Average, at best.

Those are the words often used to describe the football talent in the WPIAL-City League class of 2011.

Talent scouts, and even college coaches, will tell you it's not a good year for college prospects in the district. Sure, there are talented players, but no one is rated among the top 100 players in the country by scouting services and the number of Division I prospects is down from other years.

"Actually, I think it's kind of a weak year in Western Pennsylvania," said longtime national talent scout Tom Lemming of CBScollegesports.com.

The most-heavily recruited senior in the WPIAL is probably Gateway defensive back Dondi Kirby, but he tore the ACL in his knee at a camp at the University of Michigan this summer and probably won't play this season.

But the WPIAL class of 2012 is a different story.

"I think it could be one of the better years we've seen in a long time," Lemming said. "Not only Rushel Shell [of Hopewell], but Wayne Capers [of Chartiers Valley] and a few others could be top guys."

The best college prospect in Western Pennsylvania isn't in the WPIAL.

Ben Koyack of Oil City is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior who is ranked the No. 3 tight end in the country by Super Prep and No. 6 by rivals.com. No WPIAL player is ranked as highly at their position. Koyack is a Notre Dame recruit.

DeAndre Daniels, a 6-8 forward from Woodland Hills, Calif., who is considered one of the top 10 basketball players in the country, has decided to skip his final year in high school and will train at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

Pitt basketball recruit John Johnson has transferred from Girard College near Philadelphia to Life Center Academy in New Jersey.

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