Post by elp525 on Oct 21, 2011 6:14:53 GMT -5
10/20/2011
Chip Fontanazza
MetroNews Recruiting
Chaz Whittaker is already getting a taste of the Backyard Brawl rivalry before he has even stepped foot on West Virginia’s campus.
Back on Monday, the Penn Hills High School senior committed to West Virginia to play football. Whittaker lives in an area with a lot of Pitt fans and his high school is only 20 minutes away from Pitt’s campus. The 6-foot-2 safety/receiver was also being recruited by the Panthers.
Obviously, not everyone in the Pittsburgh area isn’t as thrilled with Whittaker’s decision as he is.
“West Virginia and Pitt are big rivals so a lot of people are very angry I committed to West Virginia,” said Whittaker. “It’s my decision and just because I’m in Pittsburgh I won’t let that decide what college I’m going to.”
West Virginia’s 19th commitment in the 2012 recruiting class is the first and only player in the class from the Pittsburgh area. Whittaker says there were quite a few reasons he chose the Mountaineers over the likes of Pitt, Cincinnati, Toledo and Maryland, but the one thing he liked the most was the way he felt when he stepped foot in Morgantown.
“I chose the Mountaineers because I liked the campus and I liked the coaching staff,” said Whittaker. “I feel like their coaching staff made me feel like part of a family.”
((Below is Chaz Whittaker's Highlight Video)) The Penn Hills product still doesn’t know what position he will play. He competes at both receiver and safety for the Indians.
“Coach [Steve] Dunlap said he wants me on his side of the ball, but also Coach [Daron] Roberts told me he wants me to play receiver too,” said Whittaker. “So I’ll probably know when I go down there on my official visit.”
“For me, it really doesn’t matter what side of the ball I play on,” continued Whittaker. “I know in their program I’ll be able to flourish on either side of the ball.”
Whittaker first became a West Virginia fan while watching the Mountaineers under former head coach Rich Rodriguez – he himself was a quarterback at the time and liked the offensive style with Pat White and Steve Slaton.
“I like that they were just play makers,” explained Whittaker. “They could change the game at any time and they have great chemistry. Those two together were just unstoppable.”
Obviously, the Mountaineers have gone through a couple of new head coaches since then, but Whittaker says that hasn’t changed his mind on the program.
“I’m just happy to be part of the Mountaineer family.”
Chip Fontanazza
MetroNews Recruiting
Chaz Whittaker is already getting a taste of the Backyard Brawl rivalry before he has even stepped foot on West Virginia’s campus.
Back on Monday, the Penn Hills High School senior committed to West Virginia to play football. Whittaker lives in an area with a lot of Pitt fans and his high school is only 20 minutes away from Pitt’s campus. The 6-foot-2 safety/receiver was also being recruited by the Panthers.
Obviously, not everyone in the Pittsburgh area isn’t as thrilled with Whittaker’s decision as he is.
“West Virginia and Pitt are big rivals so a lot of people are very angry I committed to West Virginia,” said Whittaker. “It’s my decision and just because I’m in Pittsburgh I won’t let that decide what college I’m going to.”
West Virginia’s 19th commitment in the 2012 recruiting class is the first and only player in the class from the Pittsburgh area. Whittaker says there were quite a few reasons he chose the Mountaineers over the likes of Pitt, Cincinnati, Toledo and Maryland, but the one thing he liked the most was the way he felt when he stepped foot in Morgantown.
“I chose the Mountaineers because I liked the campus and I liked the coaching staff,” said Whittaker. “I feel like their coaching staff made me feel like part of a family.”
((Below is Chaz Whittaker's Highlight Video)) The Penn Hills product still doesn’t know what position he will play. He competes at both receiver and safety for the Indians.
“Coach [Steve] Dunlap said he wants me on his side of the ball, but also Coach [Daron] Roberts told me he wants me to play receiver too,” said Whittaker. “So I’ll probably know when I go down there on my official visit.”
“For me, it really doesn’t matter what side of the ball I play on,” continued Whittaker. “I know in their program I’ll be able to flourish on either side of the ball.”
Whittaker first became a West Virginia fan while watching the Mountaineers under former head coach Rich Rodriguez – he himself was a quarterback at the time and liked the offensive style with Pat White and Steve Slaton.
“I like that they were just play makers,” explained Whittaker. “They could change the game at any time and they have great chemistry. Those two together were just unstoppable.”
Obviously, the Mountaineers have gone through a couple of new head coaches since then, but Whittaker says that hasn’t changed his mind on the program.
“I’m just happy to be part of the Mountaineer family.”
