'08 PA WR/TE Jonathan Baldwin (Pitt Verbal)

[OCIrish]

Ohio University also had a 3rd basemen some might heard of, Mike Schmidt.

Hell, I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing.

 

[KamaraPolice]

Other college coaches who bombed in the NFL: Steve Spurrior, Pete Carroll, Nick Saban.

NFL and college are different, we'll see what he can do with Pitt.

 

[fitz_bu47]

Who cares about the Wannstache, as long as we get Baldwin, I don't care how they do. We saw what happened last time he met up w/ C.W.

 

[GhostSpirit]

Dave ain't that great of a coach, but Pitt is definately a player here.

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

Dave is a fraud. He just can't be a head coach. I knew he would suck at PITT.

 

[HeavenKnows]

David Wannstadt wasn't the best evaluator of talent and made mistakes in personnel. But He is an excellent coach. And was considered a very good x and o's coach. This comes from his peers. Proof: At Chicago he was considered a front runner for coach of the year until his quarterback, Eric Kramer, was injured. He took a chance on Rich Mirer at chicago and made a mistake. At Miami he took average talent and turned that team into a divison contender each year. I respect his coaching. He was fired from Miami and the team has stunk ever since. Players left him under Chicago and Miami for better contracts and great promise to never reach the height they did under Wannstadt.

But he is not as good as Charlie Weis.

 

[NDfan70]

Da 'stache, IMO, is an above average defensive coach but on the offensive side he leaves a lot to be desired. How they (Pitt) are figuring in to the mix for JB has to be regional locale. Otherwise, it just doesn't add up.

 

[Irish93]

Q&A with Baldwin:

Blue Chip Chat: Johnathan Baldwin

 

[rockne19]

great find! thanks.

 

[GoshenGipper]

Jonathan mentioned that he is going to wait untill Feb 6th to announce wich is NSD, and will be picking between Florida, Pitt, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame and USC, which we already knew.

Just a side note, His dad played DE at Pitt, as well as current Jets holdout Darrelle Revis who aslo attended Aliquippa and has spoke to Baldwin in the past. However his cousin Ty Law, yet another Aliquippa graduate attended Michigan.

 

[KamaraPolice]

I bet Ty Law has a thing or two to say about Charlie Weis.

Also, I would be less concerned with Wannstaed pulling bs with Butler than Brewster pulling it with Floyd. Brewster appears to be scum and will do all the things trash will do to better their predicament. Wannstaed strikes me as having a little more character and class.

 

[HeavenKnows]

Dave Wannstadt is suppose to be a devout Catholic who tries to attend mass before going to work. Hopefully, that counts for something in the ethical realm.

 

[GoshenGipper]

I bet Ty Law has a thing or two to say about Charlie Weis.

Also, I would be less concerned with Wannstaed pulling bs with Butler than Brewster pulling it with Floyd. Brewster appears to be scum and will do all the things trash will do to better their predicament. Wannstaed strikes me as having a little more character and class.

Yeah, I'd have to agree with you on both sentaments there. Although I think you ment Baldwin rather than Butler.

 

[Katzenboyer]

However his cousin Ty Law, yet another Aliquippa graduate attended Michigan.

That's probably not a good thing for Michigan -- Law ended on very bad terms with UM. On Monday Night football games, Ty Law would always say the school he played for was "Alquippa, Pennsylvania High" rather than Michigan, and there was an article about Law's fallout with certain UM coaches right before he left. I'll try to dig it up.

 

[Irishknight1023]

That's probably not a good thing for Michigan -- Law ended on very bad terms with UM. On Monday Night football games, Ty Law would always say the school he played for was "Alquippa, Pennsylvania High" rather than Michigan, and there was an article about Law's fallout with certain UM coaches right before he left. I'll try to dig it up.

----Nice info Katz

 

[Katzenboyer]

Here you go. From ESPN's Page Two interview with Law:

When Ty Law gets a chance to acknowledge his alma mater during "Monday Night Football"'s introductions, he makes it a point to say "Aliquippa High School" and not the University of Michigan.

Here's Law's version about the bitter way he left Michigan when he left after his junior season because of legitimate financial hardship, but with little understanding from Wolverines head coach Lloyd Carr.

