Antonio Camon did not come to Pittsburgh this weekend expecting to commit to Pitt. The 6’3” and 250-pound defensive linemen out of Tampa held 24 scholarship offers and had five official visits planned throughout the month of June. Those next four visits aren’t on the table anymore. He knew right away Pitt was where he wanted to be.

“As soon as I got there it just felt like the place for me to be,” Camon told Panther-Lair.com. “I fell in love with the area and what Pitt was about. Hanging with the players and coaches, it just felt like it was for me and my family.”

The overall overall connection with the Pitt coaches solidified that decision. He really did not plan to commit, but felt like the Pitt coaching staff will be able to take his talents over the top once he gets to school.

“I didn’t know I was going to commit when I was there,” Camon explained. “I was thinking about doing it in the summer, like July, but it kind of came earlier. After my first visit to Pitt it just felt like, ‘Woah’ the coaching staff is going to be there for the next couple of years, they can develop me to a player to get to the NFL, so I felt like those are the right guys for me to be coached by.”

One coach in particular was important in his recruitment, and that is defensive line coach Charlie Partridge. The built a relationship over the phone in recent months, but he got a better feel for his position coach while he was in town.

“I trust him and everything he was saying to me and my family, and he had a couple of other commitments this weekend as well,” Camon said of Partridge.

While on the visit, he got to spend time with his player host, redshirt defensive tackle Elliot Donald. He heard how Elliot’s uncle, Aaron Donald, comes back and trains at the Pitt facility frequently. He was also impressed with the Steelers working out right next door.

It was a big visit weekend for Pitt. The coaches hosted 14 players over the weekend, and now eight of those guys are committed to Pitt. Five other players made their decision this weekend along with Camon.

“We were basically just all chilling because we talked to a couple of guys and they were all lined up and they were telling us how they all came in as a group to commit together,” he said. “I said, ‘hey we could all be next. We could be next up to come in here change the atmosphere and win more ACC champs and win the national championship.”

Camon, along with Shadarian Harrison Kenny Johnson, Shelton Lewis Isaiah Neal, Brice Pollock all decided to commit this weekend. They are hoping to build a foundation for the 2023 class, and for the future at Pitt.

Pitt’s newest commitment had planned to go visit Iowa State, Kansas, Rutgers, and Syracuse later this month, but not anymore.

“I’m done taking visits. I’m locked-in,” Camon said.