Pitt's defensive production stood out to four-star Okunlola
In the last three seasons, Pitt’s defense has recorded 151 sacks - more than any other team in the country.
That production has impacted what the Panthers did on the field, but it is also having an effect off the field, and it was one of the main reasons Pitt landed four-star defensive end recruit Samuel Okunlola as a Signing Day commitment last month.
“I made my decision late, but Pitt has always been a good option for me,” Okunlola told Panther-Lair.com. “Coach (Charlie) Partridge is one of the best defensive line coaches in the country and I think they were one of the best in the country at getting sacks. I love sacks and getting to the quarterback, and it’s a lot easier when you go somewhere where they have that going on. I want to go somewhere where they can put me in position to get to the quarterback.
“Sometimes you run into coaches and they may be good coaches and all of that but their players aren’t producing. To me, everything comes back to production.”
Okunlola is a top-20 defensive recruit in the class of 2022 and the No. 2 prospect in the state of Massachusetts. He chose the Panthers over dozens of offers from across the country, and he took official visits to Pitt, Georgia, Virginia and Colorado over the last year.
Okunlola’s official visit to Pitt was in September, when he came to town for a weekend that included the Panthers’ loss to Western Michigan at Heinz Field. That game wasn’t a deterrent for him, though; he was more impressed with what he saw from the program throughout the weekend - and throughout the season.
“That was a good visit. I got to see what it’s like. It’s in the city, which I liked more than other visits I went on. I got to see everything and the facilities are really nice.
“They had a great season. They won the ACC, which was really impressive and I look forward to continuing it.”
Okunlola’s college journey will start sooner rather than later. He is enrolling at Pitt this month, which will give him a chance to spend all spring working with Partridge.
“He’s a good coach. I’m sure everybody knows that. The thing that stood out to me was his history of development with players. He doesn’t always have the highest recruits, but development is a big part of it for me because I’m trying to improve every day to get where I want to go.
“He likes my ability to pass rush. He likes that for sure. And he likes my intensity. I want more critiquing from him, though; I’m not always looking for praise.”
While Okunlola is about to start his college career, his younger brother Samson Okunlola has another year of high school football left to play. The younger Okunlola is also a four-star prospect and ranks as the No. 6 offensive tackle recruit in the class of 2023. Pitt is trying to get a second Okunlola to be a Panther, and Samuel knows the coaches are hoping his brother will join him.
“I get that discussion a lot, but that’s up to him,” Samuel said. :I’m not going to influence him because I’m sure he has things he’s looking for in the recruiting process. If it matches up for him, good, and if not, that’s good, too. It’s his process and his decision.”
Time will tell is Samson Okunlola makes the same decision his brother did, but Samuel certainly saw a lot of positives in Pitt.
“It was one of the better options for me as a student-athlete,” he said. “It was ideal and made the most sense with tall the factors I was looking: my fit in the scheme, my development, the stable coaching staff, the culture of the program, the academics and the chance to contribute early.”