James cites Partridge for commitment: 'He’s the best in the business'
It was expected to be an active weekend for recruiting for the Pitt football program and it has been just that. The Panthers secured two commitments last night, one earlier today, and the most recent player to announce his intentions was Nick James, a 6-2 and 285-pound defensive tackle and a transfer from Indiana.
James expects to be enrolled in Pitt for the second semester and will get to town in January. As a redshirt freshman, James appeared in all 12 games for the Hoosiers this past year, but had a minimal impact statistically with only two tackles and a sack. He will have three years to play for the Panthers and he is excited to continue his career playing for Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge.
“Who wouldn’t want to play for him? He’s the best in the business,” James told Panther-Lair.com after announcing his decision on X (Twitter). "They were one of the first schools to reach out to me and then plus they recruited me out of high school, too. It was just comfortable for me and my parents just knowing he wanted me since I was younger.”
It is not much of a surprise that Pitt had prior knowledge of James, because most Division-1 schools knew he who he was as a prospect. James was a four-star and played for nationally recognized IMG Academy. Pitt offered him back then, but he had 26 offers in total and did not visit the program during his first recruitment.
James made his way to Pittsburgh for the first time ever, his only visit since entering the portal, and came away imposed with the program.
“Just the people, like the coaching staff and it was like a family environment,” he said of what stood out on his official visit. “They embraced me and my family and my mom really enjoyed that.”
James said he zeroed in on Pitt pretty much right away once he hit the portal.
“I was kind of locked-in once Coach Partridge hit me up,” he explained. “Just his resume. He puts guys in the league and gets guys to the next level. He’s a great teacher.”
James’ commitment comes at a position of need for the Panthers. Pitt lost three seniors off of the 2023 roster, plus Deandre Jules opted to hit the transfer portal, leaving Pitt with only three scholarship defensive linemen. The depth chart is something James was aware of, he said.
Pitt locked down a commitment from Kansas State defensive end Nate Matlack earlier today. The Panthers also pulled in a pair of Western Carolina offensive playmakers in Desmond Reid and Censere Lee, and previously had landed Tamon Lynum, a defensive back from Nebraska.
Pitt hosted a number of visitors this weekend and with four commitments already secured, there could be a few more additions throughout the day.