Sto-Rox receiver Andrew Carswell had more than a dozen Division I scholarship offers and planned on taking some visits this summer and into the fall before making a decision about where he would play college football.

But as the process wore on, Carswell knew there was only program he really wanted to be a part of. So he informed Pitt defensive ends coach Greg Gattuso yesterday that he was making a verbal commitment to the Panthers. Carswell is the 11th player -- and third from the WPIAL -- from the class of 2010 to verbally commit to the Panthers and the third receiver in the class.

He chose Pitt over scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Maryland, N.C. State, Boston College, Duke, Stanford and Vanderbilt.

Carswell's coach at Sto-Rox, Jason Ruscitto, said yesterday that he was a little surprised about the timing of the decision, but not at all surprised by the decision itself.

"I thought he was going to wait. He had so many schools to think about and I figured he'd need some time," Ruscitto said.

"But then again, Pitt was very active from the beginning in terms of his recruitment and they really came after him from the first day they were allowed to talk to him.

"So I knew that it would be hard for any other school to really beat them because it is where he's wanted to be for a long time.

"They did a great job of making him feel comfortable and I think the location was perfect for him since it is so close to his family. They have done a great job of recruiting WPIAL players, and Andrew sees them as a program on the rise."

Carswell, who is 6 feet 4, 210 pounds, was the Vikings' leading receiver last season, catching 40 passes for 600 yards and six touchdowns.

But Ruscitto said Carswell had a number of programs looking at him as a defensive player as well.

Carswell made 56 tackles and had three interceptions as a defensive back, and Ruscitto said this versatility indicates Carswell's ability to play at the next level.

"He is close to 6 feet 5 and has a strong vertical leap and he works extremely hard at everything he does," Ruscitto said. "He was every bit as good on defense as he was as an offensive player and that made him a valuable commodity.

"I think the other thing is, he is an excellent student. Just look at some of the schools who were after him ... so Pitt is really getting the entire package."

Carswell is the second Sto-Rox player for next year's class who has made a verbal commitment to a Division I school. The player who will be throwing passes to him in the fall, quarterback Paul Jones, has already committed to Penn State.

"If we can find a few guys up front to block for us, we could be pretty scary throwing the football," Ruscitto said.

"We're going to be young up front, but we have a chance to be really good because of these two and a couple of others as well."