Yuhas on Pitt commitment: 'I've been waiting for this'
Ty Yuhas was hoping Pitt would offer him a scholarship, and not just because he wanted to build his offer list.
The Central Catholic defensive line prospect wanted the Panthers to offer because he wanted to be a Panther. So when that offer came, it didn’t take long for a decision to follow.
As a matter of fact, it took about four days from his offer on Saturday to his commitment on Tuesday, and Yuhas officially announced his decision on Thursday.
“There wasn’t really much thought to it. I’ve been waiting for this,” Yuhas told Panther-Lair.com after making his announcement.
"I took a few days and then called Coach (Pat) Narduzzi and told him. He was super pumped And I talked to Coach (Charlie) Partridge, too. He was really excited.”
While the decision was something of a no-brainer for Yuhas, he said there were several specific things that stood out about Pitt.
“I mean, honestly, the environment down there was a big one, and the coaching staff is one of the best in the country, in my opinion.”
Yuhas was recruited to Pitt by Narduzzi, Partridge and safeties coach Cory Sanders, who handles a lot of the Panthers’ recruiting efforts in the WPIAL. He isn’t the first defensive tackle to commit to Pitt in the class of 2024 - that would be Jahsear Whittington from Philadelphia - but Yuhas is the first local prospect in the class to choose the Panthers.
He’s also the latest defensive tackle from the local area to pick Pitt, following the likes of Elliot Donald, Dorien Ford, Sean FitzSimmons and, further back that those guys, Aaron Donald.
“It definitely seems like [there’s a legacy of local defensive linemen at Pitt], for sure,” Yuhas said. “You name all these guys who went there and played really well.”
At 6’3” and 260 pounds, Yuhas is a defensive tackle prospect, but he’s more athletic than a lot of guys his size. That’s evidenced by his success in baseball, where he was one of Central Catholic’s top pitchers before an elbow injury over the summer ended his participation in that sport.
“I was talking to some schools and considering playing both sports in college, but now I’m just playing football,” he said. And that’s okay by Yuhas, because he thinks football is probably his best sport anyway.
“I’m able to split double teams pretty well and I just play hard,” he said. “I don’t like to be blocked.”
Yuhas is the fourth recruit to commit to Pitt in the class of 2024, joining Whittington, York running back Julez Goff and Florida receiver Ric’Darious Farmer.