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Lost in the hoopla of Pitt's big game against Villanova this weekend was a pretty good article in the Trib that came out on Thursday about Pitt's chances of recruiting in Texas. Can the Panthers break into that area now with Todd Graham?
Well, the first thing to note is that it's not just Todd Graham as the article points out:
So the good news is that Pitt has plenty of ties to talent-rich Texas. The problem for Pitt is that, well, everyone else is recruiting that area as well. In-state, you've got Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Baylor, Houston, and Rice to deal with among others. Then, you've got all of the other schools in nearby states like Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, etc.Under Graham, whose staff includes six assistants with Texas ties, the recruiting target broadened. Perhaps the most interesting hire is quarterbacks coach Todd Dodge, who led Southlake Carroll High to four Texas Class 5A state championships and a 79-1 record in his final five seasons. He also spent three-plus seasons as head coach at North Texas before being dismissed in October.
"With the 'Todd and Todd Show,' we can get the quality kids out of there," said Tony Gibson, Pitt's recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach. "We don't want to get the seventh- and eighth-best players. We want to try to compete and get the best."
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