For Elijah Brown, it was always Pitt.

The Belle Vernon rising junior who jumped onto the national scene last month by winning a 16U national freestyle title in Fargo, North Dakota, spoke to PantherLair about his recent commitment to the Panthers and coach Keith Gavin.

“I grew up going to the Pitt matches,” said Brown, a very well-spoken young man who expects to wrestle heavyweight in college. “It’s been my dream school for a while. A lot of it has a lot to do with the academics and the engineering program. I love the coaches and people.

Belle Vernon coach Bob Bove wrestled at Pitt for two years before transferring to California (Pa.), and he’s excited to see Brown in blue and gold.

“I think Pitt got not just a great wrestler but a quality student and a pretty excellent young man,” Bove said.

Ranked 19th nationally at 190 pounds by MatScouts, Brown is the Panthers’ first commitment or the 2026 recruiting class and he is believed to be the first Pitt recruit with a Fargo title to his name since Ron Tarquinio joined the program in 2001.

Brown a force in Fargo

Pitt assistant coach Drew Headlee was in his corner in Fargo, where Brown went 6-0 at 190 pounds and scored at least 10 points in every match. In a difficult weight class, Brown was one of the stars of the tournament with a series of big moves in bigger moments.

He trailed California’s Daniel Moylan 9-6 in the closing seconds of their round of 32 bout but used a chest wrap for four points and a dramatic victory that ended up being 11-9 with an extra point for Moylan’s failed challenge.

His round of 16 victory was even more dramatic, as he beat Colorado’s Evan Perez 11-11 on criteria with a successful replay challenge that resulted in his throw at the buzzer being changed from a four- to a five-point move. In that bout, Brown trailed 11-4 with 40 seconds remaining. His never-quit attitude paid off. His final attack started as Perez looked up at the clock, and Brown took advantage by going feet-to-back.

The quarterfinal round was much easier, as Brown turned a knee pick into four points and then used a series of trap-arm gut-wrenches to finish the bout in 35 seconds.

Brown delivered one of his slickest moves of the tournament – his or anyone else’s – in the semifinals in another dramatic victory. Trailing 9-6 with 15 seconds remaining, he used a duck-under to a body lock, then tossed top-seeded David Caulkins of California for four points.

He closed his title-winning run with another big move. Leading Max Konopka 3-2 in the closing seconds, Brown countered a last-ditch attempt from the Connecticut wrestler for four more points to clinch the championship.

The incredible run was made even more impressive by the relative inexperience of Brown, who trains at The Shop in Somerset County and also attends workouts at the Pitt Wrestling Club RTC.

“That was only his second year of freestyle,” Bove said. “He had a good Fargo last year but got hurt and had to pull out.”

In some ways, Brown is still relatively raw and appears to have a high ceiling in the sport. The fact that he’s grown up wrestling middleweights before growing into a heavyweight could bode well for him.

Brown said the Fargo title won’t alter his mindset too much, although it might change how others look at him.

“I was pretty confident going into Fargo,” Brown said. “I have never really won on the big stage before. It’s kind of nice to have a reputation now.”

The recruiting trail

Brown said he heard from quite a few coaches after his Fargo win, including Bucknell and Michigan State, but he knew that Pitt was the place for him, which is why he announced his commitment on Aug. 15.

“I figured I’m going to go here anyway. I might as well do it now instead of waiting any longer,” Brown said. “I really like it, really like the program.”

The decision didn’t surprise Bove.

“I think that’s a mature approach,” the Belle Vernon coach said. “To me, he’s always said Pitt. As coaches, we recognized the talent. We said ‘You’re going to be able to go wherever you want to go.’ And he’d always said Pitt.

Brown went 44-5 at 172 pounds as a sophomore at Belle Vernon, while winning Class AA WPIAL and Southwest Regional titles by beating Brown commit Braedon Welsh of Fort Cherry on back-to-back weekends. Brown got sick the week of the PIAA tournament and didn’t perform his best, going 1-2.

He went 35-13 as a freshman 152-pounder but did not make it past the regional tournament.

He’s made big jumps in weight each of the past three years

“I think in eighth grade I was 130; ninth grade, 152; 10th grade, 170. Now I’m around 190.”

Brown stands 6 foot, 3 inches tall and is “closing in on 6-4.” He said his father, Aaron, is 6-5, and his grandfather Bill Brown, who won 365 games as basketball coach for Cal (Pa.), was 6-7. Even his sister is over 6-feet tall.

“He’s blessed,” Bove said. “He’s a naturally gifted athlete. His sister is a great athlete. They work hard, too. I think he started last season shorter than me and by the end of the season, I’m looking up to him.”

What’s next for Elijah Brown

Brown is unsure what weight he’ll be wrestling at Belle Vernon this season when the Leopards bump up to AAA.

“If I get bigger, maybe 215, but 189 might be best for me,” he said.

By the time Brown gets to Oakland, 197-pounder Mac Stout and heavyweight Dayton Pitzer should each be entering their redshirt senior seasons, allowing him to redshirt his first year on campus and then step into the Panthers’ lineup.

While Brown can set a frenetic pace on the mat, off it he’s very low-key, similar in some ways to the man he’s committed to wrestle for in college.

“I do appreciate cool, calm, and collected,” Brown said of Gavin.

For now, he has two more years of high school during which he can continue to grow, improve and pile up more honors.

“We want to try to get a state title, maybe even two, but then we’re excited to see how his college career goes,” Bove said.