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Hornibrook: Pitt is the perfect place

Alex Hornibrook's commitment to Pitt wasn't a one-day event.
Sure, the commitment happened Saturday while he was on campus, but the seed was planted for Hornibrook to become a Panther earlier than that. It even started earlier than last Friday when he received his offer from Pitt, and it predated the spring evaluations when Pitt assistant coaches Joe Rudolph and Jim Hueber told him they were sure he could play in the ACC.
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In all truth, Hornibrook's commitment to Pitt was the culmination of a process that started more than a few months ago.
"In the fall when the coaches first reached out to me, I was really pumped up about Pitt," Hornibrook told Panther-Lair.com Sunday. "When I went up there and started developing relationships with them, I really started liking it.
"Maybe even before I got the offer, I think I knew I wanted to go to Pittsburgh. Then I went up and saw the campus and knew I wanted to be there."
Still, while Hornibrook was pretty sure about Pitt when he got the offer last week - and even before that - he still wanted to make another visit to Pitt this weekend. So he and his parents made the trip across the state on Friday for the start of a two-day stay in Pittsburgh.
"On Friday we got in, met with the coaches, toured campus and met with some people on campus like the academics advisors. I loved the campus; I didn't know what I would think about the city feel, but it's kind of its own thing within the city. I really liked it.
"My parents both really liked it. My dad came out with me to a game last fall and the Junior Day, but that was my mom's first time being there and it was the first time we all got to see the campus and everything, and it was great to see that. All of us really loved it; it's the perfect place for me."
The visit wasn't just an opportunity for Hornibrook and his parents to see the campus; it also gave Hornibrook a chance to work directly with Paul Chryst, who is not only Pitt's head coach but also the Panthers' quarterbacks coach.
"I went over film with him and I worked with him on the field, and I could tell that he's a guy who really cares about football and his players, too. He seems like a person I could really work with. I already had a relationship with the coaches but I got a better feel for what they were like; being around them was really good.
After the workout with Chryst, Hornibrook decided it was time to commit.
"Me and (2015 Pitt tight end commit) Nick Bowers were working with Coach Chryst, and then came the lunch break and me and my parents went up to his office. We talked for a little bit and I said I was ready to accept the offer and commit. He was really excited; he was smiling ear-to-ear and we were all really excited."
Now, the three-star prospect from Malvern Prep plans to take on the role of quarterback for the 2015 recruiting class. Pitt has commitments from four other recruits - Bowers, Altoona linebacker Kevin Givens, Canon-McMillan offensive lineman Alex Paulina and Hallandale (Fla.) athlete Malik Henderson - but Hornibrook plans to do his part in helping to add to that number.
"I've already talked to three or four kids who have offers from Pitt, and they're all really interested. It's been fun talking to them, and that's something quarterbacks often do, try to get some guys on board. I love that responsibility and I've reached out to a bunch of guys on Twitter and Facebook."
Hornibrook's message to prospective Pitt recruits will likely be an iteration of his own reasons for picking the Panthers.
"I visited a lot of places in the last year as far as camps and all of that, and I think I have an idea of what I want. When I was at Pitt, it seemed right, from the campus to the coaches and even the players I talked to, it seemed like the perfect place for me."
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