The 3-2-1 Column: Recruiting, recruiting, and more recruiting

Pitt football recruiting is full focus of this week’s 3-2-1 column. The Pitt football coaches hosted their first big official visit invasion of the month last week with 14 prospects in town and it proved to be fruitful with five commitments coming out of that weekend. We recap everything from that first visit from commitments to some possible additions to the class.

While there are plenty of storylines to come out of the first visit, it is also time to gear up for another big weekend on the horizon. Pitt is expected to play host to 13 more prospects with the visit actually starting yesterday. It will wrap up tomorrow morning with a few more possible commitments. We take a closer look of who all is in town, what to expect this weekend, and also take a closer look at what this class still needs to address.

THREE THINGS WE KNOW

Pitt has three new commitments
There were 14 prospects in Pittsburgh for an official visit last weekend and as the dust has settled nearly a week later, it sure looked like it was a prosperous weekend for the Pitt football program. Pat Narduzzi and his staff locked down five new commitments from last weekend, plus they reaffirmed the commitment from Eric Ingwerson who showed early signs of wavering.

It was a solid start to June.

Pitt’s class was already off to a strong start with 11 prospects committed prior to this month, and now that you factor in five more, Pitt is really ahead of the game with its 2024 recruiting class. The Panthers should be able to sign close to a full 25-man class this cycle and with 16 commitments already, they are filling up space rather quickly.

The number of commitments from last weekend was five, as that is how many times Pat Narduzzi sent out his usual ‘Pitt is it’ tweet. For now, we are only going to discuss three of those new commitments, as two of them are still waiting to announce their decision publicly. We will respect their wishes for now and the expectation is that those announcements could really come at any time.

The first player to commit last weekend was three-star Allen Bryant, a 6’1” 170-pound defensive back out of Florida. Bryant started his career at Calvary Christian, but will be playing his senior year at St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the best high school football programs in the country. Bryant chose Pitt over offers from Cincinnati, Louisville, Virginia, and West Virginia. Bryant’s decision to commit drew on plenty of factors like his relationship with assistant coach Cory Sanders, his feel around the program, but also Pitt’s approach with defensive backs.

“I think it has a lot to do with them allowing their DBs to make plays and you’re not a robot, like if your one assignment is not working you’re just playing football,” Bryant said of Pitt’s defensive scheme. “They allow you to be a football player and I think that has a lot to do with why they send a lot of guys to the NFL.”

The next player to make the call for Pitt was another defensive back. Davion Pritchard is a 6’1” cornerback out of Austintown Fitch High School in Youngstown. The Ohio native had been to Pitt on multiple occasions previously, but Pitt did not offer him until May. Despite the late offer, there was a strong foundation in place and one visit was all it took to get him committed. He chose Pitt over offers from Boston College, Kentucky, and Maryland.

“Being physical is mandatory. To me, there’s no such thing to me as a ‘cover corner;’ you have to be an all-around player. Everybody has to make tackles. They have to.”

That quote is from Pritchard after he committed and his mindset seems to align with Pitt’s philosophy for its defensive backs. Pitt likes to sell out to stop the run and cornerbacks are expected to come down hill and make plays and Pritchard is a more than willing participant in that aspect, while also having the ability to work in man coverage. Both defensive backs who committed last weekend have some position versatility in that they could line up at corner or safety, another thing the Pitt coaches have valued in some recent recruiting cycles.

The final known commitment out of last weekend’s haul is Mason Lindsay, who actually committed on Monday and revealed his decision on Wednesday. Lindsay is a massive offensive tackle out of DeMatha Catholic and he is now the third offensive linemen in Pitt’s 2024 recruiting class.

Lindsay chose Pitt over offers from Boston College, Maryland, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. The big 6’5” and 300-pound linemen missed his junior season with an injury, which may have stunted his recruiting a bit. The Pitt coaches do not seem deterred, however, and they probably feel like they landed a big, athletic tackle from a prominent high school program from the Washington D.C. area.

