INKED: OT Gabe Houy signs with Pitt
Offensive tackle Gabe Houy of Upper St. Clair (Pa.) has signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his academic and athletic career at his local program, the University of Pittsburgh. Learn more about Houy below.
Gabe Houy became the first player to sign with Pitt’s football program in the 2017 recruiting class on National Signing Day at 7:04 AM, joining his classmates signing today and four early enrollees who have already been in class at Pitt. Here’s a brief look back at his journey as a recruit and his history with Pitt:
First mention on Rivals: Houy first popped up as a recruit of note in the fall of his junior season, with Pitt extending an offer to the big-bodied offensive tackle and schools like Penn State, Maryland, and others showing interest. Pitt hosted Houy for several game visits as a junior and continued that momentum by bringing him in for a spring practice visit. By time the summer prior to his senior year rolled around, Houy had narrowed his focus to a top two of Maryland and Pitt in June 2016.
Houy commits to Pitt: After announcing his top two of Maryland and Pitt in June, Houy decided to pull the trigger on a commitment and get back to focusing on his senior season. The Pittsburgh area offensive lineman committed to Pitt on August 1st, becoming the Panthers' 12th commit and joining Owen Drexel in the offensive line group. Houy picked Pitt over offers from Maryland, Louisville, Wake Forest, Illinois, and others.
In his words: “Pitt has always felt like the right choice for me,” Houy explained. “The coaches and staff were always communicating with me, saying how I am a top priority for them. It’s a great school and university as well. At the end of the day, it just felt like home.”
Houy's impact: "I think if his physical development comes along the way that I expect it to, Houy looks destined to be a right tackle for Pitt. He has the athleticism and the length that he could play at either the left or right spots, and the issues he would need to correct to be able to be a blindside protector can be worked out with coaching, so either one is possible. If needed, Houy can always shift down to guard and just be a mean son-of-a-gun on pulling blocks in the run game. If he takes well to the strength programs and coaching, this is a player with the versatility to play at four different spots for Pitt. Overall, Houy is a nice land from a local prospect who gives Pitt added versatility to take either another interior lineman and a tackle or two more tackles in recruiting." Read more in the Film Room Friday breakdown of Gabe Houy.
