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Erick Hallett came out of his official visit to Pitt two weeks ago feeling pretty good about the Panthers. But the Houston (Tex.) Cy-Fair cornerback wasn’t quite 100% sure. He was still considering his options and thought he might take one more official visit on the final weekend of the contact period.
Then he had an in-home visit with new Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates last Wednesday night.
“It was when I met with Coach Bates, because he really - I wouldn’t say convinced me, but I could see his passion for the game, and that’s something I strive to have in a coach and have in a staff,” Hallett told Panther-Lair.com.
“It was his philosophy on wanting to win and not wanting to be mediocre. He wants to work. He doesn’t want to be average; he wants to be the best. The ACC championship is the goal and he’ll stop at nothing to get it.”
Bates’ visit with Hallett on Wednesday night sealed the deal. On Saturday, Hallett called Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi to tell him he wanted to be a Panther, and on Sunday, Hallett made his commitment public.
“If felt like a place where I could really see myself,” Hallett said. “I felt really comfortable with the coaches and I felt really comfortable with the players when I went up there and it just seemed like a no-brainer. It’s a really good place.”
Bates was a central figure in Hallett’s recruitment by and commitment to Pitt. It was him who had brought Hallett to Pitt’s recruiting board; Bates had been recruiting the Houston area for Northwestern, and when Pat Narduzzi told Bates he needed another cornerback, Bates brought up Hallett as an option. That led quickly to Hallett’s official visit, which then led to his commitment.
That was quite a turn of events for the 5’10” 175-pound three-star prospect, who had been committed to Washington State and hadn’t considered Pitt prior to Bates’ hiring earlier this month.
“He’s a great guy,” Hallett said of Bates. “He’s a good family man. He cares about his players, he cares about his coaching staff; it’s not just a football level but a personal level. He just seems like a great person.”
After Bates told Hallett that Pitt was interested, Narduzzi made an in-home visit, and Hallett likes what he sees from the direction Narduzzi is taking the Panthers.
“It seems like he’s really turning it around,” Hallett said. “He’s got it moving in a positive direction. Him and the staff have the whole team feeling like a family, like a brotherhood, so they’re playing for each other. It’s deeper than just football.”
With Hallett on board, Pitt now has 18 commitments in the 2018 recruiting class, plus two more new scholarships in Taysir Mack, a receiver who is transferring from Indiana, and Stefano Millin, who is a graduate transfer offensive lineman from Kent State.
