The wait pays off for Collier
Jason Collier knew for a long time that he wanted to go to Pitt. Even after taking an official visit to Pittsburgh last week he figured he could wait a little longer, despite the temptation to commit on the spot was there.
“As soon as I sat down after the weekend and I saw nine of them committed, I was like ‘wow’," Collier told Panther-Lair.com. "Coach (Pat) Narduzzi did say in front of everyone that he wanted the class of 2019, the 18 of us, that he wanted all 18 of us and that we can make a difference for the football team.
“I was tempted and in my mind I was like I want to commit now, but Coach Narduzzi was like, “Take your time and give me a call Saturday morning, and we’ll make it that date.'"
So the Westville (NJ) native opted to take one other official visit to Virginia, and on the way home from Charlottesville, he called Narduzzi and became Pitt’s 14th member of the 2019 recruiting class.
The allure to attend Pitt started a few months ago for Collier.
“I kind of had a feeling of going to Pitt ever since they first offered me when I was first down there back on the junior day,” he said.
“The first time I was there - I just knew. After meeting all the coaches and seeing the atmosphere of junior day and seeing how everything was, I just knew that it just felt like a home away from home.”
Collier values academics, and an offer sheet that included Duke and Virginia speaks to that notion a bit, but it was the combination of academics and football that made Pitt appeal to him the most.
“The engineering program there is amazing,” he said. "I know I can get really far with the type of engineering I want to go into, and I can probably become really good in that field, on top of playing for a good football team and a good coach.”
Collier is an imposing player. Being 6’7” and 275 pounds has led to speculation about him possibly playing offensive line at some point. With Pitt having had success converting Brian O’Neil from a tight end to a high draft pick as an offensive lineman, it is only natural to think about what Pitt could do with a player like Collier.
Collier said he hopes to stick at tight end for now.
“I talked to the offensive line coach and he said, ‘why move?’ - because they are looking for a big size tight end like me,” said Collier. "They are looking for big tight ends that they know that can catch the football and get key blocks down.
“Right now all I know is that I am coming in as a tight end.”
Collier did acknowledge that a move to the offensive line is possible and that does not bother him much.
“Later down the road, if I get moved, I get moved, but I think for right now for the first year I think I am going to be a tight end,” he said.
With the pressure of committing over, and the recruiting process wrapped up, Collier hopes to focus on his senior season. He helped his West Deptford H.S. team to a 10-2 record last season, and thinks this could be a big year for his squad.
“This year is going to be a big year for us, we’re playing the hardest schedule we’ve played in probably a decade or so. So a lot of us seniors, that’s all we’re worried about is this season and getting stronger.”