The 3-2-1 Column: Dior Johnson commits, official visit weekend, and more

In this week’s 3-2-1 Column, we are talking a lot about Pitt basketball. The Panthers pulled in a major recruiting haul to start this week by landing Dior Johnson to add to this year’s roster, but Jeff Capel wasn’t done there and we talk about new 2023 commit Carlton Carrington as well.

Pitt football is gearing up for a big recruiting weekend of its own. The coaching staff is bringing in 12 prospects to town, to follow up the 14 the hosted at the start of the month. There will sure to be some more activity on that front as well.

It has been a rather lively offseason for both programs, which continues to give us plenty to talk about each week.

Grab a coffee and dig in for another packed 3-2-1 Column.

THREE THINGS WE KNOW

A stunning development in Dior Johnson
I did not wake up Sunday morning thinking at all about Dior Johnson and Pitt being connected to each other...Did anyone? Less than a week later the four-star point guard is signed to play for Pitt and will be with the team next season. It was an amazing turn of events for the Pitt program, and there really is no other way to put it. This is also one of the more stunning events I have ever seen during my time on the Pitt beat.

Let’s review how this all happened.

Last week, Dior Johnson asked out of his National Letter of Intent with Oregon after being committed there for almost a year. The Ducks were the second school Johnson had pledged to play for after previously being committed to Syracuse. You have heard the stories by now: Johnson attended multiple high schools and flipped around with different AAU programs over the course of the past four years. The term ‘well-traveled’ was used to describe the talented guard, and in fairness, it is accurate with a high school career that took him from coast to coast.

On Sunday, Johnson unexpectedly revealed a final three grouping of schools to land his commitment: Mississippi State, Washington State, and of course Pitt. Nobody expected that turn of events to happen so quickly after he split ways with Oregon, or for things to progress that fast with Pitt, but one day later he was committed to play for Jeff Capel. It was a wild, unexpected ride to get to this point, but now it’s full steam ahead for all parties involved.

Johnson is the highest ranked player to sign with Pitt in Capel’s tenure. He is the first top-40 prospect to sign with Pitt since Steven Adams committed to play for Jamie Dixon in the class of 2012. The significance of this whole situation can’t be understated. Following the end of the season, Jeff Capel infamously said, “It's not anything personal. We have to continue to add better players, recruit better players. We need to better develop guys.”

Johnson certainly falls into that category of better players. He will be expected to come in and be an instant contributor, if not one of the best players on the whole team. Johnson is not only Pitt’s highest ranked recruit, but he is one of the more well-regarded freshmen in the entire ACC for this upcoming season. Pitt as a program needs to make a move forward this year, and adding a piece like Johnson is a quite the splash.

Not only is Johnson a talented player, he is one that commands a lot of attention. He has been on the national scene since about seventh grade. Johnson has over 500,000 followers on Instagram. He is an attraction. Other recruits know who he is and will be watching him play for Pitt this season. Not only does Pitt need to improve in the win/loss column, they need to find a way to matter again. The program needs relevance and having a player of his profile should certainly help in that regard, and could also provide a boost in recruiting.

The thing that stands out about Johnson is his confidence. He is giving a lot of interviews, and is not shying away from what he thinks he can do. Johnson knows his talent, and wants to prove to people that all the transfers and moving around is totally overblown. He was once a top-five player in his class, and believes he is and has always been that player.

“I think we will be great,” Johnson told Panther-Lair.com after his commitment. That remains to be seen if that statement is true, but if nothing else the Pitt basketball team became a whole lot more interesting because of one player. He has that kind of talent, and one this program has been waiting on for a long time.

Pitt hoops off to a strong start in the class of 2023
I go back to early November of last year. Pitt lost to The Citadel to open the season, they lost a commitment from four-star Judah Mintz, Ithiel Horton got suspended indefinitely, and Nike Sibande was lost for the season with an injury. It was as dark of a stretch for Pitt basketball as I could remember, and the season predictably followed that grim beginning.

The Panthers won 11 games total, and closed the season with five straight losses to end the year. There were questions surrounding Jeff Capel and his future, the roster also needed a lot of work after some recruiting losses and postseason transfers. So when you take into consideration all the bad things that happened last year, the 2022-23 roster actually looks remarkably better than anyone could have expected, and the class of 2023 is off to a hot start as well.

Pitt led off the class in a big way by securing a commitment from four-star wing Marlon Barnes of Cleveland back in January. Earlier this week, they added to the talent level with three-star shooting guard Carlton Carrington of Baltimore. Carrington chose Pitt over offers from the likes of Stanford and Loyola-Chicago and adds another key piece to what is looking like a strong recruiting class. Carrington took an official visit to Pitt earlier this month, and a few weeks later that talented shooter finds himself committed to the Panthers.

