Pitt lands a Virginia WR
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Pitt’s success in Virginia continued on Monday as the Panthers landed a commitment from Virginia Beach (Va.) Ocean Lakes receiver Myles Alston.
Alston, a three-star receiver prospect, chose Pitt over offers from Maryland, Ole Miss, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech, as well as a host of programs outside the Power Five conferences.
He visited Pitt three times in the last year. His first trip was for a practice last spring. Then he returned for the Panthers’ game against Miami at Heinz Field. And he was most recently in town for a visit in January, when he got to spend time with head coach Pat Narduzzi.
“That was really relaxed,” Alston said. “He’s a really good guy and he answered all my questions. I asked him about the majors they have because I want to study sports medicine, so he talked about that and graduation rates and everything like that. He talked about the Life Skills program and how they help you with transitioning from high school to college.
“He answered those questions well. He answered everything I asked. He was honest with me and told me I was wanted in Pittsburgh.”
Alston’s main recruiter at Pitt is receivers coach Chris Beatty, who has been helping the Panthers gain a foothold in Virginia. Beatty was also instrumental in landing Phoebus defensive end Trevion Stevenson, who committed to Pitt last week, and Washington running back Rodney Hammond, who was the Panthers' second commitment in the class.
“I’ve known him for some time now,” Alston said of Beatty. “He recruited me at Maryland my freshman year and we’ve grown pretty close over the years. We talk pretty often. We get along really well.
“He’s just a really laid-back guy. He’s easy to talk to and we have conversations that aren’t just about football. Him being from my area helps, too, because we have a lot in common. He coached with one of my coaches, too, and my coach looks up to him a lot.”
With Alston on board, Pitt now has seven commitments in the class of 2020. He, Hammond, Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha receiver Jaden Bradley and Massillon (Oh.) Washington offensive lineman Terrence Rankl make up the Panthers' haul of offensive recruits so far, while Stevenson, Imhotep safety Javon McIntyre and West Mifflin defensive end Nahki Johnson represent the other side of the ball.
Four of those seven commitments - Alston, Rankl, Bradley and Stevenson - have come since last Wednesday.