Pitt Makes the Top 9 for 2023 3-Star CB Jermaine Mathews

Pitt has hosted top-ranked recruits at record levels so far this spring, riding the wave of winning and stability to what could be shaping up as head coach Pat Narduzzi’s best recruiting class yet.

Jermaine Mathews, a 6-foot-0, 175-pound three-star cornerback from Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, narrowed down an offer sheet of Akron, Boston College, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Eastern Michigan, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Howard, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Kent State, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisville, Marshall, Maryland, Miami (Oh.), Ohio, Pitt, Rutgers, Toledo, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Washington and West Virginia to his Top-9 schools.

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Pitt, along with Cincinnati, Illinois, Maryland, Rutgers, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky and Washington made the cut for the top 2023 cornerback in Ohio.

Where will I land 🤯🤯🤯? pic.twitter.com/OUV0liBsSa

— Jermaine Mathews (@Jr2Maine) April 3, 2022

While Pitt hasn’t yet hosted Mathews on a visit yet, having only offered him at the end of January, it’s an encouraging sign that his relationship has already progressed to contender status in spite of not getting to step foot on campus yet. Mathews has visited Cincinnati, WVU, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland and Northwestern already in 2022.

247Sports rates Mathews as the 520th-ranked recruit in the class, slotting him as the 35th-ranked cornerback and the eighth-ranked recruit from Ohio. Rivals hasn’t given him a national ranking, but he checks in with a 5.6 Rivals Rating and as the 69th-ranked cornerback and the 17th-ranked recruit from Ohio.

Neither 247Sports nor Rivals has given Mathews an official lean yet, but he’s apparently warming up toward Kentucky.

Mathews helped lead Winton Woods to a 13-3 season in 2021, capped by a nine-game win streak that ended with a state title in the OHSAA Division II playoffs.

Mathews earned first-team All-City and All-Conference honors after a junior season in which he recorded 44 tackles, five interceptions, three forced fumbles and two recoveries and two punt return touchdowns.

Pitt has a penchant for snagging a couple of defensive backs per recruiting class, and Mathews would be an excellent addition to the group, should he commit to Pitt. Narduzzi will need to bring Mathews onto campus at some point, but that likely won’t be an issue as recruiting heats up this summer.

Mathews would be Pitt’s second 2023 commit, joining three-star wide receiver Zion Folwer (Jersey City, New Jersey).