“I believe the coaches can help me get where I want to go and it just felt right to me,” Carrington told Panther-Lair.com after his commitment. “Me being there and seeing the culture and all the coaches, that made my decision. I thought I might commit on the visit, but I held off. I knew on the visit, but I waited to get it together.”

A player picking Pitt due to the culture is certainly something after the year that just unfolded, but credit to the coaching staff for staying the course and believing in what they are doing. I realize Pitt did not win any games this week. Victories in the offseason are nice, but they don't help the NCAA Tournament resume. Having said that, these are the necessary steps to push the program forward. The team needs to win more games, they need ‘better players’ and they needed to create a buzz. I think they got the better players and buzz part down this week, and they at least look like they are on the path towards winning more games, and going back to that dark period in November that is quite the transformation.

A shift in offensive line recruiting
The Pitt football program prioritizes recruiting in the month of June, and that’s really no secret by now. The coaching staff hosts well over 30 official visitors throughout June with the hopes of filling out the recruiting class for the year. They have followed this blueprint for a while now. As we saw, Pitt netted six commitments in the first weekend of June, and they can add to that number this weekend with 12 more prospects set to visit campus.

The thing with recruiting in June, and recruiting in general, is that it can always evolve. Visits get cancelled, players commit elsewhere, new offers are issued, and the recruiting board can shift by the day, and sometimes even by the hour. That is especially true right now with Pitt’s offensive line recruiting for the class of 2023. Of the eight players currently committed to Pitt, zero of them are offensive linemen. Given that Pitt is slated to start five seniors on the offensive line this upcoming season, it’s more than fair to assume that the coaching staff will be looking to replenish this spot in the current 2023 class.

So who are the options to fill those spaces? Well it has changed a bit, even as recently as this week. For instance, we expected Michael Crouse, a three-star out of DeMatha Catholic, to visit Pitt this weekend, but he committed to Boston College. We also figured Jonathan Cline of Georgia to be on campus this weekend, but once again those plans changed. In the meantime, Pitt has offered four new linemen this week alone. So who is still on the board? Let’s take a better look at some of those options.

Ramil was the only offensive linemen that visited Pitt the weekend of June 2nd, and you could argue he is the top linemen on the Panthers board. He recently included Pitt in his top eight, but I think the Panthers made a lasting impression on him on the visit. He’s from Alabama, but originally from New York, so that's something to watch. He’ll be a tough pull, but I think Pitt is in the running at least.

Phillip Daniels included Pitt in his top four recently and he will be on campus this weekend after spending some time at Pitt at a camp last weekend. Daniels is also considering Boston College, Minnesota, and Purdue, but look for Pitt to try to get him committed this weekend.

Ryan Carretta will also be in town this weekend. The big Ohio linemen visited last fall for Pitt’s win over North Carolina. He has a strong offer sheet, and Michigan State is the only other official visit scheduled. He also recently picked up a Michigan offer, so that’s one to watch.

Jordan Church highlights the list of visitors for June 24th. The big linemen from IMG Academy is taking a visit to Louisville this weekend, and that’s one to watch. If he gets out of town without committing to the Cardinals, then this will be one to watch next weekend.

Nick Krahe camped at Pitt over the weekend, and a few days later picked up an offer. Krahe is from Erie, and likes the idea of playing close to home. Maryland and Boston College have also recently offered, and West Virginia seems to be poking around as well.

Tai Ray was slated to come to Pitt next weekend without an offer, but the coaches opted to change that this week by issuing him a scholarship. Ray is a towering prospect and visited Pitt for the spring game. Indiana is his only other power-five offer.

Colin Van Rooy was another standout at the prospect camp and earned an offer on the spot. Pitt is his only power five offer at the moment and the only visit he has planned.

Jon Mould is a towering prospect from Massachusetts. He was at one of Pitt's prospect camps from last weekend, and earned an offer on Thursday. We're trying to confirm if he will be taking an official visit next weekend, but that seems to be a safe bet.

TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE

Who was the Pat Signal?
It has kind of been action packed week on the Pitt front. There have been a pair of basketball commitments and of course a busy weekend on the books, but remember on Wednesday, Pat Narduzzi tweeted out his usual ‘Pitt is it!” tweet? OK you do, so who was that for?

Playing a little detective work, it’s safe to assume it is not a recruit in the class of 2023, and likely not in the 2024 class either. The smart money is on a transfer. Pitt hosted two transfers last week: Dartmouth quarterback Derek Kyler and Notre Dame running back C’bo Flemister. Kyler committed to Pitt on the spot and we aren’t aware of any other transfers, so…

C’bo Flemister was a three-star running back in the class of 2018 and signed with the Fighting Irish over the likes of Georgia Tech and Tennessee. Flemister played sparingly in 2018 and redshirted. He then carried the ball 106 times for 461 yards over the course of 18 games in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Flemister actually rushed for a team-high 127 yards in a win over South Florida in 2020, and again a team-high 45 yards in Notre Dame’s dominant win over Pitt a few weeks later at Heinz Field.

