Statham finds 'the place for me'
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All it took for Michael Statham was a walk out of the tunnel at Heinz Field.
He did that Saturday morning before Pitt’s Blue-Gold Game, and that was all he needed.
“Once I got to the game and saw the players talking to the fans and the recruits and seeing the alums, I just said to myself, this is the place for me.”
So the three-star offensive tackle from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances took the next step and committed to the Panthers Saturday afternoon. Statham became Pitt’s second commitment in the recruiting class of 2020, joining Florida defensive end Sam Williams.
He chose the Panthers over offers from Kansas, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Syracuse, West Virginia and UMass, but he said his decision to commit on Saturday wasn’t a surprise to him.
“I was already planning on committing because Pitt has been my dream school since I was five,” Statham said, adding that the Panthers’ history of producing NFL offensive lineman put them in such high position for him.
Still, the 6’7” 360-pound tackle prospect needed to see Pittsburgh and be around the Pitt football program before making his verbal pledge, and to that end, he liked what he experienced during his visit this weekend.
“It felt like a family,” he said. “It felt different from most schools I went to. The people and the fans all knew the players, the players had a good bond like a brotherhood and the alums still come back to train. It’s a brotherhood.”
Pitt offered Statham earlier this year, and he has since been developing relationships with offensive line coach Dave Borbely, running backs coach (and Maryland recruiter) Andre Powell and head coach Pat Narduzzi.
“Coach Borbs is a great coach,” Statham said. “He coached both of my offensive line coaches - my O coach at my old school and the one at St. Frances and they said he’s a great coach. They said he made them the players they were on the field. I can tell he’s a good coach.
“And Coach ‘Duzz is a nice man. The way he runs the program is really impressive. There’s no doubt that when I get there, I’m going to play in a national championship. That’s what I believe.”