The visit itself is really what sold Lindsay.

“After the first day, we came back to the facility and looked at all the stuff and learned about the academics and the Life Skills program, just going over everything outside of football, and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is it,’” he told Panther-Lair.com following his decision.

Pitt did not necessarily add a commitment from 6’7” three-star tight end Eric Ingwerson last weekend, but it almost felt that way. Ingwerson committed to Pitt in March and has been pretty solid in that decision and even vocal for the program over social media. Nebraska did offer Ingwerson after he committed to Pitt, and for a native son, there was obviously appeal there. The Cornhuskers expected him to come in for an official visit with the intent on flipping his commitment, but all it took was a 48-hour visit to Pittsburgh to erase that trip off of his calendar.

All in all it was a successful first official visit weekend, and the book isn’t quite closed on it either. There are still some recruits who need to announce, while a few more from that first weekend who could eventually join the class.

The second weekend takes center stage
The aftermath of the first official is still lingering with a few commitments yet to be announced, but now our focus shifts a bit to a new set of recruits scheduled to be campus this weekend. Pitt is hosting 13 prospects as we speak, with five of those recruits having already been committed to Pitt prior to June.

The five commitments in town should all be able to aid the coaches in the recruiting efforts for the other eight prospects. The most notable name among the committed prospect is Pitt’s longest standing pledge, Jahsear Whittington. The four-star defensive tackle out of Philadelphia has been as active and vocal as any recruit in recent memory towards Pitt over social media, and while the hype man aspect he brings is helpful, he’s also a very good football player and a scheme fit for this defense.

Whittington will be joined by fellow committed defensive tackle Francis Brewu, along with running back Juelz Goff, and in-state offensive linemen Adham Abouraya and Jiavani Cooley. All five of Pitt’s committed prospects visiting this weekend seem rock solid with the Panthers, as they do not have any other known planned official visits.

The eight remaining prospects in town will come to Pittsburgh with their recruitments open and the Pitt coaches will be looking to impress them and change that. Like the first set of visitors, this group also brings some star power. Perhaps the most notable name visiting is Yasin Willis, one of the top running backs in the country and the top-rated player out of New Jersey. Willis visited Rutgers already and is slated to see Michigan in two weeks. He recently added an offer from Alabama, so things are still evolving here.

The other uncommitted four-star in town is a player Pitt is very familiar with, as Cameron Lindsey, a standout from Aliquippa, will be making his official visit. Lindsey has visited Pitt more times than most prospects in the class of 2024 and while Pitt has struggled a bit recruiting locally, he is a player they have a good chance with at the time. Lindsey is coming off of a West Virginia official visit, and it could come down to these two programs in the end.

There is also a quartet of talented defensive backs visiting at the moment, highlighted by Koy Beasley and Terhyon Nichols, two of the better prospects in the state of Ohio. Chasen Johnson out of Florida and Nigel Maynard from Tennessee round out the defensive back visitors. In the case with all four, they all have strong offer sheets with other official visits looming. Pitt will be looking to change that with a strong impression this weekend. The Panthers have three defensive backs on the commitment list for now, but this effort to bring in four more speaks to the numbers they wish to add here.

The final two visitors are a pair of versatile athletes. Cameron Monteiro is a dynamic athlete from Massachusetts and plays quarterback at the high school level. He is a very effective runner in space and profiles as a receiver in college. Monteiro is coming off of a Virginia official visit, with Pitt being his only one scheduled for now.

The other visitor is Cameron Clark, a player we did not track down until late Wednesday evening. Clark is a two-way standout with some schools liking him as a defensive end, but in Pitt’s case the see the 6’5” and 225-pound athlete as a tight end.

The NFL is a big part of Pitt’s recruiting pitch
Most college football programs are doing the same thing when it comes to official visits. The official visit is a 48-hour window to sell your program the best way you can and every school will try to jam a lot of information into that space.

