Copeland finds the best opportunity at Pitt

There were two elements Addison Copeland looked at in recruiting:

On-field and off-field.

Over the weekend, the Buffalo (NY) Western Maritime receiver found an ideal mix of both at Pitt, and on Tuesday, he announced his commitment to the Panthers.

For the on-field side, Copeland looked at Pitt’s coaching, development program and proximity to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I just feel like they’re the best fit for me to get to the next level. It’s a pipeline for me to get to the next level,” Copeland told Panther-Lair.com after making his announcement. “I feel like they have the most efficient way for me to make it to the league.”

The off-field side ties in with Copeland’s goals, as the Pitt coaches emphasized that it will take more than athletic ability to get to the next level.

“Besides being next door to the Steelers, academically their programs are better than a lot of schools I was looking at,” he said. “Coach (Pat) Narduzzi asked me what my goals were and he let me know that when I get there, they’ll take care of me and get me right.

“There’s a lot of things bout me that aren’t ready for the next level, but they’re going to help me and get me right.”

The combination of factors led Copeland to make the call on Sunday night after he got home from his weekend in Pittsburgh, but he started getting a feeling about Pitt earlier.

“I think I knew when I first got there, because the very first thing we got into was academics and how they would make us better as people, not just in football,” he said. “And then I was there when Jordaan Bailey committed and I was real cool with him on the trip, so we were talking and stuff.

“But I got home and thought about it for an hour or two and I knew that was my decision.”

The official visit from Thursday to Saturday made a strong impression on Copeland, but the finishing touch came on Sunday when the 6’3” 190-pound receiver worked out at the Panthers’ prospect camp with new receiver coach Brennan Marion.

“That was big because I got to see the other side of the person who’s been recruiting me,” Copeland said. “He’s the coach I’ll work with for the next four or five years, so that was definitely big.

"We had a good connection, and we kind of already have a connection since everything he wanted me to do, I knew how to do it from talking to him and watching film.”

Copeland, a former Rutgers commit, chose Pitt over offers from Boston College, BYU, Indiana, Notre Dame, Penn State, South Carolina and Syracuse. He started his June official visit tour with a trip to Rutgers and was planning future visits to Boston College and South Carolina before making his commitment, but he canceled those trips.

The No. 5 prospect and the No. 1 receiver in the state of New York for the 2022 class, Copeland joins fellow Empire State standout Jimmy Scott, who also committed to the Panthers after visiting this past weekend.

He is the first receiver to commit to Pitt for this year’s class.