Noah Palmer Learns From All-Star Experience

Last weekend was an eventful one for 2018 Pitt defensive end commit Noah Palmer, who was selected to play in the Blue-Gray All American Bowl in Tampa, Florida.

“I first got the letter in the mail in summertime, I believe, or early in the season. It was a good ‘head’s up’, and I talked to my family about it to get donations and stuff so I could play in this great game,” said Palmer.

“I got down there a day early so I could be at practice. Registration was at 9:30AM in the morning the next day, and we had practice at 2PM to about 5PM. We then had a meet and greet with the coaches. Then the next day we had practice and a jersey presentation. Finally you met with all your coaches, went over some stuff, then next day was game day.”

Palmer was a two-way standout for Thomas Jefferson High School and was named an All-Big Nine Conference selection at defensive end and tight end. He amassed 37 tackles, four sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery on defense.

The future Pitt pass rusher made quite an impression amongst the sea of accomplished football players. His coaches, prior to the game, named him a team captain. The second honor came as quite a surprise. Shortly after the game, he was named defensive MVP. “I found right after the game when they brought us all in the middle. We prayed a little bit, congratulated everybody, and they told me. They called out the offense first, then they called me. So, it was pretty awesome,” he said.

Courtesy Blue Grey Football

When asked if he if he felt the overall experience at the All Star game would further prepare him for his freshman season at Pitt, he stated, “Definitely. It’s great to always be coached by someone different and get their aspect of things. I learned a lot of new things. I learned some new defenses. I talked to a lot of great people that are very knowledgeable on the sport.”

The Palmer recently submitted his letter of intent to Pitt and he’s been diligently working to prepare for his initial season as a Panther. “Right now, I’m about 230 pounds and between 6-foot-4 inches to 6-foot-5 inches tall. I’ve been lifting since, I think, the week after we lost our final game and eating, getting ready to go for Pitt,” he said.  “Right now, I’m working with my trainer just about every day except Sunday because that’s the Lord’s Day. I’m on a 5,000 calorie diet, and I’m lifting hard, doing a bunch of mass stuff, keeping my speed up with basketball. Just working hard and getting ready to go.”

Palmer won’t be the only Thomas Jefferson product to play for Pitt next season. His teammate, 6-foot-2 inch, 290 pound defensive tackle Devin Danielson is another member of the Panthers’ 2018 recruiting class.

“It’s awesome because I know his playing style and Devin knows mine,” he said. “We know how each other reacts and how to get each other going. It’s going to be great. If one of us is feeling down or just need an extra boost, you know how to get them there.”

Palmer is very excited about joining the Pitt football program. He has set a very specific goal for next season, “My goal is definitely get big as I can, stay strong, compete, learn as much as I can, get everything down, and just do what I can to help make the team win.”

Harry Psaros can be found on Twitter at @PittGuru