Keystone State Expansion?
Pitt has undoubtedly seen a huge resurgence in the WPIAL and throughout the Pittsburgh region in their 2018 recruiting efforts after a difficult class in 2017. However, Pitt has still struggled to consistently land talent in their home state of Pennsylvania outside of the western stretches and Pittsburgh's immediate outlying areas. In the 2017 class, Pitt landed only one of the seven Pennsylvania prospects they offered outside of the WPIAL in legacy recruit Darian Street. In 2018, Pitt is currently 0-for-7 in the same category of prospects, although an additional 7 remain uncommitted.
To date, Pitt has only offered four 2019 Pennsylvania prospects, each of whom live in the immediate area outside of the Steel City. Jayvon Thrift, Andrew Kristofic, Kyi Wright, and Joey Porter Jr. are the first four Pennsylvanians to earn Pitt offers, but they surely won't be the last. Pitt has already begun to make in-roads with underclassmen prospects around Pennsylvania in the 2019 crop, a group that looks like it should be receptive to what Pat Narduzzi has to offer.
In what should be a familiar name for Pitt fans, they've already started to reach out to 2019 Malvern Prep (Pa.) offensive tackle Jake Hornibrook, the younger brother of Wisconsin QB and former Paul Chryst recruit Alex Hornibrook.
“I’ve received a camp invite through the mail from Pitt and I would be interested in going to camp, but I’m still working through my summer schedule. I haven’t been able to speak with any Pitt coaches directly yet though, just with the NCAA rules," Hornibrook said. "I haven’t finalized all my camps, but I’m also looking to go to Wisconsin, Northwestern, Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State, and then Virginia, who recently offered me. Hopefully I can make Pitt as well.”
Hornibrook already holds two offers - Virginia and Temple - and he certainly will add more. He's an intriguing prospect at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. Certainly, it will be interesting to watch what could happen if Wisconsin chooses to offer, but Pitt was able to get a commitment from a Hornibrook at one point in the past.
While Hornibrook will line up on the offensive line at the next level, the state has also produced what looks to be a promising running back crop, featuring a trio of early standouts.
Williamsport (Pa.) running back Treyson Potts burst onto the state scene in a major way as a sophomore, rushing for a stunning 2,016 yards and 34 touchdowns in his second campaign of high school and averaging over 10 yards per carry. His impressive abilities in the backfield earned the central Pennsylvania standout all-state honors and Potts has been rewarded with four scholarships to date - Virginia, Syracuse, Buffalo, and UConn. An excellent track athlete as well, Potts competed in district and regional championships for track this year, setting personal records of 11.32 in the 100M dash and 21'10" in the long jump. He also ran for Williamsport in the 4x400 relay.
Pitt has shown an early interest in the in-state running back, as have a number of other major programs who have yet to offer Potts.
"Pitt has come to the school and I’ve received letters with camp information. They’ve been in contact with my coach. I think I’m going to head down there on June 16th for a visit," Potts said late last week.
I've been unable to confirm if Potts did indeed make the trip to Pitt for that visit, but hope to have more information on that today. He's fresh off of unofficial visits for camps at Penn State and Notre Dame and although those visits did not yield offers. I know we have a poster on the board from the Williamsport area who's discussed Potts before and this kid looks like he's the real deal.
Another intriguing target with family connections to Pitt, albeit one even farther away on the eastern side of the state, is standout Fairless Hills (Pa.) running back Patrick Garwo. Although Garwo only checks in at 5-foot-9 and 197 pounds, the 2019 star has already picked up offers from Wisconsin, Virginia, Maryland, Temple, Army, and Morgan State.
Garwo wasn't quite as explosive as Potts in terms of yardage production, but he accounted for 895 yards and 10 touchdowns in the 2016 season and earned first-team All-Catholic recognition in the Philadelphia area. Pitt has already been keeping close tabs on Garwo, as have a number of other ACC schools who have yet to offer the standout. What's intriguing, however, are Garwo's connections to one of Pitt's most prominent players on the 2017 roster.
“Since I’m a sophomore, Pitt hasn’t been able to contact me directly, but they were in contact with my coaches. We heard from them earlier in the spring. I’ve been there for just a football facility tour earlier in the spring and this fall, I’m going to try to get to one of their games. My cousin Jester Weah plays there. It would be a blessing to get the offer, but God only knows," Garwo said. "I’m planning on visiting Duke, North Carolina, and West Virginia sometime this summer.”
Staying in the eastern Pennsylvania region, Chester County has produced a running back that looks to be on par with Potts and Garwo in terms of standing out as a Power Five talent. 2019 Coatesville (Pa.) running back Aaron Young impressed onlookers in his sophomore season to the tune of 1,408 yards and 24 touchdowns while averaging over 10 yards per carry.
