Pitt picks up third commitment for 2014 recruiting class - Ohio quarterback Adam Bertke

After a slow start, things are starting to pick up for Paul Chryst and his recruiting for 2014. The Panthers picked up their third offer in Ohio (Marion) quarterback, Adam Bertke.

Bertke is rated as a three-star recruit by Scout and currently unrated by Rivals. Scout also calls him the No. 50 quarterback in the nation FWIW. Bertke reportedly had several offers from schools including Illinois, Kent State, Bowling Green, and get this, Akron - where Chandler Kincade just went. So Pitt essentially lost the higher-rated Kincade for Bertke here.

Random link time.

Here was a good article on him with lots of quotes last year. And this former high school coach saw him at an Ohio State camp and came away impressed.

And it's worth noting that his dream school last fall was a B1G school such as Ohio State or Michigan, that had shown some interest. I bring that up because kids can change their minds if other offers come their way. If Michigan suddenly comes calling, that Pitt commitment could go out the window. Nothing against hist word, obviously, but like we saw last year with Dan Samuelson committing to Pitt only to leave once he got a Nebraska offer.

Now for the intriguing part - One reason Bertke apparently likes Pitt? The opportunity to play (no, really):

The other part of that opportunity is under center, where Bertke says bodies are needed.

"Depth is a little bit low right now. They only three or four guys and they're all upperclassmen. They told me they would take two quarterbacks in my year and I'm assuming they're going to redshirt one. They never told me for sure, but they said the would take two in my class and they didn't talk about playing time or which they'd redshirt."

Not sure where exactly Bertke got that notion. Pitt obviously has redshirt freshman Chad Voytik and true freshman Tra'Von Chapman on the roster and both are believed to have a lot of talent. Could Bertke have been told something about Chapman since his status is a bit murky with his recent troubles? Who knows. But even if Chapman does move on, there's still a young Voytik to compete with as well as the big target, recruit Keller Chryst.

There's some opportunity, but if Chryst comes, that suddenly looks like it's gone for several years. Heck, it's believed that opportunity was one of the main reasons Pitt lost out on Chandler Kincade since he thought he'd have a great chance to play at Akron.

Bertke provides a good safety net for Pitt. Obviously, Pitt wants Keller Chryst, but at this point bringing in someone (anyone) for 2014 helps.

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