Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt’s Class of 2018 is Close to Being Filled
With the commitment of cornerback Erick Hallett today, Pitt’s Class of 2018 came one step closer to being finalized.
Counting the addition of transfers wide receiver Taysir Mack and offensive tackle Stefano Millin, Pitt has added 20 new players to its roster. Although, they currently sit right at their limit of 85 scholarships, Pitt isn’t done adding players to this years recruiting class.
How many more players will join the Panthers roster?
I believe there’s a chance Pitt could add as many as three more players.
The player with the most likely chance to commit is Florida defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado. Is it a guarantee he commits? No, of course not but I’d be very surprised if he didn’t. Baldonado tells me that he won’t tell anyone where he’s going including his eventual school until he actually signs on Wednesday.
If Pitt is it for Baldonado, he would be their fourth pledge from a defensive end joining John Morgan, Noah Palmer and Kaymar Mimes, although there’s talk that Palmer could be switched to play tight end.
The other player that will announce his decision on Signing Day is Washington DC 4-star running back Mychale Salahuddin. Over the weekend, Salahuddin announced that he plans on choosing between Pitt and Syracuse.
Despite entering the picture late and him having a good time on his visit to Syracuse, I like Pitt’s chances of landing this breakaway back. If they do, it would be the second consecutive year that Pat Narduzzi has gotten a commitment from a 4-star running back on Signing Day. Last year, A.J. Davis made his selection on ESPNU and picked Pitt.
If Pitt is fortunate enough that Saladuddin calls their name, it set them with a depth chart of highly skilled and rated running backs.
POSSIBLE PITT RUNNING BACK DEPTH CHART
Mychale Salahuddin: 4-star recruit
A.J. Davis: 4-star recruit
Todd Sibley: 3-star recruit (former Ohio State commitment)
Darrin Hall: 4-star recruit
Quadre Ollison 3-star recruit (former ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year)
The only other player that Pitt appears to be trying to get a commitment from is Rutgers grad transfer safety Kiy Hester. Unlike the other two players, this decision likely won’t be made on Wednesday and could extend until March. Hester made an official visit to Pitt last weekend and still has to visit other schools.
Other than those three players, the only other possibility player that could earn a scholarship offer is 2018 Missouri quarterback Derek Green, who made an official visit over the weekend.
Courtesy Derek Green
Although I think it’s unlikely Pitt takes another scholarship quarterback in this class, Pitt wouldn’t have brought him in for an official visit if they didn’t have some sort of interest in him. Keep an eye on that situation.
In the last two months, we’ve been reporting on players like Marcus Applefield, Jairus Brents and Kolin Demens but they don’t appear to be in the Panthers plans. In the case of Applefield and Brents, they ceased to be options with the commits from Hallett and Millin.