For the most part, each school pairs the recruit with a player host, so they can see what it is like to walk in their shoes. The recruits are shown the academic and student life aspect side of things. They are also taken around the city or town they are in with stops at nice restaurants along the way. There is one on one time with coaches, photo shoots, and the typical stuff you always see.

The one thing that changes from school to school is really the message you are selling recruits on, and what we have noticed from Pitt is that they really drive home the point of their NFL connections. Pitt’s setup is certainly unique only to them and it’s also nothing new either. The Panthers have been neighbors with the Steelers for over 20 years now and they’ve shared a stadium together since 2000.

Different head coaches at Pitt have embraced the Steelers relationship in their own way, but none of them have used it as an advantage or a recruiting tool quite like Pat Narduzzi has during his tenure. Pitt is the only school that shares a practice facility with an NFL team and they aren’t afraid to let recruits know about it, but more often than not, they can simply see it for themselves.

Last weekend for instance, three-star quarterback Trever Jackson, happened to bump into former Pitt star and Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. Allen Bryant, who ultimately committed, got a chance to speak with some Steelers coaches while watching them practice. Those type of things are not happening anywhere else, and it’s a secret weapon only Pitt has to offer on the recruiting trail.

Every school can talk about sending players to the NFL, and its on-field success, plus all of their facilities, academics, and relationships with coaches. Trust me, those are all factors Pitt uses as well. Having said that, Pitt is the only school where you can practice one field over from TJ Watt, eat the same food as Minkah Fitzpatrick , or even as an example from yesterday, get advice from a Super Bowl winning coach on your way to a workout. Pitt has a special setup that no other program has and they are embracing it on the recruiting trail.

TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE

Who still might commit from the first weekend?
Pitt’s first official visit weekend resulted in five commitments, and of course only three of them known as everything stands today. You can throw in Eric Ingwerson into the mix, who was also in town last week and reassured the staff of his decision.

Factoring in the four known commitments from last weekend, that means there are ten players off of that first visit who have to announce their college decision. Pitt obviously did well, and while the visit has passed, I still think this first set of visitors could bring an addition or two to the recruiting class before it is all said and done. We have yet to track down all of those prospects for interviews, but the ones who did speak had some pretty glowing reviews.

Trever Jackson, three-star prospect out of Florida, may be the Panthers’ top choice at quarterback. He still plans to take a few more visits, but Pitt did well with the signal caller, and he is a candidate to join the class at a later date.

“I think it’s a perfect offense for me, just for me to develop as a quarterback and become the best I can be,” Jackson told Panther-Lair.com.

Pitt was obviously burned by a quarterback recruit in the class of 2023, so they are doing their due diligence here, but Jackson is certainly a player they covet quite a bit. The Panthers will have to survive some pushes from Texas A&M and Moissouri, but all in all Pitt left an impact on perhaps their top quarterback target.

Caleb Holmes, a three-star linemen from Georgia, came to Pitt last week and he admittedly was pretty blown away by the experience. The added benefit of having a good friend and former teammate on the team helps Pitt’s odds here, as he is close with current Panther offensive linemen BJ Williams.

“Actually getting to the city and seeing everything with my own eyes, that’s when you combine all of those things with the resources that the players have - how they’re right next to the Steelers and sharing the same field and everything, how the Life Skills program is, the strength and conditioning program and everything,” Holmes said. “And then you talk to Coach Duzz and the thing that’s most important to him at Pitt is relationships. So you combine this wholesome environment with the relationships, and it’s just an amazing experience.”

Gabriel Williams, a four-star linebacker from Maryland, is taking an official visit to Virginia Tech as we speak, but the Hokies may have to really wow him to overtake Pitt.

“He told me how much they want me to commit,” Williams said after talking to Narduzzi on his visit. "He said I could do everything at Pitt and the proof is in the pudding. If I come to Pitt and stay focused and put in the work, I can leave here and go to the league. “I’m loving it, man. I didn’t expect to have this feeling after a visit.”

