Pitt's tenth 2018 commitment came on Saturday afternoon from New Jersey tight end Matt Alaimo, who chose the Panthers shortly after visiting campus. Alaimo discusses his decision to choose Pitt, the role of his teammate and fellow Pitt commit Nick Patti in his commitment, his relationship with Pitt's coaches, and his role as a two-sport star.
All quotes obtained by Richie Schnyderite
Although he’s held an offer from Pitt since January of 2017, it wasn’t until a surprise plan to visit Pitt on June 23rd that Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph’s tight end Matt Alaimo emerged as a serious option for the Panthers. Alaimo did more than put himself on the Pitt radar though. The very next day after his visit, Alaimo announced that he would be choosing Pitt over offers from the likes of Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisville, West Virginia, Duke, and a slew of other programs.
“The tradition and all the opportunities that I found there at Pitt are what led to me committing… Getting to be right next to the Steelers and working next to them everyday, that’s pretty cool,” Alaimo said.
Alaimo’s visit helped to seal the deal for the 6-foot-5, 235-pound prospect. After several months of contact with Pitt, his first time on campus showed the New Jersey tight end everything he needed to see.
“I was just there yesterday and it was very nice. We went through all of the facilities and stuff and toured all throughout their campus and got to go down to Heinz Field,” Alaimo explained. “We actually toured all of their baseball facilities too… They’ve actually offered me for baseball and football, so I’ll be playing both. I’m just going to kind of see what happens there.”
Most of the trip to Pittsburgh was spent with Pitt tight ends coach Tim Salem, who’s both the area recruiter and position coach for Alaimo. A not-insignificant assist from Pat Narduzzi certainly helped as well, though.
“I was with coach Salem the whole time and then I met with coach Narduzzi for part of the trip as well. They were excited when I committed. I talked to coach Narduzzi on the phone when I [committed],” Alaimo said. “Coach Salem is my main recruiter and we have a great relationship. I guess the opportunity to play early was something big he mentioned.”
Nick Patti, Pitt’s 2018 quarterback commit, was a key factor in Alaimo’s decision to choose Pitt. Patti is a teammate of Alaimo’s at St. Joseph’s and had been recruiting his tight end since committing to the Panthers. Pulling off the victory was exciting for the quarterback, but the duo may want to reel in more players from their powerhouse high school.
“Nick was really excited and pumped up. He was recruiting me all of the time and stuff… I’m not sure yet on guys I want to recruit, it’s still early,” Alaimo said.
One key player to watch will be Matt’s younger brother, Michael Alaimo, a 2020 quarterback who already holds an offer from Rutgers. The younger Alaimo will succeed Patti as the next quarterback at St. Joseph’s and has a lot of tools to like at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. Stay tuned for more details and articles on Alaimo’s commitment in the coming hours and days.
