Pitt lands 2023 DB Shadarian Harrison | Harrison: 'I couldn't leave without committing'

Shadarian Harrisson seemed to float under the radar initially as a prospect out of the talent-rich state of Florida. He appeared on Pitt's official visit list in June without much fanfare, but after a strong senior season playing for one of the top high school teams in Florida, Harrison became a much bigger recruit leading up to signing day.

Pitt survived a late offer from Miami, along with some serious pushes from Florida State and Oregon, but in the end they landed one of the better defensive backs in the state of Florida for the class of 2023. Harrison is a player that could see playing time early in his career at Pitt as he posses the physical traits the coaches tend to look for in cornerback recruits.

As a senior Harrison recorded five interceptions and scored three defensive touchdowns for Lakeland High School. He helped his team to a perfect 14-0 record and was part of a defense that only surrendered 7.9 points per game.

Harrison selected Pitt over offers from Miami, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa State, Louisville, Nebraska, Oregon State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, and more. Pitt was the only school he took an official visit to back on June 2nd and he was committed to the Panthers before he even boarded the plane back to Florida.

“This is where I want to be,” Harrison told Panther-Lair.com back in June. “It was just the vibe everybody was giving me and what they had to offer, as far as education-wise. I can get as far as I want with that and I’m guaranteed to graduate. That’s important: getting out and graduating and getting that degree.”

Harrison may have been a bit of an unknown early on in the recruiting process, as he started his high school career at Kathleen High School before transferring to Lakeland. Kathleen was just 2-8 as a team in 2021 when he was a junior, and Harrison was forced to play quarterback as a junior. He got to focus on defensive back starring for the eventual state champions at Lakeland and really flourished in that role.

Lakeland is a regional power in Florida and regularly churns out Division-1 talent. In 2022, Pitt saw cornerback Damarri Mathis get drafted in the fourth round by the Denver Broncos. He was also a product of Lakeland, and Harrison will look to follow that same path.