April 25, 2006

By Tom Lemming

Special to CSTV.com

	TOM LEMMING Tom is CSTV's college football recruiting analyst, and writes for CSTV.com regularly. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   --- RANKINGS 1/23: Final Class Of 2008 Top 100 1/11: Stock Watch - 2009 Potential All-Americans 1/5: Stock Watch - All-American Bowl 1/4: Stock Watch - All-American Practice Week 8/2: 2008 Top 100 Overview 4/9: 2008 Updated Watch List 2/8: 2008 Early Watch List 2/5: Top 100 Latest 1/29: 2007 - Final Rankings 1/23: 2006 - Final Rankings 2008 TOP 25s 11/15: Inside Linebackers 11/14: Outside Linebackers 11/13: Athletes 11/13: Cornerbacks 11/12: Fullbacks 11/08: OGuards/Centers 11/01: Offensive Tackles 10/20: Defensive Ends 10/14: Tight Ends 10/04: Safeties 9/19: Defensive Tackles 9/12: Tailbacks 9/5: Pro-Style QBs 8/28: Dual Threat QBs ROAD TRIP 2007 12/16: Ten With Tom - Rich Rodriguez Edition 11/29: Ten With Tom - Recruiting Road to the BCS 6/7: Mailbag 5/23: History Lesson 5/11: Ten With Tom 3/29: North Carolina 3/16: East Coast Swing 2/28: Setting Up Shop 2/26: Texas NFL DRAFT 4/27: From Five-Star to First Rounder CONFERENCE BREAKDOWNS 07 2/13: SEC Breakdown 2/12: Pac-10 Breakdown 2/11: Big Ten Breakdown 2/10: Big East Breakdown 2/9: Big 12 Breakdown 2/8: ACC Breakdown SIGNING DAY 2/7: Winners and Losers 1/22: Countdown to Signing Day 1/15: Best Available BCS BOWLS 1/5: BCS Championship Game 12/31: BCS Orange Bowl 12/30: BCS Sugar Bowl 12/30: BCS Fiesta Bowl 12/30: BCS Rose Bowl CONFERENCE BREAKDOWNS 06 4/28: Pac-10 4/25: Big East 4/19: ACC 4/14: Big 12 4/12: Big Ten 4/6: SEC ROAD TRIP 06 7/14: Part IX 6/22: Part VIII 6/2: Utah 5/26: Colorado 5/16: Illinois 1/19: Part IV 1/12: Part III 1/06: Part II 12/30: Part I

·          LB Dorin Dickerson, Pittsburgh

It was a horrible recruiting year for the Big East -- with all five of these impact players matriculating to just two different schools -- but one major standout is Dickerson. This 6-foot-3, 210-pounder can do it all, having logged time at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, strong safety and outside linebacker at Imperial West Allegheny. No matter what the position, Dickerson plays like a champ.

On offense, he's a long strider with good vision and instincts with tremendous hands. He could play either running back or wide receiver at Pitt. On defense, Dickerson was one of the most aggressive players in western Pennsylvania, showing a great change of direction and quickness to the ball. Look for this local product to do a lot of damage for Dave Wannstedt.

·          DE Deantwan Whitehead, Louisville

Whitehead, a mammoth 6-foot-6, 245-pounder from Birmingham West End in Alabama, will be an instant impact player for Bobby Petrino and the Cardinals if he makes it academically. This end is very quick off the ball and has the ideal frame for his defensive end position -- though his strength hasn't fully developed just yet.

Questions surrounded Whitehead after he sat out his junior season with a blown knee. But the Louisville signee silenced any naysayers during a senior campaign that saw him notch 125 tackles, 25 sacks and 17 tackles for losses.

·          WR Josh Chichester, Louisville

Chichester's vitals -- 6-foot-8, 210 pounds -- automatically make the West Chester Lakota West product one of the more intriguing freshman prospects in the country. The Ohio native sought a basketball scholarship throughout high school but, at the last minute, chose to go with football. If he puts his mind to it, he could be an instant impact player -- his size makes him a very tough matchup for opposing defensive backs

Chichester is a very athletic, acrobatic-type wideout with an outstanding vertical leap, sure hands and excellent speed. He's exhibited fluid movement skills, comes off the ball quickly, has been blessed with very good body control and (obviously) can go up for the ball. It will be interesting to see how Petrino utilizes a dynamic talent like Chichester within the framework of Louisville's high-powered offense.

·          TE Nate Byham, Pittsburgh

The No. 1 tight end prospect in the East is one of the more athletic players in the country at his position. The Franklin Area alum doesn't have a lot of weight to him -- he's more of a receiver than a blocker -- but he's simply one of the fastest and more prolific receivers around. A lot of people expect him to come into Pitt and play right away.

                The 6-foot-5, 215-pound incoming frosh shows excellent size, natural tools, quick feet, long arms and exceptional athletic ability. He's got the frame to weigh around 250 pounds in college and, for the time being, he's playing basketball which keeps him lean and mean. When running his patterns he can change direction quickly and he gets in and out of his cuts and is exceptionally quick off the line.

·          DL Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh

Pinkston is a 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman from Pittsburgh Baldwin who emerged as one of the most dominating defensive lineman in the East. Aside from his explosive first step, Pinkston is excellent in pursuit, presents quick hand and even quicker feet. He's got very good balance and body control while running down backs.

The local native is a fiery (but good) competitor who's earned a reputation for just making plays. As a senior, he logged 100 tackles, seven sacks and 10 tackles for losses on his way to All-State honors.