Grad transfer OT sees Pitt as 'the place to be'
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Keldrick Wilson knew he had to make a decision soon, but he didn’t know where he wanted to go.
The offensive tackle who left Hampton as a graduate transfer this offseason saw the calendar turn from April to May, and that meant time was running out. He had a solid top four of Pitt, USC, West Virginia and Indiana, but deciding among those four was proving to be harder than he expected.
“I was all over the place; I was leaning toward everybody,” Wilson told Panther-Lair.com Saturday night. “So I really decided today. I knew I had to make a decision and I felt like Pitt was the place to be. I sat down with my dad, talked it over, told him I feel like Pitt is the place to be and he said he felt it, too.”
So, on Saturday night, Wilson called Pitt offensive line coach Dave Borbely and told him that he wanted to spend his final year of eligibility as a Panther.
That was far from the first time Wilson talked to Borbely, though, and the relationship he had with Pitt’s offensive line coach was a key factor in his decision.
“I really built the best relationship with him out of all the coaches,” Wilson said. “I started hearing from him a couple months ago and we talk all the time. He’s been talking to me more than I talk to my mom.
“He’s just a great guy. I really like him and I feel like he can get me where I want to be.”
Where Wilson wants to be, of course, is the NFL. After playing just two years of football at West Rowan High School in Salisbury, North Carolina, Rowan went to Hampton and saw limited action in his first three seasons.
But he established himself last fall when he became a full-time starter, and after he announced his intentions to transfer, the Power Five interest he longed for finally came. Now he’s looking to turn his lone year of ACC football into a professional career, and he believes Borbely can help him in that regard.
“He coached a lot of NFL guys, put a lot of guys in the NFL, and when he was talking about my film, pointed out things he can help me with. I just feel he’s the guy who can get me there.
“This is my last year. This is my chance to show people what I can do.”
Wilson, 6’6” 305, joins a Pitt offensive line room that has a decent amount of starting experience returning. Center Jimmy Morrissey, left guard Bryce Hargrove and left tackle Carter Warren started every game last season, while Gabe Houy and Jake Kradel split the starting assignments at right guard.
The only position that doesn’t have a returning starter is right tackle. Pitt used Michigan grad transfer Nolan Ulizio in that role last season; redshirt junior Carson Van Lynn was expected to lead the competition for that job this year, but the race just got a little more crowded.
“Coach Borbs said the spot is there to take,” Wilson said. “I just have to come in and work. Nothing is given but if I come in and work, the spot is mine. They’re excited about me.”
With Wilson on board, Pitt is projected to have 85 scholarship players on the 2020 roster, barring any additional attrition.