Pitt lands a JUCO QB

Pitt added some much-needed depth - and possibly more - to the quarterback position this weekend when the Panthers landed a commitment from Ricky Town.

A native of Newbury Park, Calif., Town comes to Pitt directly from Ventura College, but his path originally led to USC. He was a four-star prospect and the No. 5 pro-style quarterback recruit in the class of 2015 when signed with the Trojans, and he was their top quarterback target in the class - a group that also included current USC star Sam Darnold.

Two weeks into training camp, though, Town left USC and transferred to Arkansas. He spent the 2016 season there before heading to Ventura College in the hopes of landing another opportunity at a Division I school.

Town played in nine games for Ventura College this past season, completing 60% of his passes while throwing for 1,160 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. He opened the season as the starting quarterback but mostly played behind freshman Jake Constantine, a transfer from Boise State.

Town figures to fill an important hole on Pitt’s roster. With both Ben DiNucci and Thomas MacVittie announcing transfers last week, the Panthers are currently projected to return just one scholarship quarterback - sophomore Kenny Pickett. 2018 recruit Nick Patti will join the team in the summer as a true freshman, but the coaches wanted more arms in camp.

Earlier this month, they added junior-college transfer Tyler Zelinski as a walk-on transfer, and Town represents an even further growth of the depth. He’ll be on campus in January and should provide some good competition for Pickett in spring camp and beyond.

Town, 6’3” and 215 pounds, will arrive at Pitt with two years of eligibility remaining.