Big East recruiting Bliz -Wannstedt hits the road

It's that time of year when football coaches start to hit the road and that is exactly the case for the West Virginia coaching staff.

This week, all of the coaches were out on the road and that includes head coach Rich Rodriguez and four other assistants who made their way down to the high school of cornerback Jacques Rickerson.

It appears that the other targets on the list of the coaches include not only Rickerson, but Jeramy Devane and Cruz Barrett who just returned from an official visit to Nebraska.

The Mountaineer coaches were trying to get Barrett in for an official visit in January, but now look to move that date up and get him in for an official visit. The final three schools include WVU, Nebraska, and of course Barrett's long time favorite Florida State.

A good visit to the high school could definitely shake things up in the race for what many people call a huge "diamond in the rough" for the state of Florida.

Two other Florida prospects that are getting heavy attention include Orlando teammates James Poe and Chappell Rose. After the completion of their season, they will be taking visits. Insiders believe that WVU will definitely be one of those as they start to think about travel schedules.

It appears that like many schools, West Virginia knows the importance of heading south for prospects and their time spent on the road could be very lucrative for finishing the 2006 class strong.

Pittsburgh gets crack at three-star corner

Since committing to Purdue, it was well-known that Trotwood (Ohio) Madison cornerback Jovani Chappel would be taking visits after making a soft verbal pledge.

His first visit was Pittsburgh this past weekend and from all reports, it appeared to have gone well.

"Coach Wannstedt is a great guy and he told me I could join the team in January and compete for playing time," Chappel said. "I need to sit down with my family and make a decision. I should know where I'm going by the end of the month."

Other schools have continued their pursuit, but it appears this one will be a two-team race between the Panthers and the Boilermakers.

Louisville grabs commitment, close on another?

A huge pickup came for the Louisville Cardinals late last week when three-star linebacker Eugene Sowell gave his pledge to the Big East team.

"It was everything I wanted really," Sowell said. "They are building a tradition, they are a winning team and they work hard academically as well. Louisville is a good school.

"I wanted to go to a college that was always winning and always fighting to win."

Considering the state of Alabama is known for linebackers, it is a huge pick-up for the Cards.

Defensive end Rodney Gnat was an official visitor this past weekend and said he enjoyed his time. However, a trip to Minnesota is in the works for November and he will not decide before then.

Maryland athlete picks Syracuse

It appears that Orange fans can count athlete Nico Scott on board, at least for the time being.

The 5-foot-9, 171-pound two-star prospect had quite a few offers, but according to him, he felt like it was the right time to give the Syracuse coaches his decision.

"I don't want to choose the wrong school, but I'm comfortable with my decision," Scott said. "I like Syracuse because of the schools, players, and coaches. Everyone seems together and plays as a team. They have a bright future."

However, Scott is not a solid commitment just yet. He looks to take visits to Oregon State, Rutgers, and Boston College. He will talk things over with his family before he makes the decision on whether or not he will continue traveling.

Anderson says he's solid for Rutgers

Despite other interest from schools like Colorado State, Plantation, Fla., wide receiver Burnon Anderson is as solid as ever.

Being one of the early commitments for the Knights, he is extremely clear to anyone asking whether or not he'll be heading to Rutgers.

"I'm 110 percent sure I'm going to go to Rutgers," Anderson said. "Schools are still pushing for me. I've already made up my mind."

Talk of his official visit to his future college has not led to a set date yet. When that does get put together, he will make the trip with fellow commit Demarcus Roberson.

Etc.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is heading out on the road to visit several high schools of Florida prospects that the Panthers are recruiting in the coming days…The Panthers are in on several Florida prospects including Thaddeus Lewis and Darrell Davis…Louisville is expecting another visitor as defensive tackle L.T. Walker will take his official visit to Dec. 10…Junior college lineman J.D. Hamilton expects to visit West Virginia in late December.