On the second day of his official visit to Pitt, Ja’Kavion Nonar knew where he wanted to go to college.
Nonar had arrived in Pittsburgh at midweek, taking a tour on an unofficial visit Wednesday night before kicking off his official visit on Friday. On Saturday, he was spending time with his host, defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, and the Belle Glade (Fla.) Glades Central offensive tackle made his decision.
“I knew it when I was there with the players on the second day,” Nonar told Panther-Lair.com. “Calijah told me how the coaches keep it real and treat you like family. He said the coaches will have everything for you and they won’t let you fail. They keep you uplifted like family.”
The family feeling was a big one for Nonar, and it loomed large as he considered the Panthers over the weekend.
“It felt like it’s home. It felt like one big family,” he said. “When we came on the visit, from the first time we got there, we felt like we were welcomed with open arms.
“I didn’t know what to expect from the visit, but I’m glad that I did it because I felt like I could go there. I realized it was a place I could be.”
At 6’7” and 280 pounds, Nonar is a big offensive tackle prospect, and he got to know offensive line coach Dave Borbely while he was in town.
“Coach Borbely is probably the coolest coach I’ve ever met,” Nonar said. “With him, you know what to expect. He’s not going to lie to you. He’ll let you know where you stand. I appreciate that.”
Nonar had a similar reaction to Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi.
“Man, Coach Narduzzi has everything on lock,” he said. “That’s really the Pitt program all around: everything about Pitt is it.”
Nonar is the first offensive line prospect to commit to Pitt in the class of 2022. He chose the Panthers over offers from Maryland, Florida A&M, FIU and Delaware State.