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Well, this lets a little air out of the week.
On the heels of Pitt signing their recruiting class for 2014, the football program will apparently be losing wide receivers coach, Bobby Engram, to the NFL. CoachingSearch.com has the news that Engram will be leaving to take the same job with the Baltimore Ravens.
If true, you can't really fault Engram at all. The NFL is the pinnacle for most coaches and Engram leaving really comes at the best possible time - immediately after signing day. Head coach Paul Chryst will have plenty of time to find a replacement and with the class for this year inked, there aren't really any recruiting ramifications other than maybe some kids that knew him being a little bummed.
Engram has the reputation of a great recruiter. While that might be the case, Rivals' main page only credits him as the recruiter for one kid - Adonis Jennings. Jennings was one of the biggest kids in the class, but it's not real clear on just how many players he was in on from that.
Besides that, though, I think there was a lot of value in him being a successful college and NFL player. Just being on the staff had to be a draw for wide receivers since not everyone gets coached by a former NFL guy. Just a lot of value there.
On the field, it's a huge loss IMO. Engram helped develop players such as Devin Street and Tyler Boyd and while they are both pretty talented guys, Engram helped get the passing game on track in some way this season.
One thing to watch is if we see Pitt forth some money to land a big hire. Does the program get some of that ACC money that's on the way or will they go with a lesser-known quantity? Time will tell, but as is often discussed, one thing Pitt could use is a dynamic recruiter. I hope that whoever gets the call has a strong recruiting background.
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