Every recruit has a moment when it hits them.
The moment when the decision becomes clear and a commitment is ready to be made.
The origin of that moment varies from recruit to recruit. Some say it comes when they are spending time with the players on the team and feel a sense of belonging, a sense of family. Some say it’s when they walk into the stadium. Others point to different facilities or campus locations. And some say it’s during a conversation with a coach.
For Brockton (Mass.) receiver Cameron Monteiro, the big moment came while he was meeting with Pitt receivers coach Tiquan Underwood during Monteiro’s official visit this past weekend.
“I was in a position meeting with Coach ‘Wood,” Monteiro told Panther-Lair.com. “He gave me a presentation and I was just like, yeah, this is the place for me.”
With that, the 6’3” 170-pound three-star receiver prospect picked the Panthers, and he made his decision public Wednesday with an announcement at Brockton High School.
Monteiro’s meeting with Underwood sealed the deal, but he said that all of the Pitt coaches made an impact on his decision.
“Honestly, it was the whole coaching staff,” Monteiro said. “They made me feel like I was at home and they treated me likeI was already committed.
“They’re true guys and they’re all business; they want to win. You can see the culture in that place. They’re up and coming.”
Monteiro picked Pitt from a top three that also included Virginia, where he took an official visit two weeks ago, and Kentucky. He also had Power Five offers from Boston College, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech, but the Panthers were high on his list from the start.
“It was definitely one of my top schools, and I told my dad before the visit, if I’m really feeling this place, this will be where I want to go.”
The Pitt coaches like Monteiro as a receiver at the next level, and that’s the position he played as a sophomore. But after Brockton’s offense went stagnant in the first two games of this past season, his coaches moved him to a Wildcat quarterback role, and the Boxers took off.
In the first game after the switch, Brockton scored 42 points in an overtime win and Monteiro led the way with 198 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 rushing attempts - 16.5 yards per carry - while adding an additional receiving touchdown.
The trend continued from there, and Monteiro finished the season with more than 1,500 yards of offense and 20+ touchdowns as Brockton won eight of its nine games with him at Wildcat quarterback, scoring at least 30 in all nine, 40+ in six and 50 or more in four.
Monteiro plans to move back to receiver as a senior, and that’s the position he’ll play when he gets to Pitt when he works with Underwood full-time.
“Coach Underwood keeps it 100. He’s real. That’s my guy,” Monteiro said after his visit. "Pitt was my second offer, so we’ve been talking for awhile now. I learned a lot from him just in the couple hours we were watching film together on the visit. He makes it easy to understand. He said they run it like a West Coast, NFL offense, and he wants receivers to be playmakers, guys to get open and make plays.”
