Pitt's latest commitment came not from high school but from a prep school in North Carolina, and PantherLair.com caught up with N.C. Tech head coach Tim Newman to get some input on receiver prospect Ed Tinker.

Ed Tinker spent the past few months at NC Tech.

"He was a great football player: probably one of the best to ever play at N.C. Tech," Newman said. "He's so big and so physical, he's going to be a big-time physical football player at Pitt.

"He's a sure-handed guy, a great kid, and we were blessed. We've had some really good players and he was one of the best."

Tinker, 6'2" 205, was a three-star prospect out of Brashear High School last year, but issues with his SAT scores led him to a semester of prep at N.C. Tech. Now he plans to enroll at Pitt in January and join the Panthers for spring practice.

"Ed was our number one guy down here and we went to him a lot," Newman said. "We have a passing offense, but we know Ed's going to be a tremendous college football player, so we didn't want to put him in for the whole game most of the time because we didn't want to jeopardize his future at all.

"Still, he had a great season down here and he was a leader. He had 21 receptions for 613 yards and 5 or 6 touchdowns, but like I said, he didn't usually play the full game."

Pitt recruited Tinker when he was a senior at Brashear last year, but he tended to focus on West Virginia, Louisville, and Colorado. This time around, the Panthers are his main focus.

"Pitt called us early and said that they wanted him," Newman said. "We've gotten a number of calls about him, but Pitt's his place.

"He's special; he's a special guy. I'm not surprised that he's getting the interest."

Newman said that versatility was one of Tinker's strengths at wideout.

"Bubble screens, deep balls; whatever we needed, we went to him," Newman said. "The fade route is his number one route, but he runs a great comeback and a great dig. And he's so strong and physical that if the cornerback's not strong and physical, Ed will burn him. If he gets matched up against a small cornerback, it's going to be a long day for that kid.

"He's very durable and he's a workhorse as a receiver. He's a barbarian: he'll give you everything he's got and he doesn't know when to calm down sometimes. He's got that kind of mentality."

Over the past four years, Newman has led the nascent football program at North Carolina Tech to a 42-4 record, playing largely against JV squads from smaller colleges and universities instead of other prep schools in order to find the best competition available.

Throughout that time, Newman has had a number of players go on to play Division I football, and he ranks Tinker right up among the top of the group he has coached.

"Ed will be the best where ever he goes," Newman said. "He made an impact in North Carolina and they loved him down here.

"Ed's a man with a lot of character and he's a great person. He works hard at everything he does."