Gavin Bartholomew joined the Pitt class late as a surprise commitment. He committed to Pitt on November 29th after being committed to Buffalo since July. He visited Pitt last spring, but an offer never came, but when it did he was quick to jump at the opportunity.

“I loved the campus on that visit; I just thought it was great,” he told Panther-Lair.com after his commitment. “Everything was fantastic, from the campus and facilities to the football program.After that visit, I talked to my parents said, ‘I really like them but I don’t have an offer.’ So I couldn’t commit, but I really wanted to. That visit really showed me that I wanted to go there.”

Bartholomew was a versatile player for Blue Mountain High School this past season. He played tight end, quarterback, defensive end, and punter for his team. He threw for 521 yards and four touchdowns, rushed 145 yards and three scores, while also catching six passes for 131 yards and two touchdown.

Bartholomew brings good size to Pitt's program, and while he did not primarily tight end this year in high school, he's being brought in to play the position.

“I’m definitely set on tight end,” he said. “I can get mismatches with smaller defenders; moving me around gives us a big advantage.”

He is one of two tight ends in this class joining Jake Renda, it's been a few years since Pitt was able to bring in two high school tight ends in the same class and it will go a long way in helping restock the position. Bartholomew will likely be heading for a redshirt, but he is set to enroll in January and should have a leg up on his freshman season because of it.