Young isn't huge, checking in at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, but he already has very serious college football attention and offers. Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse, UConn, and Army have offered Young, but he says yet more schools are beginning to show attention. Young attended a camp at Notre Dame and will be working out at Penn State for a 7v7 tournament with his team (that may have already happened, need to double check) and also hopes to make his way to Pitt's campus this summer. He has yet to establish a date, but wants to get to campus soon.
An intriguing aspect of Young's recruitment to watch is what could happen with his older brother, Avery. Avery Young is a 2018 defensive back with offers from Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse, Virginia, and Army. Pitt has yet to offer the 6-foot, 185-pound cornerback, but they've shown interest in both of the brothers. Should they choose to offer another round of defensive backs, Young may be a name to watch.
Finally, keep an eye on a fast-rising tight end/linebacker/defensive end out of Lititz (Pa.) Warwick, a program near the Lancaster area, Hayden Rucci. A 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect in the class of 2019, Rucci has been offered by Michigan State, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Northwestern, Boston College, and Syracuse to date.
Rucci visited Pitt back in March, flying under our radar as a prospect, where he was able to tour the football facilities and meet with the coaching staff. Since he had already been to campus, he didn't return for a camp this summer and doesn't intend to, but says he hopes to come back for a game this fall. Rucci has recently made a six-day college tour of Notre Dame, Ohio State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Minnesota for several camps. He's an offer to target to watch for Pitt moving forward.
I have one more note on a 2019 prospect, although he's not a Pennsylvania native, I just didn't really have anywhere else to put this, so count it as a miscellaneous note.
Pitt offered Anaheim (Cali.) Servite outside linebacker Spencer Lytle a little while back, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound standout in the class of 2019. Lytle also holds offers from schools like Indiana, Western Michigan, Colorado State, Hawaii, and Colorado. His brother, Tyler Lytle, signed with Colorado as a quarterback in the 2017 class, meaning the Buffs should be one of his top options. However, expect Pitt to stay in the mix as well.
“I camped with Colorado so far. I plan on visiting Pitt this summer, I just don’t have a date yet. Pitt will be one of my top schools," Lytle said.
Just an intriguing option to watch on the West Coast, an area that Pitt has not recruited very much at all in recent years.
Pitt has undoubtedly seen a huge resurgence in the WPIAL and throughout the Pittsburgh region in their 2018 recruiting efforts after a difficult class in 2017. However, Pitt has still struggled to consistently land talent in their home state of Pennsylvania outside of the western stretches and Pittsburgh's immediate outlying areas. In the 2017 class, Pitt landed only one of the seven Pennsylvania prospects they offered outside of the WPIAL in legacy recruit Darian Street. In 2018, Pitt is currently 0-for-7 in the same category of prospects, although an additional 7 remain uncommitted.
To date, Pitt has only offered four 2019 Pennsylvania prospects, each of whom live in the immediate area outside of the Steel City. Jayvon Thrift, Andrew Kristofic, Kyi Wright, and Joey Porter Jr. are the first four Pennsylvanians to earn Pitt offers, but they surely won't be the last. Pitt has already begun to make in-roads with underclassmen prospects around Pennsylvania in the 2019 crop, a group that looks like it should be receptive to what Pat Narduzzi has to offer.
In what should be a familiar name for Pitt fans, they've already started to reach out to 2019 Malvern Prep (Pa.) offensive tackle Jake Hornibrook, the younger brother of Wisconsin QB and former Paul Chryst recruit Alex Hornibrook.
“I’ve received a camp invite through the mail from Pitt and I would be interested in going to camp, but I’m still working through my summer schedule. I haven’t been able to speak with any Pitt coaches directly yet though, just with the NCAA rules," Hornibrook said. "I haven’t finalized all my camps, but I’m also looking to go to Wisconsin, Northwestern, Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State, and then Virginia, who recently offered me. Hopefully I can make Pitt as well.”
Hornibrook already holds two offers - Virginia and Temple - and he certainly will add more. He's an intriguing prospect at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. Certainly, it will be interesting to watch what could happen if Wisconsin chooses to offer, but Pitt was able to get a commitment from a Hornibrook at one point in the past.
While Hornibrook will line up on the offensive line at the next level, the state has also produced what looks to be a promising running back crop, featuring a trio of early standouts.
