Shep Turk had a few things he was hoping to find during the recruiting process and he did not have to go too far to find everything he was looking for in a college program. Turk, a 6-foot-5 and 275-pound offensive linemen from Thomas Jefferson High School just outside of Pittsburgh, saw all the things he wanted in his next football home from the school just down the road.
On Monday, the Thomas Jefferson product made the call to commit to Pitt, and became the first WPIAL prospect in the Panthers’ 2025 recruiting class. In the end, Pitt simply checked the three major boxes on his wishlist.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I feel like I can shine and I can thrive,” Turk told Panther-Lair.com after his commitment. “Pitt fits that mold for me and being a hometown guy, I feel like I can do really good there. My second thing is that I wanted to go somewhere that plays smash mouth football, somewhere were you get to punch someone and not let them punch back and I also feel like Pitt fits that mold for me too. And my third thing is, I want to go somewhere where I can get a championship and get a ring on my finger and I think we’re going to do that at Pitt in the next few years with this new staff and I think we’re going to do a lot of good things there.”
Turk had been on Pitt’s radar for some time, but it really started to pick up when Jeremy Darveau was named the team’s new offensive line coach. Darveau was the one to offer Turk and the two have been in constant communication ever since the offer was made back in March.
“It’s a great relationship and I met him within the first 2-3 days when he was hired there,” Turk said of his new coach. “I mean, ever since then it’s been a great relationship with him.”
Turk had previously locked in an official visit to Pitt for June 20th. He has been to Pitt on multiple occasions for a game, a junior day, and a spring practice. This upcoming visit will still hold significance.
“I’m definitely eager to see the campus and a lot of the school side of it, because I’ve seen all the football stuff because I’ve been down there multiple times,” he explained.
Turk joins a legacy from his own high school. Thomas Jefferson has sent multiple players to Pitt through the years from Lucas Nix to Dom Decicco to more recently Devin Danielson. The Jaguars are coached by former Pitt football player Bill Cherpak as well. He is excited to continue that tradition from Jefferson Hills to Oakland.
“It feels amazing,” Turk said of being the next TJ star to attend Pitt. “It’s been a dream to play power-five football since I was little and being able to make that dream come true with the hometown team is awesome.”
Turk is a physical two-way linemen. He also wrestles in high school and believes that mindset will help lead to success once he arrives in Oakland.
“I think I’m going to be able to bring a hometown, WPIAL dog that can really bring the program up and help us win a championship,” he explained.
