Pitt lands No. 1 for 2020
Pitt’s first commitment for the class of 2020 is in, and it came from a defensive end prospect out of Florida.
“It’s an honor and a blessing to be the first commit,” Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Calvary Christian prospect Samuel Williams told Panther-Lair.com. “I’m very excited to be committed to Pitt.”
Williams made the call Saturday afternoon after spending about 24 hours in town. Pitt offered him at the end of January and the coaches made him feel like a priority, moving the Panthers up on Williams’ list.
So his interest was high before arriving for his weekend visit, and what he saw sealed the deal.
“I always wanted to commit early to get the recruiting process out of the way and Pitt was showing the most love to me so they were always my favorite; I wanted to see the campus and all of that,” Williams said.
“For me, I wanted to pick a school with family atmosphere and coaches who really care about the players. Everybody has nice facilities and cool uniforms and all of that, but I wanted that relationship part to be important. When I went to Pitt and talked to the coaches and built those relationships and bonded with them, I knew that was something I want to be a part of.”
Williams was feeling strongly about his connections with the Pitt coaches, but it was a conversation with a different group of Panthers who made him sure about his decision.
“It clicked when I was talking to the players,” Williams said. “I was talking to Rashad Weaver and the defensive ends and they were telling me how much they love Pitt. I was like, if a player gives a positive review, this might be it for me.
“Then I told the coaches in a meeting. They were talking to us about our day and how it was and I told them I loved it and I want to be a Pitt Panther. Coach (Pat) Narduzzi was excited but wanted to make sure I was 100% in and didn’t want me to decommit. I’m a man of my word.”
Williams is a three-star prospect as a 6’3” 206-pound defensive end. He readily acknowledges that he needs to add some weight, but he also said that speed is one of his strengths.
“I’m a very fast defensive end,” Williams said. “I use my quickness to get to the quarterback and my speed and instincts help me get to the ball. This offseason I’m working on getting stronger so I can get into the offensive tackles more.”
At Pitt, Williams will be playing for defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, who is also his area recruiter. Williams said that relationship is already strong.
“He used to coach with my head coach at Calvary so they know each other well and we speak a couple times a week. He’s a family guy who really cares about his players and wants the best out of his players. I got really good vibe from him.”
Williams’ commitment marks the second year in a row that Pitt’s first verbal pledge in a class has come from Florida. Last year, Miami linebacker Leslie Smith got things started on the Panthers’ 2019 class.
Pitt ended up signing six recruits from the Sunshine State in that class.