When University of Pittsburgh football coach Dave Wannstedt announced his 2008 recruiting class last month, there was one jersey hung prominently behind him … that of quarterback Pat Bostick.

Bostick, the incumbent at Pitt, and former Manheim Township standout, played in 10 games as a true freshman last year, completing 61.5 percent of his passes (155 of 252) for 1,500 yards, eight touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

"It was unbelievable, what he did," Wannstedt said. "He was thrown into the mix when he didn't have a lot of time in camp, didn't have many reps at practice and did a nice job of keeping his composure. It was something different for us here at Pitt. You have to go back to the Marino days for that to have happened here. He was one of only three true freshmen to line up and start most of the season in the nation and he did an admirable job."

Wannstedt said that after meetings with coaches following the season, Bostick has worked extremely hard and done everything the coaching staff has asked of him.

"Since the season was over, I don't think there is a player at any position on this team who has worked harder to better himself," Wannstedt said. "He has lost 18 pounds, and has done everything physically to improve himself. But as in all situations, everyone has to go out and prove themselves again."

Meaning, despite the accolades, he'll have to battle to keep his starting role. Wannstedt confirmed the quarterback slot will be a wide-open competition this spring.

In addition to returning veteran Bill Stull, who was the starter until he got injured in his first collegiate start, Pitt's recruiting class included two promising quarterbacks — junior college transfer Greg Cross and Pittsburgh Central Catholic QB Tino Sunseri, who led his team to a PIAA championship. Kevan Smith, who also saw time behind center, is back, too.

"I felt we needed to be more solid there from a depth perspective," Wannstedt said. "Cross brings the athleticism that we don't have at the quarterback position, and that will allow our offensive coaches to do some things and have some offensive packages to get as much offensive production from these guys as we can."

According to Wannstedt, Cross came out of a Wing-T offense in high school and offers a running threat.

"Greg is completely different than Pat or Billy," Wannstedt said. "He's been a running QB, so we're looking at how we can use him. He gives us a 1-2 quarterback combination and brings a dimension. The question is, how much different will playing D-I ball be, compared to when he was in junior college in Missouri."

With another top 20 recruiting class, and coming off an upset of No. 2 West Virginia in the season finale, expectations are high this season at Pitt. The Panthers' schedule was announced last week, and in addition to Notre Dame, the slate features several opponents who it to bowl games in 2007.

Although the team doesn't open up until Aug. 30 against Bowling Green at Heinz Field, if Bostick has one thing going for him, it's the fact that if the season began today, he would be in the lineup.

"I think Pat is our most experienced quarterback, and if we were to play a game tonight, he'd be the starter," Wannstedt said. "But it's a wide open competition. We're going to give Pat a shot, we're going to give Billy a shot. It's going to be a battle."