Pitt received some important recruiting news on Tuesday afternoon as four-star defensive end Sincere Edwards announced his commitment to the Panthers. Edwards checks in at 6'3" and 240-pounds and stars for Wekiva High School just outside of Orlando. The four-star defensive end committed to Pitt over his four other finalists: Penn State, Maryland, South Florida, and UCF.
“My reasoning for choosing Pitt is honestly because Coach Partridge, he’s an amazing D-Line coach," Edwards told Rivals.com about his decision. "Not only Coach Partridge, but the people around him."
The four-star prospect said he felt comfortable around the program beyond just Partridge. He has forged bonds with some of the support staff and the graduate assistants as well, which made Pitt the most comfortable option among his finalists.
It is believed Edwards committed to Pitt back in June following his official visit, and waited until today to reveal his decision. Edwards had previously been committed to UCF for almost a year but backed away from that pledge prior to making his official visit to Pittsburgh.
The June official visit to Pitt was the second time he made the trek north and the first visit left an impact on him. Edwards was able to meet Pitt all-time great Aaron Donald during his April visit and combining that encounter with Pitt's overall success with producing defensive linemen under Charlie Partridge really moved Pitt to the front of his recruitment.
“My chance of playing is higher due to they have about six d-linemen leaving by the time I get there, not only that there’s been a lot of greats to come out of Pitt and as far as smaller d-linemen and I fit that mold, so it’s like why not? It’s kind of no-brainer," Edwards said of his decision.
Edwards if a force on the defensive line at the high school level. As a junior for Wekiva he posted 78 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, and 16 sacks. He also recorded a pair of fumble recoveries as well.
As of now, Edwards is listed as a defensive end on Rivals, but he noted he could play either spot at the college level. He feels his game translates to Pitt's attacking style on that side of the ball.
"My goal for I go there is to break records," Edwards said. "The defense that they run, they blitz every play and their defense is a fast-playing defense and that's what I like about it."
The announcement today gives Pitt's recruiting class 22 commitments in the class of 2024. It also keeps the Panthers ranked among the top 30 nationally in the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings.
Edwards is the second defensive end in the class, joining fellow Floridan Zachary Crothers. The commitment on Tuesday now gives Pitt four four-star recruits in the class, which is the most in a single recruiting class for Pitt since 2016, which was also Pat Narduzzi's first full recruiting class with the program.
