3 Pitt players leaving early, declare for NFL draft

Three members of the Pitt football team will forgo their remaining eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft. Junior receiver Jon Baldwin, junior fullback Henry Hynoski and sophomore tailback Dion Lewis announced their decisions to turn pro Monday.

Baldwin, a two-time first-team All-Big East pick, had 53 catches and five touchdowns this past season. His 2,337 career receiving yards rank sixth all-time at Pitt.

Hynoski was Pitt’s starting fullback each of the past two seasons. He carried the ball only 12 times this season for 33 yards but caught 25 passes.

Lewis rushed for 2,860 yards in only two seasons, eclipsing former standout LeSean McCoy’s school record for rushing yards as a freshman and sophomore. (McCoy had 2,816 yards from 2007-08.) Lewis ranks fourth overall on the Panthers’ career rushing list.

Pitt's Dixon out eight weeks

Pitt enters the 2009-10 men's basketball season with one of its most inexperienced teams in recent memory.

Better make that the most inexperienced.

Two weeks after news broke that junior forward Gilbert Brown would miss the first semester because of an academic suspension, the Panthers were told that Jermaine Dixon would be out for two months and could miss the start of the season.

Dixon, a defensive-minded shooting guard who averaged 8.4 ppg as a junior, was Pitt's lone returning starter.

Dixon had surgery Wednesday to correct a fractured bone in his right foot. Dixon's injury occurred Tuesday during a pick-up game with teammates when someone landed on his foot. He previously injured the same foot during summer league play in July but did not need surgery.

Big East preseason rankings

1. Rutgers
Th Scarlet Knight finished tied for second with Pitt and West Virginia last year and they won their final six games, including the PapaJohns.com Bowl. All-time leading passer Mike Teel and receivers Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood are gone but it's not outlandish to say Rutgers still has the most talent in the conference. All five starters on the offensive line return and left tackle Anthony Davis is one of the best in college football.

Rutgers opens its season versus Cincinnati on Monday, Sept. 7 at home. Pitt, South Florida and West Virginia all play at Rutgers. That's what makes them the favorite.

2. Pitt
Media selected the Panthers as conference favorites in a preseason poll and it's understandable. The Panthers won nine games a year ago – the first time that's happened at Pitt since 1982. Four starters return on the offensive line and the defense should be the best in the Big East. Questions at quarterback and on special teams could cost the Panthers a spot in the BCS.

3. West Virginia
Wouldn't be shocked if West Virginia won the conference or turned into the league's biggest disappointment. Running back Noel Devine is the Big East's most dynamic offensive player and quarterback Jarrett Brown is a capable replacement for Pat White. The Mountaineers need playmakers on defense. Don't see many there.

4. Cincinnati
The Bearcats represented the Big East in the BCS last year, losing to Virginia Tech at the Orange Bowl and looking overmatched in the process. Quarterback Tony Pike is back and, with all apologies to South Florida's Matt Grothe, the league's best at the position. No doubt Cincinnati is improving under head coach Brian Kelly but it lost too many top players to repeat last year's performance.

5. South Florida
Sure, the Bulls have quarterback Matt Grothe and All-American defensive end George Selvie, but this team plays its best football in September. There's no reason to believe South Florida breaks the trend.

6. Connecticut
If there's a team in the second half of these rankings which could make a major move upward, it's the Huskies. All-American running back Donald Brown is with the Indianapolis Colts but senior Andre Dixon rushed for 828 yards in 2007. Trinity High School graduate Cody Endres is the Huskies' No. 2 quarterback.

7. Louisville
The Cardinals went from emerging national power – they won the Orange Bowl three years ago – to Big East stepping stone the minute current Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino left campus for the Atlanta Falcons. Head coach Steve Kragthorpe is on the hot seat.

8. Syracuse
The Big East's worst team made its biggest headline during the offseason when former Duke point guard Greg Paulus joined the Orange for one year of football. He's the starting quarterback and was once considered one of the top high school players in the country.