Signed: Tai Ray

2023 OL Tai Ray plans Pitt official visit | Ray: 'I just felt like one of the guys'

Tai Ray emerged as a prospect for Pitt in the spring. He was a visitor for the team's spring game in April, but did not have an offer quite yet. Pitt assistant coaches Tim Salem and Dave Borbely kept in touch with the big 6'6" tackle prospect from the Orlando area and invited him up for an official visit and offered him in June.

Ray made his official visit on June 24th, and by the end of the weekend he was a member of the Panthers' 2023 recruiting class. The visit really allowed for Ray to see what Pittsburgh was all about, and he felt like it was the right choice and made his decision on the spot.

“I took the OV this past weekend and I just really enjoyed everything that I saw: the players, coaches, and facilities. The environment - I just enjoyed all of it,” Ray told Panther-Lair.com following his commitment.

Following his commitment in June, Ray never wavered much from that decision. He has been locked-in this entire time and has been a solid member of this class the entire time. At the time of his commitment, Ray chose Pitt over the likes of Indiana, South Florida, and Tulane. He took an official visit to Indiana prior to Pitt, and his decision came down to those two programs.

Ray went on to have a big senior season for Apopka High School. He helped his team to an 11-4 record and they made it all the way to the state title game before falling to Columbus High School.

Ray is one of three offensive linemen in the class along with Ryan Carretta and BJ Williams. As usual, he is also part of a large contingent of Florida prospects. Ray is one of seven Florida recruits in the 2023 class for Pitt. It's not typical for linemen to play as true freshman, so Ray should have a year to get acclimated to college football and could start working his way on the depth chart in 2024 and beyond.