Florida DE picks Pitt

Pitt added one more defensive end to the 2018 class Wednesday with the commitment of Clearwater International Academy's Habakkuk Baldonado.

The backstory: Baldonado's backstory is as interesting as anyone in the 2018 class. A native of Italy, he moved to Florida over the summer to pursue an opportunity to play college football in America, and when he got on the field, he exploded for 30.5 sacks. That production earned some interest from a few schools, but things really took off in January, as Pitt, Nebraska, Michigan State, UCF and others extended scholarship offers.

The commitment: Baldonado was on the fence about visiting Pitt two weeks ago, but a late-week visit from linebackers coach Rob Harley convinced him to make the trip, and it worked out for the Panthers. He took one more visit after that - UCF this past weekend - and made his commitment on Signing Day.

The impact: Baldonado joins Kaymar Mimes, John Morgan and Noah Palmer as defensive ends in Pitt's 2018 class (although Palmer could play tight end). The coaches wanted to add more depth and talent to the defensive ends on the roster, and they definitely added both with those four signings.