The 3-2-1 Column: More recruiting talk, Bub hits the lottery, and more

The focus around the Pitt football program is still very much about the 2025 recruiting class. The Pitt coaching staff is coming off of three big official visit weekends and there are plenty of storylines to track on the recruiting front in this week’s 3-2-1 Column.

THREE THINGS WE KNOW

A near perfect weekend

If you have been following Panther-Lair.com this month, you know the topic that has been dominating the conversation has been recruiting. June is one of the most important months on the recruiting calendar and the Pitt coaches have been taking advantage. The staff has staged three big official visit weekends this month, and saved one of their most productive ones for last.

Pitt hosted seven official visitors last week with one being Elijah Dotson, a three-star defensive back from Michigan who had already been committed to the Panthers. That left six more recruits on campus who were not committed, and in the aftermath of last weekend, five have since committed to Pitt, raising Pitt’s 2025 recruiting class to 18 names.

The headliner recruit from this past weekend, and perhaps the class overall, is Mason Alexander, a four-star cornerback from Indiana. Alexander took in a visit over the weekend and announced his decision on Wednesday morning. He chose Pitt over his other finalist, Purdue. The six-foot and 180-pound cornerback also held offers from Auburn, Cincinnati, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Needless to say, Alexander is a big pick up for this class.

He is the first and only four-star to date and again, it was a nice get to land a prospect from Indiana over an in-state program who was pushing for him. It was impressive that Pitt was able to flex its muscles a bit when it comes to defensive back recruiting. If Pitt is going to land a four-star at any position, defensive back would have to be the leading candidate these days. We talk often about Pitt has had a defensive back drafted for five consecutive years, but those are the types of selling points that can resonate with recruits and it happened here. Archie Collins deserves the credit here for being the first to offer Alexander, building the relationship, and then ultimately landing the commitment.

There were four other commitments resulting from last weekend. Pitt continued to add more offensive speed with Georgia athlete Synkwan Smith and a speedy wide receiver Kha’leal Sterling from Florida. There has been an obvious shift in Pitt’s approach to skilled players in this class and these guys fit the bill.

Smith is a jack-of-all-trades type of player and profiles as a running back in Kade Bell’s offense. He scored a touchdown in four different ways last season starring for Roswell High School: rushing (4), receiving (8), kick return (1), and punt return (4). Smith is just electric with the football in his hands and he is also playing against good competition. It’s 6A football in Georgia and he is running past people with ease, so it’s easy to see the attraction here.

The same can be said for Sterling, though his playmaking ability is solely as a receiver. His game is fun to watch because, again, he is playing high-level high school, and just burning defensive backs routinely. Sterling plays for Miami Central and was his team’s leading receiver. Like the other skilled players this class, he is small, there is no denying that, but he did have some good offers. Sterling chose Pitt over Arizona State, Arkansas, Indiana, Oregon, SMU, and West Virginia making it a nice win for the Panthers.

Pitt also added Torian Chester, a 6-5 and 320-pound offensive linemen from Georgia as well as Virginia-based linebacker Emmanuel Taylor. The only other official visitor from the weekend who did not commit was Denim Cook, an edge rusher from Columbus who is getting ready to make a decision, which brings us to…

Still waiting on some decisions

Now that the official visit weekends are over, more commitments will start to happen. We are at that stage of events right now in the recruiting cycle It’s not just for Pitt, but nationally. These next two weeks tend to be very busy. The first weekend of July is a popular time for recruits to make decision and it has been for a few years now ever since the NCAA started to permit summer visits.

We talk so much about these official visits, and obviously that can lead to commitments right then and there, but not everyone works that way. Some recruits will take as many official visits as they can, and make their decision after that. Pitt is in the midst of several recruiting battles that fit that description.

Pitt hosted 29 official visitors in the month of June, 18 of whom are now committed. There have been three prospects to visit who have committed elsewhere: Quante Gillians (Miami), Ezekiel Marcelin (Miami), and Ayden Webb (Oklahoma State). That leaves eight more who have yet to make a decision, though we can probably cross Madrid Tucker off the list who likely does not have a spot at the moment. However, there are still seven upcoming decisions notable to Pitt happening in the next week.

The biggest name left on the board is Joshua Guerrier, a three-star cornerback from Florida. He is aiming for a July 1st decision with things likely coming down to Pitt, Iowa, and Iowa State. He also visited South Florida and Boston College as well, but I feel like it’s Pitt or Iowa State at this stage.

Denim Cook, the linebacker/defensive end from Ohio, is also looking at a July 1st decision. Cook will be picking between Pitt, Indiana, and Virginia.

