Burrs' lineman picks Pitt

SOME PROSPECTS milk the recruiting process for all it's worth.

And then there's Jaryd "Burger" Jones-Smith, star football lineman at West Catholic High. He's rather reserved and the last thing he craves is nonstop attention.

So, while 11 schools made offers, only two received visits. Final verdict: Pitt beat Virginia.

"My family and I thought Pitt was the best place for me," said Jones-Smith, who announced his decision Tuesday afternoon in West's auditorium. "I'll get the best of both worlds there - sports and academics.

"I had a really great time on my visit. Everything was fun. Coach Hueber [Jim, assistant and a Philly native] was a great guy to be around, and so was my host Adam It's-Hard-to-Pronounce-His-Last-Name [[Bisnowaty]]. That was the one thing that really hit me; just how much fun everybody was having. A real family atmosphere."

The 6-7, 320-pound Jones-Smith, who's being eyed for the offensive line, made his visit to Virginia in October. The trek to Pitt took place in December.

"A lot of the other schools that were after me, I wasn't feeling them," Jones-Smith said. "Some came in late. And at others the coaches left. Temple was involved and I did talk to them after coach [Steve] Addazio left. Rutgers and Oklahoma have still been talking to me, trying to get me to change my mind. But Pitt's my choice."

Jones-Smith, who lives in Voorhees, N.J., intends to major in business management or engineering.

Also off the market is Northeast's David Pulliam. The 6-2, 200-pounder has committed to Eastern Michigan to play safety.