Recruiting Rumor Mill: Chatter from Pittsburgh championship games
National recruiting analyst Adam Friedman finished off a trip to Pittsburgh by taking in the WPIAL 5A and 6A Championship games. Peters Township beat Pine Richland 43-17 to take the 5A crown and, in an instant class, North Allegheny edged Central Catholic 44-41 for the 6A title.
Here is the latest recruiting buzz coming out of the WPIAL Championship games from Saturday.
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RUMOR MILL: Even more buzz coming out of the Steel City
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The heart-breaking loss on Saturday capped a tumultuous week for Sullivan. The Michigan commit saw his primary recruiter and future position coach Chris Partridge get fired on Friday and, despite an impressive performance on the field, his Central Catholic squad fell short against bitter rival North Allegheny the following day. Sullivan was credited with seven tackles on defense and six catches for 46 yards and two touchdowns offense.
On the recruiting front, Sullivan has yet to really address the sudden, unexpected change on the Michigan staff. In speaking to people in and around the Central Catholic program, there is a general confidence in the Michigan program and an expectation that whoever fills the role of linebackers coach will be a high-caliber coach.
Programs like Notre Dame, Stanford, Duke and Wisconsin began kicking the tires on Sullivan shortly after news of the Connor Stalions sign-stealing investigation broke. It would not be surprising to see other programs also reach out now that Sullivan’s future position coach is no longer on the staff.
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No news is good news for Wisconsin fans in Cory’s recruitment. The Pine Richland offensive lineman maintains regular contact with the Wisconsin coaching staff and offensive line coach Jack Bicknell. The Badgers are recruiting the 6-foot-4, 290-pound prospect as a center. Cory is close with fellow Wisconsin commit and Pennsylvania native Kevin Heywood and he really likes that, along with four-star defensive back Omillio Agard, there will be a few Pennsylvania guys going with him to Madison.
Cory last visited Wisconsin in June and was supposed to visit this weekend but those plans were cancelled once Pine Richland advanced in the WPIAL playoffs. He is working on planning another visit before he is scheduled to graduate in the spring.
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A unique athlete, Gompers has attracted plenty of major programs early in his recruitment. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound prospect has received offers to play tight end, outside linebacker, and strong safety/nickel at the next level. Gompers did play on both sides of the ball on Saturday but really shined on defense, where he racked up a game-high 17 tackles.
Pittsburgh, Boston College, Wisconsin, Duke and Penn State have been staying in regular contact with Gompers. He’s taken a lot of visits over the last few months. Gompers mentioned trips to Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Boston College and Notre Dame but he specially highlighted his visits to Wisconsin and Penn State. He liked the game day atmospheres at both schools and expects to return to each campus. Gompers is also planning to visit Notre Dame, Michigan and Duke in the coming months.
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Gatten is tracking to be one of the most heavily-recruited 2026 linebackers in the region. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound standout was knocked out of Saturday’s game on the first defensive series with what looked like a scary injury but he walked off under his own power.
Tennessee is the most recent offer for Gatten, who has taken recent visits to Penn State and Notre Dame. Expect Gatten to hit the road in a big way this spring too. He is developing close relationships Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden, Penn State defensive backs coach Terry Smith, and multiple members of the Nebraska and Wisconsin coaching staffs.
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Vaccarello has the size to be considered a legitimate Power Five prospect and he played like one on Saturday. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound outside linebacker was flying around the field and seemed to be around the ball on almost every play. He ended the game with one sack and three tackles to go along with two catches, 34 receiving yards, and a touchdown reception.
Boston College, Syracuse and Maryland have offered Vaccarello already and he's taken a handful of visits. Don't be surprised when more programs extend offers in the coming months.
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OTHER CENTRAL CATHOLIC COMMITS
Penn State commits Anthony Speca and Peter Gonzalez are locked in with the Nittany Lions and each of them were big reasons why the Vikings nearly won on Saturday night. Speca was credited with seven tackles on the night while Gonzalez hauled in seven passes for 153 yards, including a 32-yard reception that set up a touchdown on their final drive of the game.
Pittsburgh commit Ty Yuhas has been 100-percent locked in with the Panthers and he's shown solid development over the last several months. On Saturday night he was credited with seven tackles and one tackle for a loss.
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NOTEWORTHY
... Central Catholic freshmen Roman Thompson, Larry Moon and Jimmy Kalis will be names to get familiar with. Moon has notable offers from Pittsburgh, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Miami. Thompson holds an offer from Akron and Kalis is getting a lot of attention. All three players have the physical tools that should allow their recruitments to continue to pick up momentum.
... North Allegheny senior quarterback Logan Kushner isn't getting recruited by high-profile programs but his performance on Saturday night was spectacular. The undersized signal caller threw for just 107 yards but accounted for six touchdowns, two in the air and four on the ground. Kushner also ran for 242 yards against a Central Catholic defense loaded with Power Five prospects.
... All of Kushner's passing yards and touchdowns went to receiver Khiryn Boyd. The senior receiver says he clocked a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at a Pitt camp this summer. Boyd stands about 6-feet tall but does have any offers right now. He is fielding calls from West Virginia, Akron, Coastal Carolina and many others.