Maybe it was that he felt he could help right away or maybe he just felt like Pitt was the right fit. For whatever reason, Penn Hills' wide receiver Corey Jones chose Pitt as his college destination shortly after the Panthers' game against Buffalo on Saturday.
Jones is a four-star recruit according to Scout and a three-star as rated by Rivals. Scout also lists him as the No. 41 receiver in the nation. He didn't have a big year receiving as a junior in 2010, but his all purpose numbers are off the charts and he appears to be a do-everything type of guy.
He said Pitt was really persistent in coming after him.
Of Todd Graham, Jones said:
"He showed me a lot of love (throughout the recruiting process)," he said. "None of those other schools showed me that kind of love."
He only had 23 receptions for about 300 yards last season, but he a had a total of 20 touchdowns and more than 2,000 all-purpose yards at Penn Hills.
Jones was also the Most Valuable Player at a Penn State Nike camp this Spring. Former Colorado coach Dan Hawkins had great things to say about him at the camp:
"That kid right there," former Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins, who worked at the camp, said of Jones, "if you're a coach and you have to take a guy right now, he's your guy. He's going to make some coach really happy next year. He can do it all."
He also had offers from Miami, West Virginia, Maryland, Cincinnati, and Kansas, among others. Scout also says he had an offer from Penn State as well.