Numerous college coaches told Bishop McDevitt High School (Harrisburg) standout Jameel Poteat that, if he chose Pitt, he always would play in the shadow of former McDevitt and Panthers star LeSean McCoy. They also told him he should come to their school to carve out his own legacy.

Not only did such a sales pitch not work, it had the opposite effect on Poteat, who made a verbal commitment Wednesday to the Panthers in large part because he wants to carry on the Panthers' running-back tradition.

Poteat, the cousin of former Pitt star and Steelers defensive back Hank Poteat, chose the Panthers over nearly 40 scholarship offers including from schools such as Southern California, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Florida and Iowa.

He said his two finalists were the Panthers and Rutgers and, in the end, the family atmosphere at Pitt along with Dave Wannstedt's reputation for producing top running backs were too much to pass up.

"I look at the players who have played running back there, and it is impressive and I want to try to become the next great one in line," Poteat said. "I mean Shady [McCoy] talked to me a lot about Pitt and his experiences there and how the coaching staff treated him and that had a big influence on my decision.

"But then it was sealed in my mind when I went out there and visited Pitt and saw for myself the family atmosphere and the way the coaches deal with the players. I loved it, I wanted to commit on the spot, but my parents told me to wait and see my options."

Poteat then described the atmosphere at Pitt as "the college version of McDevitt" and said that he trusted the coaching staff more than any other that recruited him.

"At McDevitt, it really is a family atmosphere under coach [Jeff] Weachter, and that goes for players and former players as well," Poteat said.

"And the same thing can be said about the way Dave Wannstedt runs his program. It is a place I will be put in position to succeed."

Weachter, who has sent 50 players to Division I colleges in 13 seasons as coach, said Wannstedt and his staff have worked hard to foster a relationship with all the high school coaches in central and eastern Pennsylvania, and it has begun to pay off in a big way.

Along with McCoy, Wannstedt also signed former Bishop McDevitt players Aaron Berry and Salath Williams, and they already are recruiting several other underclassmen from the school.

"You have to give Dave Wannstedt and Pitt a lot of credit, they have worked extremely hard to recruit this part of the state," Weachter said. "And in Jameel's case, [Pitt tight ends coach Brian] Angelichio did a great job and always has. But the other thing is the players like Shady and Aaron Berry -- they had great experiences at Pitt, they come back here and they share them."

Poteat, 5 feet 11, 210 pounds, rushed 197 times for 1,308 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2008. As a junior, he ran for 1,664 yards and 24 touchdowns.

He is ranked as the 15th-best running back prospect in the country and fifth-best overall prospect in the state by Rivals.com.

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