Flemister ran into some offseason troubles prior to last season and was hit with a suspension and only carried the ball three times in 2021 while also fighting off injuries. He hit the portal and visited Pitt last week. The addition of a running back seems as a surprise. Pitt returns three backs that rushed for over 500 yards last season in Izzy Abanikanda, Vincent Davis, and Rodney Hammond. The Panthers also saw the emergence of Daniel Carter this spring as a viable option there. However, incoming freshman Jordaan Bailey will reportedly not make it to school, thus leaving Pitt with four scholarship backs. Adding someone like Flemister gives Pitt a quick fix for depth at the spot, and he also has experience to bring to the room. I think Pitt has more than enough talent at this spot, but the depth took a bit of a hit with the Bailey news, and bringing in Flemister sort of fixes that.

Pitt only signed 12 scholarship players in the class of 2022, but only 11 are expected to make it this year with the departure of Bailey. The Panthers certainly hit the transfer portal hard, however. There’s quarterback Derek Kyler, receivers Bub Means and Konata Mumpfield, tight ends Karter Johnson and Dylan Deveney, along with linebackers Shayne Simon and Tyler Wiltz. Pitt is a veteran team in general, but the staff really tried to fill in the remaining gaps with other experience players, and Flemister would also seem to fit that bill.

Who are five recruits to watch this weekend?
The Pitt football coaching staff is in the midst of hosting 12 official visitors this weekend, it is the second of three big weekends they plan to host this month. Of the 14 players that visited the first weekend, six committed on the spot while two went to town already committed. So what can we expect in the way of adding to the class this weekend. Chris Peak broke down the 12 visitors. Working off of that list, I'm expecting Pitt adds a few more names to its commitment list this weekend. I'm not sure if there will be six more commitments like the first visit, but these are a few names that have my attention.

Bryalan Lovelace impressed the coaches at a prospect camp last weekend, so much so that he earned an offer and set up an official visit in the span of couple of days. He's a local prospect that grew up a Pitt fan. Virginia Tech is his only other power-rive offer.

Rasheem Biles is slated to visit Pitt and West Virginia in the next two weeks, but I wonder if Pitt pushes for a commitment. He's a playmaker at the safety position and can come down and hit as well, and seems like a good fit in the Pitt defensive scheme.

Pitt's running back recruiting has been on the quiet side, but I get the sense the coaches want one back in this class, if not two. Lloyd seems to be one of the prospects at the top of the list, if not the very top of the wish list. Pitt is the only scheduled official visit for the Florida back.

Jordan Bass visited Pitt earlier this month and came away impressed and put the Panthers in his top five. it'll be an ACC battle for the Virginia-based linebacker with Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech also in the running. He made it out of an official visit to Blacksburg without committing last week, so he could be one the coaches push for this weekend.

Pitt already has two wide receivers committed in the class with Kenny Johnson and Zion Fowler. The coaches are also working on one of the top receivers in the country in Hykeem Williams, who is visiting next weekend. There will always be a spot for Williams, but it feels like they want one more given there are three receivers coming this weekend. We'll see who gets to that spot first.

ONE PREDICTION

Pitt goes with a four-guard lineup
I am sitting here thinking about the addition of Dior Johnson for this Pitt basketball team. He instantly becomes the highest-rated player on the team. It remains to be seen how his game translates to college basketball, but it feels like he will be given every opportunity to succeed this year snd he certainly does have the pedigree to live up to it.

I also think about the rest of the roster. You could argue Pitt's five best players are John Hugley, Johnson, along with veteran guards Jamarius Burton, Nelly Cummings, and Nike Sibande. At the end of the day, why not just go with that as your main starting five?

Blake Hinson sort of feels like the guy that can or would start at power forward just to make the lineup more conventional, but he hasn't played in over two years. William Jeffress will get minutes at that spot, too, but he does not feel like he would be in line to start, and It will also be interesting to see how the Diaz Graham brothers adjust to the ACC as freshmen, but they absolutely have the size and length to play there. At the end of the day they have options to play alongside potential All-ACC big man John Hugley, but are any of them great options?

Just play the guards.

Go up and down, let Johnson and Cummings create and be fun. Hugley will get double teamed by opposing teams whether or not a true power forward is on the floor (which I am not sure they even have to begin with), so you might as well add another scorer, shooter, and penetrator to the lineup so the Panthers' talented big man can dish it off to someone that can make quick decisions.

This Pitt team is better on paper than it was a year ago, and deeper, too. Aside from the four guards I have mentioned to potentially start, there is also Greg Elliott and Cashius McNeilly, who can provide good minutes and outside shooting as well. They'll be undersized playing Hinson at the four, and he's only an inch or two taller than Sibande and Burton anyway. I think they just roll the dice with the four guards.

I'm not sure which way Capel will lean, as he finally has some options, but at the end of day I think he may roll with his five best players, even if it is a bit unconventional.