Cole Woodson is approaching a July 1st decision as well. The Virginia defensive back is picking between an all-ACC group of finalists consisting of Pitt, Duke, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.

Bryson Williams, a linebacker from Michigan, is going to decide in the first week of July. The versatile athlete has taken official visits to Pitt, Michigan State, Kansas, Harvard, and Rice.

Then there are three offensive linemen left to decide. Currently, Pitt has three offensive line commits in Shep Turk, Akram Elnagmi, and Torian Chester. There is a sense Pitt is aiming for four linemen from this summer visit group, so these last three decisions, only one is probably going to end up a Panther.

Denzil Williams of New York is deciding between Pitt and Boston College tomorrow afternoon. Jordan Fields from Texas is aiming for a July 6th commitment with Pitt, Kansas, and Houston seeming to be the three finalists. Another Texan, Byron Nelson, will be deciding later today between Pitt, North Carolina, and Vanderbilt.

Bub hits the lottery

Bub Carrington broke down some barriers on Wednesday night, as he became the first Pitt player to be drafted in the first round since Steven Adams back in 2013. There has been a lid on the NBA Draft for this program in recent history, but the unassuming, lanky guard from Baltimore capped off an incredible year of basketball by going No. 14 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft to the Washington Wizards.

Carrington’s one-year journey has been rather remarkable. He entered Pitt as the nation’s No. 94 overall recruit in the class of 2023. He was expected to be good, but nothing like this. Carrington jumped onto the NBA’s radar almost immediately with a triple-double in his first career game.

He was steady in the first two months, hit some growing pains during the year, before finishing strong. He was Rookie of the Week five times throughout the year and named to the ACC’s all-rookie team. Carrington averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on the year, solidly serving as the team’s No. 2 scoring option throughout the season. Blake Hinson, the team's top scorer, did not hear his name called this week, but did sign a two-year deal with the Lakers following the draft.

Carrington really showed out in what turned out to be his final game in a Pitt uniform. He scored 24 points, five rebounds, and made four 3-pointers against No. 4 North Carolina in the ACC Tournament semifinals. That game was played at Capital One Arena in Washington, which is his new home arena as a pro.

Carrington, a proud Baltimore native, also gets to play pretty close to home, so aside from the Wizards being one of the worst franchises in the league, it’s a pretty ideal destination in that regard. His new team is coming off of a 15-67 season, which may lend some opportunities for extended playing time for Carrington, who will be just 19 years old when the 2024-25 season starts.

I think Carrington’s decision to bypass his sophomore yet at Pitt was met with some initial doubts. He was good as a freshman, but he had some rough patches. There was a sense a second year of college ball could have benefitted him, and perhaps that is still true, but there are certain elements when it comes to drafting in professional sports where an athlete can strike on certain advantages, which is exactly what Carrington and his camp did.

This 2024 draft class was not overly deep and he was one of the youngest players in it. That right there, on top of his natural ability, was the key for Carrington. Professional teams are always going to value youth and upside, and Carrington could claim both as advantages.

He absolutely made the right call when it came down to it, and while that hurt Pitt’s upcoming season, it armed Jeff Capel with another selling point for his program. Pitt can use Carrington as a success story. The pitch is pretty solid, too. I would imagine it would go something like…

‘Hey look, Bub was not a top 50 guy, but he worked to start as a freshman, we gave him freedom to play his game, and he got drafted. We can do that for you also’

Everything in the world of recruiting is about selling everything you possibly can, and perhaps that is one other thing that can resonate with a talented prospect. As a coach, you sell your program, your facilities, your coaching philosophy, and also your success stories, and Bub Carrington is a success story for the Pitt basketball program.

TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE

What are the strengths of this class?

Pitt’s 2025 recruiting class is approaching 20 commitments, so at this stage there is a good feel for this group. There will be a few more additions in the coming days. Pitt will also have to work to keep these guys committed before signing day, and of course, I’d expect some further additions later in the year as well. Having said that, the class is taking shape and it’s at the point you can identify strengths and weaknesses.

Pitt has 18 commitments (11 offense, 7 defense) as of today. I think within the class there are certain position groups that are standing out above the rest. I talked about it a little already, but the secondary once again looks really good to me. =

Alexander was a huge addition earlier this week, but I felt this group was in a good spot prior to his commitment. Elijah Dotson is a good-looking prospect from Michigan and came to Pitt with a solid offer sheet. He has just as much of a case as Alexander as Pitt’s top recruit right now.