"He didn't care for me leaving, and I wasn't welcomed back for a while," said Law of Carr, who was Michigan's defensive coordinator but replaced Gary Moeller as head coach for what would have been Law's senior season.

Law says Carr "actually told me -- and that's what I feed on until this day -- that I would never see the third round. And that kind of hurt me. I know I thought I was one of the better players here on the team."

Law said he left Michigan reluctantly; his grandfather filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and his family had other problems that needed addressing. The Patriots drafted Law in the first round, 23rd overall, and in 1999 signed a seven-year, $50 million contract extension.

Law says that, given his family situation, he would have expected Carr to give his blessing for leaving early.

"I didn't get any of that. And that's why I don't go back to that school. On 'Monday Night Football, I'll say I'm from Aliquippa (Pa.). The University of Michigan -- I had a great time, don't get me wrong, made some of my best friends there -- but it was just a pit stop."

Law said Carr knew about his family's dire financial straits. Carr left for a recruiting trip but asked Law not to make a decision about declaring until the coach returned. The deadline for declaring arrived, and Law wanted to speak to Carr about his situation.

Law said Carr "wouldn't take my call."

Law said that convinced him he was making the right decision. He claims he was not included on the "Wall Of Fame" in Michigan's football facility -- a mural featuring the school's All-Americans -- until his third year in the NFL.

"I was an All-American at the school. (Michigan) never would have seen Charles Woodson if it wasn't for me, because (Woodson) had committed to Florida State. But we (Carr and Law) just didn't get along while I was there."

Law said that fellow former Michigan star and Patriots teammate Tom Brady tried to smooth matters on an airplane. Carr was on a flight to Hawaii for the 2002 Pro Bowl with Brady and Law, and Brady encouraged Law to say something to Carr.

"I talk to him briefly, but it was still somewhat short," Law recalled. "I'm glad that he's having success, but I didn't get the same positive energy when I left compared to when Charles left."

 

[johnnd05]

Whoa.

 

[pani_nasz]

Not very flattering for Lloyd. Good find, Katz.

 

[OCIrish]

Wow, not only is Lloyd not that great of a coach, he's not that great of a human being. I guess it's not what is best for the student athlete, but what is best for Michigan football. Ty Law was a helluva player back in the day, and was damned good in the NFL as well. I couldn't fault him for wanting to do right by his family, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

 

[Katzenboyer]

Wow, not only is Lloyd not that great of a coach, he's not that great of a human being. I guess it's not what is best for the student athlete, but what is best for Michigan football. Ty Law was a helluva player back in the day, and was damned good in the NFL as well. I couldn't fault him for wanting to do right by his family, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

That might be true, but Law has also been a bit of a pain in the ass playing the "no respect" card in the NFL.

After Champ Bailey got the biggest contract an NFL cornerback had ever received, Law bitched and moaned about the Pats not paying him, even though he was under a 7 year $50M contract. He used the horrible "a man needs to feed his family" line (ridiculous, seeing as he was making millions of dollars a year) and went so far as to personally insult Bill Belichick in an effort to get cut and hit the open market. The Pats didn't blink, and he reported to camp like everything was fine.

Carr might be at fault, but I wouldn't put it past Law to "imagine" some of the things he said.

Anyways, take it FWIW.

 

[GoshenGipper]

Well, that might not effect Johnathan's descion at all, but if we're lucky it might more than some think. Especially since Jon is reportedly pretty close to Ty, and the Pats remain Jon's favorite NFL team to this day.

 

[Katzenboyer]

and the Pats remain Jon's favorite NFL team to this day.

...he's a good man!

 

[IrishAddiction]

really hope this pans out well for notre dame... this guy is going to be awesome! i mean come on, 6'6'', 220 pds and has at least 4.5 speed on most webs sites(some 4.4) he is going to be an awesome college player. i hope ty law is doing a little whispering in his ear that CW and company might be the best choice...

 

[johnnd05]

Per the SBT, Baldwin might be an unofficial visitor this weekend:

Sparse sidelines

There doesn't [sic] figure to be many recruits on Notre Dame's sideline Saturday for the Irish season opener with Georgia Tech -- and with good reason.

