Thanks to Genac Attack for mentioning this over here on Friday. It's (finally) time to take a closer look. Todd Graham wasn't about to let the weekend go by without adding another recruit. This time? Linebacker Devon Porchia out of Maryland.
Porchia is rated as a three-star linebacker by both Rivals and Scout. But a deeper look shows that Rivals also lists him as the top linebacker in Maryland as he rates as the state's No. 21 top prospect overall.
This site lists him at No. 22, but calls him the third best linebacker within three spots of the top two.
Porchia also had a few other D-I offers.
Reportedly, those came from Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Rutgers, and Buffalo. His forte?"I'm good at that," he said of rushing the passer. "But I'm also good at pass dropping."
"I definitely feel like it is [important] to be able to drop back in coverage, because most of the soft spots [in a defense] are there," said Porchia, who also had offers from Wake Forest, Cincinnati and Buffalo. "[Coaches] definitely brought that up a lot in talking to me."
It helps that he was comfortable at the school as well.
For all of the angst Pitt fans may have had about Todd Graham's ability land better recruits, he should be getting a bit of praise now. His last three verbals (Porchia, Chad Voytik, and Marchez Coates) are legitimate three- or four-star recruits and while he still has work to do, things are clearly looking up.