Pitt Football: Todd Graham's Recruiting Efforts Turning Bandwagon into a Parade

Even the most hardcore Tom Bradley lovers are beginning to take notice of new Pitt head football coach Todd Graham.

Bradley, long-time Penn State assistant, came in second place in the search process to replace Mike Haywood. Todd Graham was the hands-down winner once he was given a $2 million per year contract by Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson.

Graham continues to make news in his first week by getting attention from some standout high school seniors he had recruited to Tulsa and by adding some flashy new names to the list.

Raymon Taylor is listed as a 4-star recruit by Rivals.com. He had given a shaky commitment to Indiana, but when Pitt assistant coach Tony Dews contacted him about taking a look at Pitt, Taylor was all ears.

Taylor is from Highland Park in Detroit, MI. He was seriously considering Michigan before Rich Rodriguez was fired. Coach Dews, in his first week as Pitt assistant coach, worked for Rodriguez at Michigan.

Taylor is 5'10" and weighs 167 lbs. He could possibly play cornerback at Pitt.

Graham is also looking at another Tulsa recruit who could fit perfectly in the hybrid system he plans to run next season at Pitt.  Michael Sorrells from Austin, TX, is a big-time running back. With Dion Lewis' announcement he will go pro, Ray Graham will be the only returning starter at that position.

If Sorrells uses the criteria he is most concerned with now in finding a suitable university, Graham should have no problem landing him.

"I want to see what their academics are all about...and their depth."

Graham has said he plans to use two running backs in his system. Sorrells could fit right in.

Graham coaxed 4-star recruit Chris Bryant from Chicago to make an official visit this weekend. Bryant is an offensive tackle. He is 6'5" and weighs 330 lbs. 

His attendance at tonight's Seton Hall-Pitt basketball game, a blowout win by the No. 5-ranked Panthers men's hoops team, left Bryant impressed and Pitt fans salivating.

What a great weekend for Bryant to be in Pittsburgh with a typical winter storm, maddening traffic and the electric atmosphere in the city generated by about 75,000 crazed Pittsburgh sports fans. A sellout crowd of 64,879 watched the Steelers come from behind to beat the Ravens at Heinz Field on the Northshore downtown; 9,236 Pitt fans attended the Big East battle with Seton Hall at the Pete in Oakland.

Bryant told Pantherlair.com, "I'm at Pitt now...having a good time."