Pitt FB Recruiting
Following Parrish Decommittment, Will Pitt Pursue Another Running Back?
Pitt football’s Class of 2020 currently sits at 15 players following the decommitment last night of Florida 4-star running back Henry Parrish, who in reality hasn’t been committed to Pitt for months.
Although they would’ve loved to still have him sign as evidenced by the home visit from Andre Powell, the reality was that Pitt knew that this was inevitable and were likely attempting to fill out the remaining spots in their 2020 class with this in mind.
The question now is will Pat Narduzzi look to use Parrish’s scholarship on another running back or will he attempt to use it on another position?
Looking at the depth chart as we sit here today, every member of this year’s backfield is scheduled to return next season plus they’ll be adding two players: redshirt freshman Daniel Carter and 2020 4-star commit Israel Abanikanda.
Some fans might have forgotten this but the commitment last year of Carter was a big recruiting win for the Pitt staff. Although I’m sure some of the offers were no longer committable because their recruiting classes filled up, Carter held offers from programs such as Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Daniel Carter (4) August 2, 2019 — Photo by David Hague/PSN
Point being is that Carter obviously is someone that many programs believed had talent and his presence in 2020 shouldn’t be forgotten about.
On paper, Pitt has Carter, Abanikanda, A.J. Davis, Todd Sibley, Vincent Davis and V’Lique Carter at running back next season. While there’s always a chance someone could decide to leave, I find that highly unlikely and believe that this is the stable of backs they’ll have to start the season.
Now back to the original question of whether or not Pitt try and replace Parrish with another running back. Looking at the list of backs that they’ve offered who are still uncommitted, I’d say the answer right now is no. While Pitt has shown some interest in players such as DJ Lundy, CJ Beasley, Jovon Davis, Jaedon Henry and Jalen Berger, I don’t see a realistic match from either side.
Keep in mind, Pitt has already landed a 2021 commitment from 4-star running back Rodney Hammond (5’10”, 185) from Norfolk, Virginia.
If Pitt has an available scholarship and if Narduzzi feels they could still use insurance at the position, I think a more realistic option would be for Pitt to look to add a grad transfer running back.
Very, wise words Mike. Personally I’d save the Scholarship for 2021, it is too late to get quality for this ship. Use the scholarship on a quality lineman.
I think they should go after Heyward.
To me, the glaring need is still offensive linemen. We don’t have nearly enough depth there.