Pine is set on Pitt after visit

Chase Pine committed to Pitt when he visited for one of the Panthers' prospect camps over the summer. But that was the last time he was in Pittsburgh prior to this weekend when he took his official visit, and the Williamsburg (Va.) Lafayette linebacker said it was worth the wait.

"The visit was awesome," Pine told Panther-Lair.com. "I definitely love Pittsburgh, and I got to bring my dad and my stepmom for the first time, and they really liked it, too. They said that if I didn't sign, they would, so that's a good sign."

The matter of signing seemed to be in question when Pine took an official visit to Iowa State in December and talked publicly about considering trips to Virginia Tech and Maryland this month. But after visiting Pitt, he said he won't be taking any more visits.

"I just wanted to say that I had been to those schools because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you have to take hold of the opportunities you've been given," Pine said. "But it wasn't like I was going to go to those schools; I just wanted to see them.

"But I'm 100% fully committed. We actually didn't even talk about those other visits this weekend because the coaches know that everything is settled. They know that I'm coming so they don't have to worry about it. And I'm not taking any more visits."

The length of time between Pine's two visits to Pitt was notable since the Panthers saw their facilities renovations come to completion in the interim. When Pine visited in the summer, Pitt's building in the South Side was under considerable construction; now that work is finished.

"I was really excited to see all of that, because it wasn't done when I was there in the summer," he said. "They were really nice. I really liked it."

On Saturday, Pine and the other eight official visitors joined Pat Narduzzi and his coaching staff at the Petersen Events Center to watch the Pitt basketball team beat Boston College 84-61. Of course, coaches and recruits weren't the only people at the game, and Pine met a few more Pitt fans that afternoon.

"I sat next to Coach Narduzzi courtside, so that was pretty cool, and then we went into the student section for a little bit and they really welcomed us," Pine said. "A lot of the students knew who I was; they were like, 'Oh, you're Chase Pine?'

"It was funny to hear that. I was surprised that they knew who I was."

Pine also spent a lot of time with linebackers coach Rob Harley, who talked about how the 6'2" 228-pound linebacker prospect would fit into the Pitt defense.

"We watched my film and compared it to what they do at Pitt, and he said I would be a perfect fit for their defense," Pine said. "They see me as an outside linebacker. They do a lot of the things that I do in high school, and I think I can do well when I learn the techniques that they use. I just feel like it's a good fit for me."

Pine starred on both sides of the ball for Lafayette this season, throwing for more than 1,500 yards and 23 touchdowns with just three interceptions and rushing for 362 yards and eight touchdowns on offense while also recording 80 tackles, 11 sacks and 25 tackles for loss.

For his performance, Pine made the all-state first team and was named the Virginia Gazette Player of the Year.