Dominic Kirks had an equally strong visit, calling it a ’10 out of 10’ and said this to Pat Narduzzi at the end of the visit, “He asked me how it went and I told him straight-up that I could see myself going to the University of Pittsburgh and my parents could see myself going to the University of Pittsburgh.”

All official visits typically go well for any recruit at any school, obviously there are some exceptions, but these things are designed to be fun and good experienced for the recruits and their families. This is basically a 48-hour opportunity to get schmoozed by college coaches, eat good food, and have an all around good time. Having said that, the comments at the end of the visit sometimes indicate where things could be headed and some of those recruits in particular left it open ended and there is a strong possibility some of those join Pitt’s class sooner rather than later.

What spots still need addressed in this recruiting class?
Looking at Pitt’s commitment list today, there are 14 names on it, with two more expected to join at any point. If you were to study that list a little further, there are still some glaring priority spots that need addressed more than others. For instance Pitt looks to be well ahead of the game at defensive tackle with Whittington, Brewu, and Ty Yuhas all committed. The Panthers also have a trio of defensive backs pledged as well. Those are spots you would expect Pitt to recruit well.

There are some lean spots, however, and I think the coaching staff is still working to erase those bare areas on the commitment list. Obviously the priority will be to add a quarterback, and Trever Jackson is probably the top priority right now with Henry Hasselbeck not too far behind. Hasselbeck is expected to take an official visit to Pitt on June 22nd, but things could move quickly at this spot.

While I am not sure if Pitt needs a second running back or tight end in this class, the indication is that they are pursuing some insurance at those spots. Pitt has Juelz Goff committed at running back, but the Panthers hosted highly-ranked Da’Jaun Riggs last week with Yasin Willis obviously in town right now, so if nothing else they are aiming high.

The same thing could be said at tight end because Ingwerson is probably someone they are happy with, but hosting a prospect like Cameron Clark is something they can’t turn down either, and there are efforts being made to bring in more tight ends for the last round of official visits.

Another big spot I think needs addressed is wide receiver. Pitt is off to a good start with a commitment from four-star Ric’Darious Farmer, but he also happens to be visiting West Virginia at the moment, so the coaches probably don't want to leave anything to chance. The Panthers landed four wide receivers last year, and could probably justify taking a bigger group yet again. Cameron Monteiro is visiting this weekend. Nicholas Marsh, one of the top receivers in the country, was in town last weekend, and Pitt will look to lock down Farmer completely during the last official visit weekend.

Lastly I think Pitt needs to add some numbers at defensive end. The Panthers have three interior linemen, but as it stands today Zachary Crothers is the lone defensive end in the class. Pitt had Elias Rudloph and Dominic Kirks town last weekend, and the June 22nd weekend is starting to line up with a few more talented pass rushers. They need numbers here, but Pitt shouldn’t have trouble getting defensive ends to play in this defense.

Pitt’s recruiting class looks pretty solid today with good depth, but they aren’t done yet, and there is still plenty of work to do throughout rest of June, and of course making sure they stayed committed through December... which is a topic for a different day.

One Prediction

Pitt lands three commitments this weekend
The 2024 class is a little different than in past years because Pitt started the month of June with 11 commitments, which is a little unheard of for this program. Pat Narduzzi has done the bulk of his recruiting work in June, and while that's still happening, the spots in this recruiting class aren’t as plentiful as usual.

Given that space is filling up, it’s hard exactly handicap how each recruiting weekend will play out, but if we’re setting the number at 2.5 Pat Signals for the weekend, I am taking the over. I did not really expect five commitments last weekend, so maybe I should not be the handicapper in this situation. Having said that, I think Pitt can walk out of this weekend with around 19 total commitments, which again, is getting pretty close to finishing off the 2024 recruiting class altogether.

I think there is probably room in this class to ‘over-recruit’ with the anticipation of a de-commitment or two along the way. That might be my personal approach and whether the Pitt coaches agree is another thing. Either way, it does feel like room is filling up quickly, but also not to the point where they can’t lead three or more players this weekend.