New Jersey defensive end commits to Pitt
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A little less than three years ago Pitt football coach Dave Wannstedt put secondary coach Jeff Hafley in charge of recruiting in New Jersey, and the move has paid huge dividends as Hafley has made the Panthers a real force in the state.
And Friday, the Panthers landed yet another player from the Garden State as Woodbridge defensive end Max Issaka (6-2, 228 pounds) gave them a verbal commitment.
Later Friday, the Panthers landed another defensive end, getting a commitment form Clairton's Desimon Green.
Issaka is the fifth player from New Jersey to commit to the Panthers for the Class of 2011. He is the 14th player the Panthers have taken out of the state since Hafley began recruiting there.
Issaka and Green are the second and third defensive ends for 2011 as the Panthers received a commitment from St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) standout Deonte Gibson late Tuesday night.
The three commitments bring the Panthers to 14 for next year. They are closing in on finishing their 2011 class as they have somewhere between 15 and 18 scholarships to give.
The Panthers would like to add another local defensive end to the group -- Woodland Hills' Quinton Jefferson .
Regardless of how it shakes out, getting Issaka was a big pickup for the Panthers because he is another in a growing list of New Jersey players they have taken away from Big East rival Rutgers.
That's an important development because Rutgers coach Greg Schiano has talked on several occasions about turning New Jersey into the "state of Rutgers" and getting the best homegrown players to stay at home and play for the Scarlet Knights.
Issaka had scholarship offers from a host of schools including Rutgers, Michigan State, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina State and Virginia. He said his two finalists were Pitt and Rutgers.
Gibson chose the Panthers over offers from, among others, West Virginia, Michigan State, Colorado, Kansas, Stanford, Cincinnati and Northwestern.
First Published August 14, 2010 12:00 am