I have been pretty high on Shawn Lee since his name appeared on Pitt’s radar earlier this month. Lee is just a good football player, and I think it’s always worth it for Pitt to take chances on in-state players who aren’t ranked as high. Cruce Brookins was one of those guys, and looks to have a bright future. Same with Braylan Lovelace, who might start at linebacker as a sophomore. There are still some really good football players in this state after you get past the four-stars if you look for them and Lee might just be one of them.

So, yes, I think the defensive back haul is pretty good. I also am intrigued with the wide receivers. The three-man group of Damarion Fowlkes, Kha’leal Sterling, and Bryce Yates is pretty intriguing to me. I mentioned it already with Sterling, but the offer sheet is good and he plays good high school competition. The same thing can be said about Fowlkes, who was one of the top playmakers in a very good high school league in the WCAC. I think those things can translate. Both guys challenge defensive backs with speed, and that’s the whole idea of this new offense.

I think the third strength in this class is just landing players at spots that have been troublesome through the years. Pitt has a quarterback locked-in and same with a tight end. If you look to last year’s class, Pitt didn’t get a quarterback (Julian Dugger) until December, or a tight end (Malachi Thomas) until February. Having commitments from Ohio QB Mason Heintschel and Florida TE Max Hunt are good just to get out of the way early. Pitt’s tight end recruiting has lagged behind for many years, and there have been years where the Panthers have been burned at quarterback. It was a sign of improvement to take care of areas like that right way.

What are the concerns about this class?

Obviously, the big concern with any recruiting class is keeping it. That is priority No. 1, but there are other elements that raise red flags about this class from the lack of perceived quality in some areas and sheer quantity in others.

The biggest thing that sticks out is offensive line recruiting. It’s not to say Torian Chester, Akram Elnagmi, or Shep Turk can’t all become really good players, but a lot of what drives up interest in recruiting are stars and offer sheets. Between the three of them, only Elnagmi, had an additional power-four offer, and that was from Virginia. Pitt and first-year offensive line coach Jeremy Darveau did not necessarily go out and beat teams like Cincinnati, Michigan State, or West Virginia for these commitments. Again, we need to see Darveau coach and these guys play before we pass judgment, but it’s fair to question this process.

I do not think the quality is lacking from Pitt’s defensive line commitments, but I wonder who else will join them in this class. Of Pitt’s 29 visitors this month, not many of them were defensive linemen. Trevor Sommers is an ideal defensive tackle for Pitt’s defense and Julien Anderson has some ability rushing off the edge. Those guys make sense, but what is puzzling is how there has not been many other defensive line recruits beyond them. Pitt did bring in ten new defensive linemen this offseason between the class of 2024 and the transfer portal, so perhaps they aren’t aiming to take many, but two still feels a little low.

I think the final concern is what is going on with running back. I actually like the potential of Tony Kinsler, Ja’Kyrian Turner, and Synkwan Smith a good bit. They all look very explosive on film and I get why Kade Bell is intrigued. I also see how and why they fit into his offense. The greater question is not so much about the talent of those three commitments, but rather how will this all translate to the ACC?

Pitt is adding the right personnel to fit its offense, but the biggest question of the offseason goes beyond recruiting. Can this offense translate at the power-four level? Can smaller players stand up against ACC defenses? Bell brought in some transfers who know the system, but do appear to be on the smaller side, so we’ll get a firsthand look if this will all come together how it is supposed to, but until then, the questions about the scheme and the personnel will persist.

ONE PREDICTION

Pitt gets over 20 commitments by the Fourth of July

This is an important stretch for many programs across the country. The official visit stage is over, and a wave of commitments will sweep college football in the next week. Pitt has about seven announcements it needs to track in the next week, and my prediction is that at least three will go in the Panthers favor.

Pitt equated itself pretty well with its official visitors this month and the hit rate is really, really impressive: 29 official visitors, 18 commitments, three misses, and eight still left to decide.

In year’s past, Pitt would have more than 29 official visitors, sometimes over 40 and of course, that meant there was not enough room to take everyone. They used to create a larger pool with more prospects, and at times, see who would commit first. The approach over the last three weeks was very different. The Pitt coaches shrunk the number of prospects they focused on and really honed in on who they wanted.

The smaller number of prospects on campus meant more opportunities for the coaches to have more one on one time during the visits. I think because of that, the Pitt coaches have been able to be very direct and build closer connections, and the commitment wave that has followed only reinforces that, and I think those relationships should help net at least three more commitments in the next week.

I think Pitt will be able to land at least one of the three offensive linemen left on the board. Pitt appears to be in good shape with both defensive backs set to decide on July 1st as well, and I think it’s possible to grab one or maybe both of the defenders from the Midwest still available.

Pitt has 18 commitments on June 28th and I think that number will swell to over 20 sometime in the next seven days.