Players, coaches led Anderson to commit to Pitt

When Jesse Anderson checked out Pitt in the spring on an unofficial visit, he liked the Panthers enough to return for an official visit this past weekend.

And when the three-star athlete from Cardinal Gibbons checked out Pitt on his official visit this past weekend, he liked the Panthers enough to decide on his future home.

“I committed [Sunday morning],” Anderson told Panther-Lair.com. “It was really the chemistry with the players and how great the coaches are. They won me over, and then the players on top of that really made it happen.”

Anderson spent most of his visit with Cardinal Gibbons alums like P.J. O’Brien, Marquis Williams and Vincent Davis. O’Brien was Anderson’s host on the visit, and while the two didn’t play together at Cardinal Gibbons, they were definitely aware of each other.

“I was more JV at that time because I was in ninth grade,” Anderson said. “But I knew about him and I knew about all of those guys. They were like role models for me.

“They told me that you can find coaches at a lot of schools who are tough to play for, but these coaches, they want you to be great but they’re going to work with you, keep you up on everything, walk you through all of it. I got that impression from Coach (Cory) Sanders and Coach (Charlie) Partridge and Coach (Archie) Collins and Coach (Pat) Narduzzi from when I talked to them before, but hearing form the players was better.”

Anderson, a 6’1” 175-pound defensive back who could play cornerback or safety, is being recruited by Partridge, Pitt’s defensive line coach who recruits the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area.

“He’s from down this way so he knows how we operate and he loves this area,” Anderson said of Partridge. “He loves everything about me as a player and we have a great bond.”

Anderson has also gotten close with Pitt safeties coach Cory Sanders.

“He sees me as a versatile defensive back,” Anderson said. “He says I could play safety or cornerback and he likes my build. He said he loves south Florida players.

“We went over film on the unofficial visit and again this time, just him explaining the coverages and packages. They count on their DB’s to make plays. Their defense puts pressure on the quarterback and the D-line and everybody else depends on the DB’s to make plays, go get the ball and do the dirty work. I like that.”

Anderson added that Pitt’s playing style in the secondary was a big part of the appeal for him.

“The way they count on their defensive players and who they put in the league, like D-Ham (Damar Hamlin), him and Paris Ford were big safeties there and they have a few other guys that came out of there recently - it just all makes it a good fit. It’s a program that’s putting them in the league and I want to be there.”