INKED: OL Owen Drexel signs with Pitt
Montclair (N.J.) offensive center Owen Drexel has signed his Letter of Intent to continue his career on and off the field at the University of Pittsburgh. Learn more about the lineman:
Owen Drexel became the third player to sign with Pitt’s football program in the 2017 recruiting class on National Signing Day at 7:10 AM, joining his classmates signing today and four early enrollees who have already been in class at Pitt. Drexel is an offensive center who hails from Montclair (N.J.) and picked Pitt over Rutgers and several other offers. Here’s a brief look back at his journey as a recruit and his history with Pitt:
First mention on Rivals: Drexel first emerged as a noteworthy recruit on Rivals when new Rutgers head coach Chris Ash made him one of his first priorities after taking the job, extending an offer in February 2016. Drexel was in contact with Pitt at the time, but things intensified as he took in a spring practice on campus. From that point on, Pitt and Drexel were very close and a June trip down to a prospect camp at Pitt sealed the deal on receiving an offer from the Panthers on June 13th, 2016.
Drexel commits to Pitt: It took Drexel just two days to make his decision after receiving the offer from Pitt. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive center quickly spoke with his parents and made the decision to commit to Pitt on June 15th over offers from Rutgers, Florida Atlantic, and several other schools. Drexel was Pitt's 7th commit.
In his words: “I love everything, from Coach Narduzzi to the entire coaching staff, the city, the school, everything was great,” Drexel told Panther-Lair.com. “All I had to do was just talk to my parents; that was pretty much it.”
Drexel's impact: "By the conclusion of his senior year, Drexel will be a four-year starter on the offensive line at Montclair and has emerged as a leader over the year. His intelligence and leadership both on and off the field make him a valuable commodity for Pitt’s recruiting class in more ways than one and the hopes will be that he’ll continue that in his career as a Panther." Read more in the Film Room Friday breakdown.
On his official visit: “I really got more of a feel for the campus this time. I got to go out with the guys and see everything as players live. Normally, they’ll take you to the Cathedral, but I got to see everything this time,” Drexel said. “We got to eat and to hang around the Steelers, so it was all a great time. We ate at Fathead’s which was amazing and we got some wings, we got some pizza at Sorrento’s.”
