Rico McCoy wowed by Pitt

Washington (D.C.) St. John's College linebacker Rico McCoy went into his Thanksgiving visit to Pitt with the Panthers trailing Ohio State, Tennessee and Miami. However, the Panthers impressed him so much that they've set the standard for official visits.

"I really loved it there," said the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder. "The coaches, players, fans and the stadium -- it's all very nice. The players were cool guys, which is very important to me because I need to play somewhere that I fit in."

McCoy was hosted by fellow Maryland linebacker Derron Thomas and freshman defensive back Eric Thatcher.

"Both guys were great," he said. "I would rate the whole visit around a 9 out of 10. Coach Harris spent a lot of time with me individually and we got to bond a bit. I also met Lee Corso there and got a picture with him. It was a big game atmosphere."

McCoy has had a busy week already and has official visits set for the next three weekends.

"Coach Webster was here from UNC Monday and I pushed my visit up to Dec. 17 from January," he said. "Coach Fickell (Ohio State) was also here Monday. Coach Herrmann and Campbell from Michigan are coming on Thursday and when I get back from my official to Ohio State this weekend (Dec. 3), coach Fulmer will be in my house Sunday. It's getting busy."

After Ohio State and before UNC, McCoy will visit Tennessee on Dec. 10 and hopes to set up a trip to Miami for early January.

"I'm taking all five visits, that's the plan," McCoy said. "The Pitt visit is the measuring stick right now. They surprised me and I can't really say any teams stand out anymore."