Slippery Rock football decides to add recruits
Slippery Rock University will have a 2021 football recruiting class after all — and at least two WPIAL players will be part of it.
Shenango running back Reis Watkins and South Park offensive lineman Eli Podgorski made verbal commitments to Slippery Rock last week. Players choosing Slippery Rock wasn’t even a possibility earlier this month.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a new NCAA rule that allows an extra year of eligibility for college players, Slippery Rock had made the decision that it would not sign any high school players from the class of 2021. In November, Slippery Rock coach Shawn Lutz emailed a letter to many WPIAL coaches informing them that The Rock wouldn’t have a recruiting class.
The reason was because Slippery Rock had 17 seniors and all of them wanted to take the extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA, due to the pandemic. Slippery Rock had no scholarship money to offer. Other NCAA Division II colleges, some in Western Pennsylvania, are also planning to sign fewer players because of seniors returning for an extra year.
But Slippery Rock’s situation changed recently.
“We had about seven or eight kids who decided they don’t want to come back after all,” Lutz said. “It was players at all levels who aren’t coming back. Some are scholarship guys and some are walk-ons.”
When Lutz learned some players weren’t returning, he and his assistants got on the recruiting trail quickly. Besides Western Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock’s coaches are recruiting in the eastern side of the state and also outside the state.
“We’ve let the high school coaches know we’re recruiting again,” Lutz said. “We sent out another letter. We won’t be signing 25-30 guys like usual, but we might end up having 10 to 15 when it’s all done.”
Watkins and Podgorski are nice catches for Slippery Rock. Watkins is a 6foot-4, 215-pound running back who was having a superb senior season until he was sidelined late in the year by an injured ankle. He still rushed for 1,279 yards, averaged 9.9 yards a carry and scored 21 touchdowns. He also is a standout on defense.
Podgorski (6-3, 256), meanwhile, was one of six finalists for the Bill Fralic Memorial Award, given to the top senior interior lineman in the WPIAL.
Slippery Rock did not have a 2020 season because of COVID-19, but made it to the NCAA semifinals in 2019. Slippery Rock is expected to have a strong team again for the 2021 season.
“Now that we can put together a little bit of a recruiting class, I think guys want to come here and be part of maybe a national championship team,” Lutz said.
Let’s try this again
Norwin’s Anthony Giansante committed to an FBS program, only to see his scholarship be pulled. Likewise with Montour’s Jaiden Hill. Both now have their sights set on other schools.
Giansante, an offensive lineman, has committed to Western Carolina, an FCS school located in Cullowhee, N.C. He had originally pledged to Western Kentucky, but the program stopped recruiting him due to a logjam at his position caused by seniors planning on returning next season.
Meanwhile, Hill, a cornerback, committed to Division II Notre Dame College in Ohio, this after previously committing to Liberty, which he said told him they would no longer have a scholarship available for him because of returning seniors.
Pine-Richland defensive end Miguel Jackson had the same thing happen to him at Liberty. He has since signed with Charlotte.
First offer
When it comes to scholarship offers, most players will likely never forget their first. Pharoh Fisher’s first came last week. A junior defensive back at Serra Catholic, Fisher picked up an offer from Bowling Green. Fisher was named first-team all-conference last season.
Commitment coming
One of the top senior basketball players in the Tri-State area plans on making his college decision Saturday. Poca, W.Va., combo guard Isaac McKneely will pick between Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Purdue, Virginia and West Virginia. Rivals ranks McKneely the No. 57 player nationally. He has played AAU with Wildcat Select, and some of his former teammates there include Fox Chapel’s Eli Yofan, Laurel Highlands’ Rodney Gallagher and Butler’s Devin Carney.
Basketball commitment
Baldwin’s Abby Marzina (Chatham).
Football commitments
Central Catholic’s Eric Benson (Shippensburg); Greensburg Central Catholic’s Mark Mizerak (Clarion); McKeesport’s Blaze Grabowsky (Mercyhurst); Mount Pleasant’s Jonas King (Mercyhurst); Peters Township’s David DiCio (West Virginia Wesleyan); Upper St. Clair’s Connor Schmitt (Ithaca).
Track & Field commitment
Mohawk’s Hannah McDanel (Robert Morris).