INKED: DE Noah Palmer signs to Pitt

Noah Palmer became the fourth player to sign with Pitt’s football program in the 2018 recruiting class on the early National Signing Day, joining his classmates signing today in the recruiting class at Pitt. Palmer is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound defensive end from Jefferson Hills (Pa.) and one of two players from Thomas Jefferson to commit to Pitt in 2018. Here’s a brief look back at his journey as a recruit and his history with Pitt:

Pitt offers Palmer: Palmer's recruitment gained legs in the spring as he added offers from Army, Toledo, Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, and several other Group of Five programs, but if we're being honest, Palmer's decision started and ended with just one offer. After a visit from defensive line coach Charlie Partridge to check out a workout at Thomas Jefferson, the western Pennsylvania powerhouse where Palmer plays, the wheels started turning for Palmer. Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt program hosted Palmer for a visit on May 9th and surprised the local 6-foot-4 defensive end with an offer, which he says left him speechless. A "lifelong Pitt fan" who says the offer left him with a "big smile on his face" for several days, there was never any doubt how Palmer's recruitment would end once the Panthers offered.

Palmer commits to Pitt: It took Palmer just nine days after receiving his offer from Pitt to decide to announce his commitment publicly and end his recruitment. On May 18th, Palmer announced his commitment to the Panthers while he was on campus for his second visit in as many weeks. It was never a difficult decision for the hometown product, who always knew where he'd want to play if he had the chance.

In his words: “I had a good idea in my mind about committing probably about two days after [receiving the offer]. After talking with my family and what they liked and what I liked and what I felt like what I needed – it was all at Pitt,” Palmer said. “I’ve always been a Pitt fan, so it feels surreal to be able to play for a team that you’ve always watched on TV.”

From his coach: "We use him as a rush end on our defense. He comes off of the edge. As a sophomore and freshman, he had to play out of necessity and kind of learned the hard way by going against good players," said legendary Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak. "He kept improving and has become a pretty good player. They’re looking ahead to what he can do in the future. He’s long and he can run. They see him as a 255-pound edge rusher. His best football is so far ahead of him. He just needs to keep improving and to keep getting better and the sky is the limit for him really."

Palmer's Impact: "What set Palmer apart from similarly-sized players throughout the WPIAL that Pitt has evaluated was his lightning first step. Whether he lined up at the 5-technique with his hand in the dirt or operated as a stand-up edge rusher, Palmer showed an impressive ability to time his jumps and get off of the line quickly. He typically beat the offensive tackles across from him with ease and had taken a full step by time they were sliding into their stance, giving Palmer a decided advantage." Read more about Palmer's potential impact at Pitt here.