Wannstedt's '06 and '07 Classes Step To The Head of The Table

By David Whipkey

They were considered to be the most ballyhooed recruiting class by Pitt in almost a quarter of a century.

Now, it is time for these Panthers to step up and deliver on coach Dave Wannstedt's promise of delivering a championship.

In 2006, Wannstedt brought decorated players such as offensive lineman Joe Thomas, all-purpose back Dorin Dickerson, and tight end Nate Byham into the fold. One year later, quarterback Pat Bostick was plucked from Eastern Pennsylvania and inserted into the Pitt lineup. T

hey were the linchpins of recruiting classes that were geared towards putting the Panthers back on the map. The time for that imprint to be produced is now.

Players such as Thomas, Dickerson, Byham, Bostick, along with defensive back Elijah Fields were wooed by some of the most prominent brand names in college football.

The likes of Ohio State and Michigan were tracking Thomas, Dickerson attracted programs such as Southern California and Florida, Byham was pegged the number one tight end in many recruiting circles while SEC programs such as Tennessee chased Bostick until he signed on the dotted line with the Panthers.

In three years, these classes have exactly one winning season (9-4 in 2008) and one bowl appearance (an excruciating 3-0 loss to Oregon State in last year's Sun Bowl) on their collective resumes.

But there is still time for this class to make good on the promises that were made three years ago.

This version of the Panthers boasts 19 seniors, many from that 2006 class. They are the media's pick to win the Big East for the first time since 2004 and appear to have gained ground on, perhaps even passed by, rivals West Virginia, Louisville, and South Florida (the Panthers swept all three foes last year).

Both Bostick and Byham have played key roles in three of Pitt's biggest wins during the Wannstedt era. As a freshman in 2007, Bostick scored Pitt's lone touchdown in a 13-9 win over West Virginia, ending the Mountaineers' chances of winning the national championship. The next year, the sophomore quarterback engineered Pitt's pulsating four-overtime 36-33 win over Notre Dame in South Bend.

Byham helped kick start Pitt's 19-15 win last year over West Virginia at Heinz Field. The tight end's 28-yard reception ignited a Pitt touchdown drive in the first quarter. He also delivered a crushing block that helped spring LeSean McCoy into the end zone for the game-winning score in the fourth quarter.

They have shown flashes of brilliance. But now is the time for the Wannstedt's prized recruits to take the reins and lead them to the land of college football's elite.