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On Saturday night, Nick Malone knew where he wanted to go to college.
“Last night, I told Coach (Dave) Borbely that I felt like I was ready,” Malone told Panther-Lair.com Sunday afternoon. “He said it was kind of late and to call in the morning after the team meeting so I could talk to Coach (Pat) Narduzzi.
“So I did and I gave them the news.”
The news was that Malone, an offensive tackle prospect from Morgantown High School wanted to commit to Pitt. So he got on the phone with Narduzzi around 7:30 Sunday morning and formally became Pitt’s 18th commitment in the class of 2019.
“It just felt like home,” Malone said. “I went to the camp and saw everything, and from there, it just felt family-friendly, just like home.”
“I felt like the time was right. I wanted to do it before the football season and show everybody what I can do.”
Malone earned his Pitt offer at a prospect camp in early June after impressing Borbely during an in-person workout. He also attended camps at Penn State, West Virginia, Maryland and Rutgers and drew positive reviews from the coaching staffs at those schools, but none of them offered.
As such, when he committed, Malone chose Pitt over offers from Eastern Kentucky and Robert Morris.
“I think nobody knows who I am yet,” Malone said. “Even when I went to the Pitt camp, I wasn’t on their radar until they watched the film after the camp and really liked me. So I feel like I was getting my name out there, but I just felt like Pitt was the school for me.”
At 6’5” and 275 pounds, Malone projects as an offensive tackle at Pitt, and he said that Borbely told him there were a few things that stood out during his prospect camp performance.
“He liked my feet,” Malone said. “I credit that to basketball. I played for I don’t know how long, and I think helps with my feet. Now I’m building my frame and gaining more weight; I didn’t really gain any weight over the summer because I was playing basketball a lot, but my weight and muscle will go up. I’d like to get up to 290.”
Malone is Pitt’s second offensive line commitment in the class of 2019, joining tackle Matt Goncalves, who committed last week. Overall, the Panthers now have 18 commitments in the class; seven of those are on offense, although the staff continues to pursue additional targets at running back, wide receiver and offensive line.
