Development stands out to Pitt commit Abouraya after official visit

Adham Abouraya has been committed to Pitt since late March, but on his official visit over the weekend, the Exton (Pa.) Downingtown East offensive Iine prospect saw even more that made him sure he picked the right school.

“Me and [fellow Pitt OL commit Jiavani Cooley] were in Coach (Dave) Borbely’s room during individual meetings, watching film of some of the runs, and he had us doing some drills in the room,” Abouraya told Panther-Lair.com. “Their O-linemen are very aggressive; that’s what I love. They push people off the ball and just move people everywhere.

“Me and my family all like him. That’s one of the big reasons I chose Pitt: to play for him. I can learn a lot from him. Even in that meeting, I could tell that I’ll be able to get coached by him. I know I can develop here and become a better player.”

That theme - development - is a big one for Abouraya, and it was the centerpiece of his conversations with the recruits who joined him on the official visit weekend.

Of the 13 recruits who visited this weekend, Abouraya was one of five who were already committed to Pitt. That left eight targets on the coaching staff’s board, and by the time Abourarya left campus Saturday afternoon, three of them had committed (one more would commit shortly after he left).

“I think I got three guys to commit,” Abouraya said. “I didn’t straight out say ‘You should commit,’ but we would start talking and I would get to know them, ask them about their other options and tell them, ‘If you want to develop, this is the place to be.’ There’s really nothing else to it. That’s just it. This is the place to develop.”

Abouraya wasn’t solely focused on recruiting for Pitt during his 48 hours in town. He also gained some information for himself.

"My host was Isaiah Montgomery and I talked to Branson (Taylor) - I call him ‘B’ - I was talking to him a lot,” Abouraya said. “It was basically the whole O-line; we were talking a lot.

“I asked them stuff like, ‘Do the coaches change after you get there?’ And they all told me that they act the same way they act when they’re recruiting you. They all had good things to say and nothing bad to say. They said that, as long as you work hard, you’ll be fine.”

At 6’5” and 280 pounds, Abouraya plays tackle for Downingtown East, but he said Borbely sees some flexibility in his future.

“We were talking in the spring that if I work on my feet more, I could stay at tackle, but he said I’m probably going to play more at guard. I’m trying to stay at tackle but I’ll do whatever.”