Collins connection separated Pitt for Detroit OL
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Nearly 20 schools offered Brandon Honorable, but when he decided to make his commitment, one factor separated Pitt from the rest.
“They treat me like family,” Honorable told Panther-Lair.com, and on Sunday, he became the fourth offensive lineman to join Pitt’s 2021 recruiting class when he tweeted his commitment.
The connection for Honorable started with cornerbacks coach Archie Collins, whose Motor City roots loomed large in forming a relationship with the Detroit (Mich.) Martin Luther King offensive tackle prospect.
“I have a real good connection with Coach Collins,” Honorable said. “He’s from Detroit and he’s the only coach I really know who’s from Detroit, so it didn’t take long for us to have a good connection, a good relationship, because we came from the same place. We have a really good relationship.”
In the time since Honorable became a priority target for Pitt, he has also developed relationships with offensive line coach Dave Borbely and head coach Pat Narduzzi.
“It didn’t take long to build a relationship with Coach Narduzzi, too. He understood where I was coming from. I feel like they’re going to take care of me, not just in football but in academics, and they’ll get me ready for the next level.”
Honorable visited Pitt last summer and has since taken a virtual visit with the coaches, but he is looking forward to getting back on campus for an official visit - whenever that may be.
“I didn’t get to see a lot last time but when I take my official visit there, I’ll get to see everything: the campus, the locker rooms. I want to see the academics stuff the most.”
At 6’6” and 280 pounds, Honorable has established himself as an athletic tackle prospect who can play either right tackle or left tackle, and he thinks Pitt’s offense should suit him well.
“I really noticed them in the bowl season when they were in Detroit to play Eastern Michigan, and since then, I talked to my coaches about them and they feel like it’s a good fit for me.
“I think the offense is a good fit. They run outside zone, inside zone, they throw the ball a lot. I fit really well in that offense.”
Honorable is Pitt’s fourth offensive line commitment in the 2021 class, joining fellow Detroit native Terrence Enos, who also committed on Sunday, as well as Massillon (Oh.) Washington tackle Terrence Rankl and Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas guard Marco Fugar. The Panthers haven’t signed more than two high school prospects on the offensive line since the class of 2017.