"Notre Dame is doing the best it's ever done in recruiting at this stage," CSTV recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "When you've got 19 commitments and you only have six spots to fill, you're not going to have a lot of in-season visits. This is a good thing."

One of those 19 commits, safety Jamoris Slaughter (Stone Mountain, Ga.) does have plans to attend the game. Uncommitted tight end Jonathan Baldwin is expected to visit unofficially. Baldwin, a 6-6, 225-pounder from Aliquippa, Pa., reportedly runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. A possible official visitor could be running back Carlton Thomas, a 5-6, 159-pounder from Frostproof, Fla.

ND's top remaining targets, according to Lemming, are five-star receivers Deion Walker (6-4, 186) of Christchurch, Va., and Michael Floyd (6-3, 195) from St. Paul, Minn.

"Notre Dame can just sit back and be selective," Lemming said. "They don't have to take anything less than a five-star player. They're in a great position."

I saw this article earlier but I just didn't read down this far, so I have to tip my hat to IK, who tips his in turn to the good folks at DD, for this one.

 

[BDIrish4ever]

I know everybody and their mother is listing Johnathan as a tight end, but doesn't his body type and speed lend more to CW's type of WR. I am not saying he could not be an outstanding TE. Does he have below average agility for a wide receiver? I also have to say that I disagree slightly with Mr. Lemmings with sitting back and waiting for "5 star" prospects only. I have read multiple posts of Notre Dame fans like ourselves complaining about all the rating systems. It seems to me to me that the difference between a "4 star" and a "5 star" is pure speculation.

 

[KamaraPolice]

I believe that Notre Dame is offering Baldwin as a receiver.

Also, I just read that article about Carr. I can recall him showing his true colors when he walked away from an interview after 1 question and without saying anything. He is a dick and has a temper. However, I wasn't certain on the extent to which he has absolutely no class. Now I know.

 

[GoshenGipper]

I know everybody and their mother is listing Johnathan as a tight end, but doesn't his body type and speed lend more to CW's type of WR. I am not saying he could not be an outstanding TE. Does he have below average agility for a wide receiver? I also have to say that I disagree slightly with Mr. Lemmings with sitting back and waiting for "5 star" prospects only. I have read multiple posts of Notre Dame fans like ourselves complaining about all the rating systems. It seems to me to me that the difference between a "4 star" and a "5 star" is pure speculation.

If you check the first post in his profile you will notice a positionlocated between his name and his height/weight. This is where ND is recruiting him and in this case it is at WR.

 

[GoIrish41]

is there any definative information on whether baldwin will visit for the GT game?

 

[GoshenGipper]

is there any definative information on whether baldwin will visit for the GT game?

Last I heard he was still comming in. Remember that many of these guys have games tonight so they won't be in until tomorrow morning.

 

[johnnd05]

JONATHAN BALDWIN -- ALIQUIPPA WR-DE

The physical talent gap between Jonathan Baldwin and most opponents already was big. Then Baldwin went and made it bigger. Baldwin, a senior receiver-defensive end at Aliquippa, is bigger, stronger and at least as fast as he was a year ago. He hit the weights harder than ever in the offseason and took workouts more seriously. "I've just been a lot more focused," Baldwin said. Baldwin played last year at 210 pounds. Now he's 233. He can now bench press 335 pounds. And it doesn't appear he lost any speed. He can run the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and finished third in the 100-meter dash at the PIAA Class AA championships in May. On top of it all, he stands 6 feet 6. And this year, he plans to be a bigger part of Aliquippa's offense. He caught only 21 passes last season on a run-oriented team. "I think I can get 40-50 this year," Baldwin said. "I think we're a better team than last year. We've got a true quarterback [Rasheem Jones] this year, so we'll be able to open up the game a little more. We'll have people guessing more instead of people knowing we're going to run."

Baldwin is ranked the No. 8 receiver in the country by Super Prep magazine. He's also a talented basketball player and used to talk about playing only basketball in college. But he has decided to play only football and has narrowed his choices to Pitt, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida, Miami and USC. Baldwin's favorite player is former Pitt receiver Larry Fitzgerald. It could come down to Pitt and Michigan.

-- By Mike White

(link - obviously that last sentence is sheer speculation, and nothing more.)