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Pitt’s newest commit isn’t from Pittsburgh, but three-star tight end Jake Renda has spent enough time in the city that his future home already feels like home.
“I’ve always thought of Pittsburgh as home; I’ve never lived there but my heart was always there,” Renda told Panther-Lair.com after he committed to Pitt on Monday night.
How does a kid from New Jersey who plans to play his senior season of high school football in Florida come to consider Pittsburgh “as home”?
“I have a lot of history in Pittsburgh,” Renda said. “My dad went to Central Catholic - him and his brothers went there and his brothers still live in Pittsburgh. My grandparents live there, too; they’re about 10 minutes away from Pitt in Turtle Creek.
“So the family factor was huge for me, just getting to be around family for the next four years and play in front of family. It made me want to be at Pitt.”
Renda’s commitment on Monday night was actually a flip, as he had been committed to Michigan State since the Fourth of July. But three weeks later, he picked up an offer from Pitt after talking to head coach Pat Narduzzi and tight ends coach Tim Salem for several months.
The Pitt offer was news he was hoping for, but that didn’t make it easy to decommit from the Spartans.
“I think it’s tough to decommit from anything in life and I was really excited about Michigan State, but it’s crazy times right now and the recruiting process is crazy, so when it came down to it, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play for Pitt. I think the offense fits me perfectly and it’s a dream opportunity; I wasn’t willing to pass it up.”
Before he could make his decision, Renda traveled to New Jersey for the weekend to discuss the situation with his parents.
“Pitt has always been at the top of my mind. When they offered me, it became a reality and I was like, what steps do I have to take to make this a reality? Then I went back home to NJ with family and decided the time was right.
“My dad is definitely excited. A lot of his friends went to Pitt and still live in Pittsburgh and his parents are there so he is absolutely excited about it. I love Pittsburgh a lot, but he grew up there and he might love it even more than I do.”
Renda, 6’5” 230, will be playing at IMG Academy in Bradenton (Fla.) this fall, but he grew up in New Jersey and played at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville. Renda was Notre Dame’s quarterback, so his junior film doesn’t show him catching many passes.
What it does show is Renda’s running ability. In leading the Irish to an 11-1 record, Renda used his legs almost as much as his arm. He knows he needs to improve his route-running and pass-catching and blocking, but he feels like he has the natural tools to excel at tight end.
“I played quarterback last year but I came down here to IMG to develop at tight end against some of the best competition in the country,” Renda said. “I loved playing quarterback, but at the next level, I’m a tight end.”
Renda added that he’s looking forward to being part of Pitt offensive coordinator’s offense.
“I love Coach Whipple’s history of having really effective and dominant tight ends; that really stuck out to me,” he said. “The opportunity to play early also stood out to me; they talked about that a lot and what they’re looking for right now at that position is my skill set to stretch the field vertically and play that Y position. They like how I can stretch the field vertically, be a threat in the passing game and also stay in-line and block linebackers.”
In addition to Pitt and Michigan State, Renda also had offers from Arizona, Boston College, N.C. State, Central Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Fordham, Holy Cross and Old Dominion. He is the second tight end to commit to Pitt in the class of 2021 along with former BYU commit Trey Andersen. The Panthers now have 19 commitments in the class.
