Pitt lands Fox Chapel LB

After his unofficial visit to Pitt Wednesday, Fox Chapel (Pa.) linebacker Quintin Wirginis and his father sat down to talk. Wirginis asked him what he thought about the Panthers, and his father made it clear this is Quintin's decision.

"What are you thinking?" Wirginis asked again.

"I think it's a no-brainer," his father replied.

"I think I agree," the 2014 linebacker said. "Alright, I think I'm going to commit tomorrow."

And Wirginis did just that Thursday night, pledging to the Panthers and becoming the ninth commit in Pitt's 2014 recruiting class.

"After talking with my dad, I planned a meeting with Adam Bisnowaty the next day and a meeting with my head coach," Wirginis told Panther-Lair.com "Everything went well, and everyone agreed with me. I had a 7-on-7 matchup with Kiski Area and right after that, I gave Coach (Chris) Haering a call and told him I wanted to be a Panther. Then I gave Coach (Paul) Chryst a call, and I also gave Coach (Bob) Junko a call.

"They really seemed ecstatic. They were saying today wasn't good because I wasn't down there on a visit that yesterday was a lot better. I really lighted up their day. They were really happy, and we're going to do big things."

Wirginis, 6'2" 225, chose Pitt over offers from Temple, Robert Morris and VMI.

The process was extremely quick for the 2014 linebacker. After camping at Pitt last weekend, he received an offer Monday morning. He then took his visit on Wednesday before committing 24 hours later.

"Pitt's a great university," Wirginis said. "I love the coaching staff, and I feel good there. I feel like something special's going to be going on there in the future, and it all just worked out perfectly...

"It kind of came down to Temple and Pitt. Maybe I'll get a few more offers and have more to think about. I was comparing Temple and Pitt. They're both great universities, and they're both great schools. They both have great staffs and a great future ahead of them.

"When it came down to that five-and-a-half hour drive out to Philadelphia, it wasn't going to work out. Pitt's about 15 minutes away from my house. Being close isn't the only reason, but it had a lot to do with it. I want to play for my hometown."

The meeting today with Bisnowaty, his former Fox Chapel teammate and current Pitt redshirt freshman lineman, also helped to seal his decision. The two had a 20-minute phone conversation, which helped Wirginis get even more perspective on Pitt.

"Like I said, he does a good job of staying out of the biased views," Wirginis said, "and he wants me to make a good decision for myself, being a good friend. He said that Pitt's a great place. He has no regrets at all with his decision to play for his hometown. He gives Pitt high honors, so he was very happy to see that I committed."

Next, Wirginis will be back at Pitt this weekend for the passing camp with his Fox Chapel team. He's excited to see the place for the first time as a Pitt commit.

"It feels great," he said. "It takes a lot of pressure of me. It's a good feeling to have Pitt under my wing, and they're supporting me. I'm going up there this Saturday and Sunday for the passing camp, the 7-on-7. Coach Haering said when you come Saturday and Sunday, that's your home. We're going to start building the family, and I can't wait."

Wirginis was the second of three prospects that committed to Pitt Thursday, along with Virginia lineman Mike Herndon and Connecticut lineman Connor Dintino. They joined Bethel Park offensive lineman Mike Grimm, Michigan lineman Connor Hayes, New York safety Jalen Williams, Ohio quarterback Adam Bertke, Philadelphia athlete Patrick Amara, Shady Side Academy athlete Dennis Briggs and Detroit cornerback Avonte Maddox in Pitt's 2014 recruiting class.

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