Williamsport (Pa.) running back Treyson Potts burst onto the state scene in a major way as a sophomore, rushing for a stunning 2,016 yards and 34 touchdowns in his second campaign of high school and averaging over 10 yards per carry. His impressive abilities in the backfield earned the central Pennsylvania standout all-state honors and Potts has been rewarded with four scholarships to date - Virginia, Syracuse, Buffalo, and UConn. An excellent track athlete as well, Potts competed in district and regional championships for track this year, setting personal records of 11.32 in the 100M dash and 21'10" in the long jump. He also ran for Williamsport in the 4x400 relay.
Pitt has shown an early interest in the in-state running back, as have a number of other major programs who have yet to offer Potts.
"Pitt has come to the school and I’ve received letters with camp information. They’ve been in contact with my coach. I think I’m going to head down there on June 16th for a visit," Potts said late last week.
I've been unable to confirm if Potts did indeed make the trip to Pitt for that visit, but hope to have more information on that today. He's fresh off of unofficial visits for camps at Penn State and Notre Dame and although those visits did not yield offers. I know we have a poster on the board from the Williamsport area who's discussed Potts before and this kid looks like he's the real deal.
Another intriguing target with family connections to Pitt, albeit one even farther away on the eastern side of the state, is standout Fairless Hills (Pa.) running back Patrick Garwo. Although Garwo only checks in at 5-foot-9 and 197 pounds, the 2019 star has already picked up offers from Wisconsin, Virginia, Maryland, Temple, Army, and Morgan State.
Garwo wasn't quite as explosive as Potts in terms of yardage production, but he accounted for 895 yards and 10 touchdowns in the 2016 season and earned first-team All-Catholic recognition in the Philadelphia area. Pitt has already been keeping close tabs on Garwo, as have a number of other ACC schools who have yet to offer the standout. What's intriguing, however, are Garwo's connections to one of Pitt's most prominent players on the 2017 roster.
“Since I’m a sophomore, Pitt hasn’t been able to contact me directly, but they were in contact with my coaches. We heard from them earlier in the spring. I’ve been there for just a football facility tour earlier in the spring and this fall, I’m going to try to get to one of their games. My cousin Jester Weah plays there. It would be a blessing to get the offer, but God only knows," Garwo said. "I’m planning on visiting Duke, North Carolina, and West Virginia sometime this summer.”
Staying in the eastern Pennsylvania region, Chester County has produced a running back that looks to be on par with Potts and Garwo in terms of standing out as a Power Five talent. 2019 Coatesville (Pa.) running back Aaron Young impressed onlookers in his sophomore season to the tune of 1,408 yards and 24 touchdowns while averaging over 10 yards per carry.
Young isn't huge, checking in at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, but he already has very serious college football attention and offers. Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse, UConn, and Army have offered Young, but he says yet more schools are beginning to show attention. Young attended a camp at Notre Dame and will be working out at Penn State for a 7v7 tournament with his team (that may have already happened, need to double check) and also hopes to make his way to Pitt's campus this summer. He has yet to establish a date, but wants to get to campus soon.
An intriguing aspect of Young's recruitment to watch is what could happen with his older brother, Avery. Avery Young is a 2018 defensive back with offers from Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse, Virginia, and Army. Pitt has yet to offer the 6-foot, 185-pound cornerback, but they've shown interest in both of the brothers. Should they choose to offer another round of defensive backs, Young may be a name to watch.
Finally, keep an eye on a fast-rising tight end/linebacker/defensive end out of Lititz (Pa.) Warwick, a program near the Lancaster area, Hayden Rucci. A 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect in the class of 2019, Rucci has been offered by Michigan State, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Northwestern, Boston College, and Syracuse to date.
Rucci visited Pitt back in March, flying under our radar as a prospect, where he was able to tour the football facilities and meet with the coaching staff. Since he had already been to campus, he didn't return for a camp this summer and doesn't intend to, but says he hopes to come back for a game this fall. Rucci has recently made a six-day college tour of Notre Dame, Ohio State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Minnesota for several camps. He's an offer to target to watch for Pitt moving forward.
I have one more note on a 2019 prospect, although he's not a Pennsylvania native, I just didn't really have anywhere else to put this, so count it as a miscellaneous note.
Pitt offered Anaheim (Cali.) Servite outside linebacker Spencer Lytle a little while back, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound standout in the class of 2019. Lytle also holds offers from schools like Indiana, Western Michigan, Colorado State, Hawaii, and Colorado. His brother, Tyler Lytle, signed with Colorado as a quarterback in the 2017 class, meaning the Buffs should be one of his top options. However, expect Pitt to stay in the mix as well.
“I camped with Colorado so far. I plan on visiting Pitt this summer, I just don’t have a date yet. Pitt will be one of my top schools," Lytle said.
Just an intriguing option to watch on the West Coast, an area that Pitt has not recruited very much at all in recent years.
