DT enjoys Pitt visit

Defensive tackle Charlie Noonan out of Ardmore (Pa.) Saint Joe's just took in a visit to Pittsburgh last weekend. Was he impressed by the visit to the Panthers?

"I really liked the trip and thought the school was really good," he said. "It's definitely one of my favorite schools now. I thought Dave Wannstedt was very personable and the practice I went to was very impressive by the tempo. Nothing really stood out about the visit, but I really enjoyed the campus and the facilities are great and I think their program is on the rise. I could definitely see it as a place I would go to."

The 6-foot-3, 253-pounder has recently received mail from Virginia,Connecticut and Duke.

"I've heard from Virginia, but not as much from Northwestern. I still think both of those schools are great though," he said. "Connecticut has come on strong too and Duke is a great school. They have great academics and I could see myself going there. I'd love to go to Duke and they are one of my top schools.

Another school Noonan is favoring is Notre Dame?

"I'd still say Notre Dame is one of the three schools at the top of my list, they are up there now," he said. "Coach Weiss is great for them and was great for the Patriots. It's also a good Catholic college."

Currently, the defensive tackle prospect is preparing for combines including the Nike Camp at Penn State in April, and the Adidas Combine at Pittsburgh in May.

"Besides lifting four to five days a week, I'm also running and doing training down my 40 time," he said. "I'm trying to get it to a 4.6 and my bench and legs are really strong."

Noonan has also received mail from North Carolina State and Miami recently.

This summer Noonan plans to attend one or two football camps between Boston College, Penn State and Notre Dame.

Last season, he posted 68 tackles and eight sacks as he was named first team all-Catholic, second team all-city and all-DELCO.