From the players: What's the sales pitch to get recruits to Pitt?
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At Pitt’s Media Day on Thursday, we asked 20 players a simple question:
If you were recruiting for Pitt, what would be your sales pitch? How would you sell Pitt to a recruit.
Here’s what they said.
Rashad Weaver: “My sales pitch would be the same thing they said to me: let it sell itself. No one sold me anything, no one made it feel like they were reading off a paper to me. They told me what it was, they showed me it and they let me fall in love with it myself. They didn’t shove it down my throat, there was nothing that seemed fake about it and I think the coaching staff does a great job of letting the team and the fans and the coaches sell itself. And it’s genuine.”
Jason Pinnock: “Next door: there’s nowhere else in the country that has that. And that’s what got me, because you have those days when you’re tired, but when you see where you want to go every day, it’s easy to shake it off and get back to work.”
Damar Hamlin: “I would say it’s a culture change right now, all throughout the program. There’s definitely a culture change. You can see it every day throughout practice. I would tell them there’s a culture change and to come see it for themselves. Or they’ll see it for themselves this year. Don’t wait too late.”
Qadree Ollison: “I would just tell them that Pitt is one of the most prestigious universities in the entire country. Pitt has a history of getting people to the NFL, if that’s your dream. And I would tell them that being in the city of Pittsburgh can set you up for life as well, because there are so many opportunities, so many alumni, so many people to meet in the city of Pittsburgh that will ultimately set you up for the rest of your life. So you’re getting two great things: you’re getting a great football university and a great academic university as well. Two things that can set you up for the rest of your life.”
Connor Dintino: “If it was an O-lineman, it would be mostly, ‘Come see our guys.’ Come see if he’s going to fit in with us. Is he going to fit in with the culture of the O-line? Is he going to fit in with Coach Borbely? If he’s laid-back and can fit in with us, I don’t really think we need to sell ourselves; I think they’re going to see us, and who we are is going to sell the culture in our room.”
Mike Herndon: “Really, just our coaching staff has grown to be outstanding. We’ve had good coaches in the past and we still continue to grow with our coaching staff, but I think that would be a huge thing. I know when I first came here, I came here strictly for the coaches because I had a really good relationship with the coaches. That’s what really sold me on it.”
Saleem Brightwell: “A thing about Pitt that I can say that’s different from a lot of places, we all play as a close group and we all care for each other. I can talk to anyone of these guys here on the team, not just defense or linebackers, but I can talk to anyone of these guys and ask them for advice or hang out and chill with them. And if you come here on the defensive side of the ball, we’re going to play hard and fast and you have coaches that care about you and give you a lot of knowledge and make you a better football player overall.”
Quintin Wirginis: “I would say that coming to Pitt is the best decision I’ve ever made. The people here, these guys are family. Guys that have been in the program Coach LaSala, Coach Junko, the guys I came in with - they’re irreplaceable. We’re going to welcome you with open arms, and once you’re on this team you’re one of our brothers whether you like it or not.”
Tyler Sear: “When you look at Pitt’s history, there’s guys like Hugh Green who stated before that Pitt should never have a losing season. We have nine national championships, and I just want to be part of that group that turns it back around. I want to be part of the group that wins that national championship, that ACC championship and I want to do it in my hometown, and I want to be from Pittsburgh, playing in Pittsburgh, and holding the trophy in Pittsburgh.”
George Aston: “The academics are almost second to none, so you’re going to get an amazing school experience. A degree from Pitt, that’s like an amazing thing. When you tell someone you have a degree from Pitt - that’s a huge deal. The campus is just so unique, it has like a traditional college feel, but it also has the city and there’s tons of things to do. The football program too. Our facilities are some of the best in the country now, and just the coaches. I don’t think you could find anywhere better.”
Dennis Briggs: “There’s nothing like playing for your hometown. I mean for me it was super special because my family was from here, and obviously the family can come to the games. It extends beyond football - in the business world with mentors and contacts. You are around people for years and years, and people get to know you and that can definitely help you especially in the college kids looking to get into a career one day. Having those contacts and people who supported you all the way from little league all the way up until you’re an adult is just imperative. It has helped me out a lot in my life with job opportunities and all kinds of things.”
Dane Jackson: “It’s a great school with great teammates, and a great environment. When you’re on campus, it’s all positive vibes. When you’re on the team and when you’re over here on the Southside with the team - it’s definitely all positive vibes. It’s like a big family, we’re all one. When they bring you in, and they make you feel comfortable.”
Dewayne Hendrix: “I would just say, ‘if you want to come to Pitt, if you want to go to the NFL and have any opportunity or chance to play in the NFL?’ I would say come here, because not only are we going to coach you up and make sure you are going to be a great player, but we’re going to make sure you are going to be a great man off the field. Coming to Pitt is so much bigger than football, we’re going to make you a great person as well.”
Patrick Jones: “I would tell them that they’re going to have a brotherhood up here. I’ve never had a team where everybody just got along. There’s no cliques, you can just hang out with everyone.”
Shane Roy: “It’s Pittsburgh tough. We’ve got blue collar guys that love to work and that love to grind.”
Dontavius Butler-Jenkins: “The main thing I would say to them is it’s a family here, like you’re going to feel welcomed. Like yea I’m from Florida and it’s so far, but you’re not going to feel that you’re not at home. They make you feel at ease - it’s just a family. The city is amazing, the people outside of football not even in the facility but outside are genuine people so it’s just a huge football town.”
Rafael Araujo-Lopes: The people in Pitt, and the community in Pitt makes you really feel like a family. I don’t really know what it is or if it’s in the air here, but every kind of interaction I’ve had from people whether it’s administration, whether it’s football wise or just in the community - it has that family feel here in Pittsburgh. People are very open, and there’s a lot of opportunity here and I encourage anybody that has an opportunity to come to Pitt, to give it a shot because it has so much opportunity outside of football as well.”
Tre Tipton: “If I was recruiting somebody to come to Pittsburgh, I would just tell them, ‘Welcome to our family,’ we’re a big family and that’s our biggest thing, Everybody on our team is really close, to be more specific our receiving corps is super close. We do as much as we can together, we hang out a lot. We just try to make sure that we’re together at all times and that’s a beautiful thing.”
Aaron Mathews: “I would just tell him it’s just fun, it’s home. Whether you’re not from here, you are going to feel like you’re at home and I know I’m from here and it’s automatically close to home, but I try to bring people from like Florida, for example Dontavius, I try to make him close so he can feel like he’s at home.”
Alex Bookser: “If I was recruiting a guy like me, a local guy, I’d tell him the same thing that I thought when I came here: if you’re a local guy, if you’re a Pittsburgh guy and you go somewhere else and Pitt’s successful and Pitt wins, you’re going to remember that for the rest of your life - ‘I picked somewhere over Pitt.’ That was one of the biggest things that brought me here, because I knew Pitt was coming. In all honesty, they were gone for a little bit. But throughout my high school career, they were getting better, and as a local guy, as a guy who really loves Pittsburgh, if you hang your city out to dry and they win without you, how can you sleep at night, really?”