Pitt FB Recruiting
Rising 2024 LB Samuel Ramsey Fell in Love With Pitt After His First Visit, Wants More
Samuel Ramsey is just 15. He can bench 225 pounds a staggering 23 times, although, with a 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame, perhaps that isn’t too shocking. What might be shocking, however, is that he’s already sure of his college choice.
If Pitt was to offer Ramsey, he feels like he’s confident enough in the relationship he’s built with Pitt, that he’d be able to commit right away.
“Pitt’s been good ever since I stepped foot on that field,” Ramsey told PSN. “I felt like I was at home. Even when I saw the facilities, I knew that I wanted to go to Pitt. And Pitt is my top school right now, if I get an offer from Pitt, I’m for sure going to commit because the atmosphere and the energy that Pitt has, you can’t get from no other school. The way coach Narduzzi cares about his players and his staff, you can’t get nowhere else.”
Ramsey, a 2024 tight end/linebacker from Farmington High School in Farmington, Michigan, isn’t yet rated by 247Sports or Rivals, but his recruiting process has featured his first college offer from Western Illinois and interest from Arizona State, Michigan, Michigan State, Kent State, Akron, Bowling Green and Toledo.
While Pitt hasn’t yet offered Ramsey, he’s already made two trips out to Pittsburgh, and he’s loved what he’s seen from the city, the team, the coaches and the whole package of Pitt football. With a relationship dating back to his freshman season at Farmington, Ramsey has built an especially strong bond with Bob Junko. “Me and Junko,” Ramsey said, “we’re good buddies now. He’s been networking for me.”
In visiting on March 19 and March 30, Ramsey has been able to build relationships with basically the entire coaching staff. With Ryan Manalac, Andre Powell, R.J. Goodwin, Chase Gallagher and Karlo Zovko, Ramsey has met with a lot of the staff.
“I just felt loved by all the staff members, even the equipment members,” Ramsey said. “Like, they really cared about me and everybody else. Yesterday, they remembered my name, my face, they took pictures of me — the coaches were asking me to take pictures with me, so that was really cool.”
However, after meeting with Archie Collins during his latest visit, he’s still hoping to build a relationship with Pitt’s secondary coach — a fellow Detroit native. With just one meeting in the books, Ramsey is hoping for more interactions in the future.
Photo courtesy of Samuel Ramsey’s Twitter account.
But one member of the Pitt coaching staff he’s built a strong bond with is Manalac. Ramsey, who has played on both sides of the ball is leaning toward linebacker at the next level, and he’s appreciated the early lessons he’s learned from a like-minded Manalac.
“(Manalac is) a really good guy,” Ramsey said. “March 19, when I was in his office, we were just talking and he really loves the game of football, he loves teaching his linebackers the ways, he loves the blitz the hell out of people, and I really like that. You can’t get that type of care from coaches anywhere. He meets with his guys at 5, 6 in the morning, whenever his guys are ready to watch their film and perfect their craft.”
After the excellent talk during Ramsey’s first visit to Pitt, he said he felt the love with Manalac — as the pair almost shared a hug before leaving.
With the speed and violence in Ramsey’s game, both points that Manalac pointed out in watching his tape, he said he’s a perfect fit in Pitt’s defense. Especially in the run game. “I know that I can stop any run play,” Ramsey said. “Especially with the run plays they stop, I know can stop any run play.”
While Ramsey hasn’t picked up his offer from Pitt yet, he’s confident that a continued relationship with Collins, a strong junior season at Farmington and a standout performance at Pitt camps this summer will force Pitt’s hand. With a chance to show out for Pitt coaches, he’s confident he’d succeed.
Ramsey is still just a rising high school junior, but as a 15-year-old kid, he’s immensely proud of the steps he’s taken to strive for success at the next level. With years of hard work already under his belt, he’s busted his tail to get to where he is as a player and a person. And he couldn’t be any prouder.
With Pitt’s spring game set for April 9 at Heinz Field, Ramsey said he’ll likely take one more trip down to Pittsburgh before the summer. In the meantime, he’s already made trips out to Akron, Kent State and Toledo, and he’s making a visit to Maryland this weekend. As his recruiting process heats up, he’ll likely be in high demand, but Pitt is by far the early leader.
