Could Pitt strike gold twice at Akron Hoban?

Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban has been a Division I factory in recent years. The school that produced players like Under Armour All-American running back Todd Sibley (Pitt), quarterback Danny Clark (Kentucky), and wide receiver Jonah Morris (Indiana) will continue with 2018 athlete Nate Bauer. Bauer, a 6-foot, 185-pound prospect, could fit in at safety, wide receiver, or even cornerback at the next level and has emerged on the radar for many programs. Minnesota, Boston College, Syracuse, and a slew of MAC schools have offered Bauer and he’s made a number of visit in recent weeks.

“I’ve visited Boston College, Syracuse, Pitt, Toledo, and Kentucky as of late. I’m still trying to get to Minnesota as well,” Bauer said.

Bauer is working on return visits to Pitt, Boston College, Syracuse, and others after his initial round of visits – the first two for spring practices and the latter for the Orange’s April 22nd spring game. A visit to Pitt for junior day was one of the more notable visits for Bauer on his recent spring tour of college football programs.

“The trip to Pitt was really cool too because we got to see the North Carolina-Pitt basketball game, so that was just a really cool atmosphere,” Bauer said. “The Pitt coaching staff is really cool and I liked those guys a lot. The coach recruiting me is coach Conklin, the defensive coordinator. So that was cool. They’re recruiting me to play safety, he said.”

While Pitt views him on the defensive side of the football, fitting in at Conklin’s safety position group, not every school agrees with that view. An ACC foe sees Bauer lining up on the offensive side of the football and has been pursuing him.

“The Boston College visit went really well. I really liked the campus and the coaches. They did some workouts and I watched that, that was really cool and I liked that. I still talk to them a lot. I talk with coach [Scot] Loeffler (Boston College’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) and he just texted me to invite me up for a spring practice, so I’ll probably go back there,” Bauer said. “They’re recruiting me as a wide receiver. Most schools tell me that they’re recruiting me at defensive back. I don’t really have a preference though [between offense or defense].”

Bauer’s versatility and athleticism on the football field make him a natural fit to be recruited at multiple positions. He contributes on both sides of the football for Hoban and, unlike many top prospects, gets after it on special teams as well. He’s been a key contributor to back-to-back Ohio state championships for his team and wants to continue that as a senior leader.

“I would say one strength about me is my speed for sure. I’m one of the fastest dudes on my team and we’ve got a lot of fast players here [at Akron (Ohio) Archbishop Hoban],” Bauer said. “Another big thing is my ability to cover man-to-man. I play man coverage every single play at corner and I lock people down pretty well. Our team goal for this season is to capture our third consecutive state championship and as a personal goal, I want to get all-state this year.”

Bauer is still awaiting an offer from Pitt, but that hasn’t slowed his interest in Narduzzi’s program. He plans to make a return visit soon and hopes to earn an offer from Pitt one way or another.

“Pitt hasn’t offered me yet, but that would be really cool to get one from that. It’s so close to Akron and it’s a great school. I’m really hoping to get an offer from them. They invited me back to visit for a spring practice, so I’ll probably do that to continue strengthening our relationship and to hopefully get that offer. They want me to camp too, I think,” Bauer explained.

Despite the fact that he couldn’t yet commit to Pitt if he wanted to, that hasn’t stopped a particularly talkative and boisterous teammate from getting in his ear about Pitt. The aforementioned Todd Sibley is well-known for his outgoing personality and he’s already been working on Bauer to extol the virtues of Pitt football and everything it could offer his younger teammate.

“Yeah, Todd has been talking to me about Pitt. He’s always telling me about Pitt and how it’s so cool, so I’ll definitely take that into consideration when I’m making his decision,” Bauer said.

More Power Five offers should be on the way for Bauer this spring and summer as he hits the camp circuit and shows schools where he can fit in on the football field. Stay tuned for more on his recruitment as Pitt considers going back-to-back at Hoban.