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Charles Reeves commits to Pitt

2017 Steubenville (Ohio) tight end Charles Reeves has committed to Pitt, joining the Panthers' recruiting class of the 16th commit of the group. What does Reeves bring to the table and what does this mean to the class?

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On Wednesday, Steubenville (Ohio) tight end Charles Reeves announced his long-anticipated decision on where he’d be playing his football at the Division I level. Reeves committed to the Pitt Panthers over offers from schools like Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Kentucky (where he was formerly committed), among others. Reeves' most recent visit to Pitt was in the early goings of the season as the Panthers hosted Villanova.

SEE ALSO: A list of Pitt's 2017 commitments | Film Room Friday: What does Charles Reeves bring to the table? | The 2017 team recruiting rankings by Rivals.com

Reeves is rated as a three-star prospect in the class of 2017 by Rivals.com. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound standout from Steubenville is considered the 27th-best tight end in the country. Additionally, Reeves is noted as one of the state of Ohio’s top 20 prospects in the class.

In a post titled "The Next Chapter" announcing his commitment Reeves released the following statement: "After talking to my family [and] coaches, thank you everyone who helped me through this process. I just wanna thank my mom and [Steubenville head] coach Reno [Saccoccia] for making me the person I am today... I wanna thank everyone who recruited me but I would like to say that I'm verbally committing to the University of Pittsburgh. I'm headed your way coach Narduzzi!!! #H2P."

Reeves’ decision to commit to Pitt and end the recruiting process came just a few days after a planned announcement on his birthday, a date he announced publicly just under two weeks in advance. Reeves’ commitment makes him the 16th commitment to join Pitt’s 2017 recruiting class. Although Steubenville is barely half an hour away from the Pennsylvania border, Reeves’ commitment means that Ohio has now sent its fourth commit to Pitt in this class.

Reeves is projected to play tight end at the college level, given his frame, pass-catching skills, and athleticism. Those same skills, however, make him a natural fit at outside wide receiver in the Steubenville offense. Reeves is third player in Pitt’s 2017 class to commit to play tight end at the school, joining New Castle (Pa.) Neshannock standout Tyler Sear and Gibsonia (Pa.) Pine Richland legacy recruit Grant Carrigan.

Reeves’ commitment to the Panthers pushes Pat Narduzzi’s recruiting class up five spots in the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings to 42nd overall. While Pitt’s recruiting class is ranked 40th among all schools, the 2017 group checks in at 16th among schools with 16 or less commitments. The Rivals.com team recruiting rankings formula takes into account only the 20 best prospects in a recruiting class, so Pitt will have plenty of room to continue to rise. The Panthers remain 9th among schools in the ACC, but are now within spitting distance of Virginia Tech and closing on North Carolina and North Carolina State.

Ryan's Evaluation: Although Reeves plays as an outside wide receiver for his high school team, the Steubenville (Ohio) Big Red, it has been widely accepted that he shift down to a tight end at the college level. Reeves is an athletic prospect who can make plays happen in the passing game by stretching the field, getting down the seam, and moving well with the ball in his hands. He’ll have to work on blocking as in-line tight end, something he has never been asked to do before, but he is a physically impressive player. Reeves has the talent and skillset to contribute early in his career at Pitt if he takes well to the blocking scheme and strength and conditioning coaching. You can view examples of Reeves’ athleticism on his Hudl highlight tapes by clicking this link.

MORE HEADLINES: Predicting Pitt's 2017 recruiting finish: Offense | Predicting Pitt's 2017 recruiting finish: Defense

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