Chryst lands a junior tight end

Nick Bowers grew up as a Pitt fan, so he always had an idea of where he might be going to college. After receiving an offer from the Panthers in December and visiting Pitt on Saturday, the Kittanning junior tight end knew for sure.

"I went down to a couple games and their bowl practice, and then went down Saturday for an unofficial visit, and I really liked the campus and the way they do things down there," Bowers told Panther-Lair.com. "All my family is around here and I want them to see me play, so I decided Pitt was right.

"I was thinking about it, and why would I go play at a school in a good conference a couple hours away when I can play at a good school in a good conference that's 45 minutes away?"

Pitt was the first school to offer Bowers, 6'4" 235, and he said former Temple assistant Terry Smith offered him a scholarship before leaving for Penn State. Additionally, Northwestern, Boston College, Purdue and Cincinnati visited Kittanning last week to show interest in him.

"I've always liked Pitt; I grew up watching them," Bowers said. "I'm really comfortable with the Pitt coaches, too. They're really nice guys and I'm very comfortable with them. I really like them

As a junior in 2013, Bowers caught 53 passes for 850 yards, setting Kittanning single-season records for receptions and receiving yards. He also rushed 56 times for 426 yards and tallied 17 total offensive touchdowns. Bowers was a standout on defense, too, recording 92 total tackles - 56 solo - and returning an interception for a touchdown.

For his performance, Bowers was named Kittanning's team co-MVP and the team's defensive MVP and the Allegheny Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He made the all-conference first team as a receiver and as a linebacker, was the Times Leader Player of the Year and made the all-state third team as a receiver.

Bowers is Pitt's second commitment in the class of 2015, joining Canon McMillan offensive lineman Alex Paulina.

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