An outside linebacker from a powerhouse high school is in for Pitt.

Justin Thompson is an all-conference linebacker at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney (Md.), and he committed to the Panthers in June after an official visit.

"The whole visit just felt real,” Thompson told Panther-Lair.com. "The coaches were very genuine and everybody was just loving. I just felt a great family aspect over there, like a real brotherhood that I could fit in to.”

At 6’3” and 225 pounds, Thompson could fit at any one of the three linebacker spots in Pitt’s scheme, and he plans to enroll in January in order to get a head start on learning the Panthers’ defense.

Thompson picked Pitt over offers from Baylor, California, Duke, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina, among others. He didn’t take any official visits other than Pitt, but he saw enough during that weekend to feel good about the Panthers.

“They’re like the most aggressive defense in the country. I’m going to fit real well into their system and how they do things. They blitz a lot, which is what I like to do, so it just fits right.”