To say getting a verbal from Adam Bisnowaty was important is a massive understatement. We all know of Pitt's offensive line woes, but Bisnowaty's commitment goes a long way to help that cause. Bisnowaty makes the second offensive line commit for head coach Todd Graham after Brandyn Cook's verbal a while back.
In case you missed it, Bisnowaty's a big time player. He's a four-star recruit as rated by Rivals, a four-star by ESPN, and a three-star according to Scout. Another site, 247Sports.com touts him as a four-star as well. Rivals also calls him the 21st best offensive tackle in the nation.
I've always said that I don't take the ratings into account nearly as much as I do the level of interest by other schools...and there was lots of interest, to be sure. Bisnowaty reportedly had offers from Florida, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, West Virginia, and others, so there were plenty of heavy hitters in on him:
"I was thinking the other day about the first letter I got," he said. "We started keeping (letters) in a folder. Then, we needed a big bucket. Coaches can call now, and I can make visits. It's been fun, but overwhelming, too."
According to the Trib, it sounds like it came down to Pitt and the Gators:
"I thought this was the best thing for me," said Bisnowaty, who said he chose Pitt over Florida. He paid official visits to both schools in the last two weeks.
The Post-Gazette also believed it was down to those two. This was likely a bit of a surprise down in Florida to some who thought he could be Florida-bound:
As of just a few days ago, Taylor continued to say Florida is his leader. He will be at the big game this Saturday, and it could be one of the final pushes the Gator coaches need to make. With his excellent hands, Taylor could be a big part of Weis’ attack, and it may be on dazzling display with Taylor in the south end zone stands. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he or offensive tackle Adam Bisnowaty, who visited Florida for the Tennessee game, are the next two verbals for the Gators.
Bisnowaty will play at the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in January. The game featuring more than 60 top recruits will be on CBS and will also feature running back Rushel Shell.
So how's Pitt doing in the recruiting game after a slow start? Well, Rivals had them ranked at #49 before the commitment of Bisnowaty. And if they can find a way to land Shell, then Pitt would have to be close to the top 25 so far. And for Graham's first full year, if he were able to finish close to a top 25 class, that would be a borderline unbelievable job.