless) was brought in to fill a void at center. And as I said, Cross will be a part of it in some capacity as well. Beyond those two -- and perhaps Lucas Nix (the tackle from Thomas Jefferson) who is at a position of need so he might be thrust into action if he can prove he is ready - there really isn't a NEED for any of these guys to play, which shows the progress Wannstedt has made in acquiring talent and building depth. That doesn't mean some of them couldn't beat out older guys or earn playing time - or a player like Cameron Saddler won't step in as a returner because he is simply too talented to not play - but for the first time in the Wannstedt era the coaches have the luxury of bringing along their recruiting class at their own pace and won't be forced to rush guys on to the field in order to fill a gaping hole. That's a good thing.

Q: We all know the 4- and 5-star recruits projected to be major contributors out of this class, but do you think there are any guys in this class that have Greg Romeus-like potential (a two-star recruit that became a freshman All-American)?

Dan Stofko, Shadyside

ZEISE: No just because most of the incoming class is rated at least three star prospects and none of the so-called "two-star players" have Romeus' upside. I mean, it was clear that Romeus was going to be a big-time talent very early in his first camp when he was winning wind sprints against receivers and running backs. He just had freakish athletic ability and you knew it was only a matter of time before he learned how to play well enough to become a factor. I don't know that there are any unknown guys in this class with that kind of ability, though I think all four of the two-star players in this class (Andrew Taglianetti, Justin Virbitsky, Joe Trebitz, Ryan Turnley) will contribute and become productive players during their careers because they are all good, smart, solid, hard-nosed football players.