Opportunities and coaches led JUCO OT Chase Brown to Pitt

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Pitt is going to need help at offensive tackle in 2018, and on Monday, the Panthers added a big piece for the expected vacancies.

“It felt like a good fit for me, academically and football-wise,” Lackawanna College tackle Chase Brown told Panther-Lair.com. “I liked what they had to say about academics and stuff and I liked the coaching staff a lot and the facilities and the opportunities with the program. There were a lot of things I liked about it.”

The opportunities definitely stood out for Brown. Pitt will lose projected starting right tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith to graduation after the 2017 season, and Brian O’Neill, the projected starter at left tackle, could leave for the NFL, which would create openings at both tackle spots for 2018.

Brown was well aware of those potential vacancies, and that factored into his decision.

“That was a big factor, because I only have two years left,” Brown said. “Obviously, I want to play right away and they can give me a chance to play right away as soon as I get there.”

Brown visited Pitt earlier this month and came away from the visit saying the Panthers were his top team. Since that visit, he had been mulling a potential decision and the process came to a head on Monday.

“I’ve been sitting on it for the last week, thinking about it, praying about it, talking to my family about it, talking to some of my coaches and I was getting how they were feeling about it. But deep down I knew what I wanted to do. So I just went ahead and did it. I figured, why wait if I had my heart set on it?”

Brown added that his experience spending time with offensive line coach John Peterson and head coach Pat Narduzzi on his visit was a positive one.

“I’m a fan of his coaching style and he seems like a good teacher,” Brown said of Peterson. “We were talking football on my visit and I think I learned a little bit just from talking to him. So I like his coaching style; it fits me and I feel like I can learn a lot playing under him for two years.

“And I liked Coach Narduzzi’s energy and how much he cares about his players and the game. That’s what I liked about him. He seems like a really good guy.”

Brown has also taken note of the direction of the Pitt program under Narduzzi. With just two years to play, the Virginia native wanted to go to a college that seems to be winning, and he saw that in the Panthers.

“I watched a couple games in the fall, and that was before I knew I was going to end up there,” Brown said. “I like the way they play and the offense they run. It’s a tough, tough team. I love winning; I don’t think anybody likes losing, and I feel confident that my time there and after that will be successful, especially with Coach Narduzzi there.”

Brown will graduate from Lackawanna in December and enroll at Pitt in January with two years of eligibility remaining. He is Pitt’s eighth commitment in the class of 2018 and the fourth on offense, joining quarterback Nick Patti, offensive guard Jake Kradel and H-back/fullback Jay Symonds. The Panthers also have commitments from defensive ends John Morgan and Noah Palmer, linebacker Wendell Davis and cornerback Judson Tallandier.