Pitt FB Recruiting
A Recap of Pitt’s Current 2023 Offensive Commits
With one final weekend of official visitors headed to Pitt this month, with those recruits arriving to Pittsburgh today, but where does Pitt stand ahead of that?
There’s a quarterback of the future, a versatile running back and a couple of athletic wide receivers currently committed to Pitt. The class doesn’t have any tight ends or offensive linemen yet, but that will change soon. Especially with this weekend’s crop of official visitors this weekend featuring a crop of offensive linemen.
Quarterbacks (1)
Kenny Minchey – Pope John Paul II in Hendersonville, Tennessee
Pitt dipped into the state of Tennessee to nab its (current) top-ranked recruit in the class of 2023 at the very most important position.
Minchey, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal-caller from Pope John Paul II, put together an excellent junior season for the Knights (3,280 yards and 32 touchdowns at just under 62 percent completion). And his spring circuit with Elite 11, the premier event for high school quarterbacks, he’s officially a finalist.
A four-star according to 247Sports, On3 and ESPN, a somewhat low Rivals rating holds Minchey back, but it’s clear that he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the class of 2023.
Minchey committed to Pitt over offers from Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee State, South Florida, Tennessee, Tennessee-Martin, Toledo, UAB, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Minchey will be the lone quarterback taken in 2023, and he’s a name to be excited about.
Running Backs (1)
Montravius Lloyd – Lakewood High School in Saint Petersburg, Florida
With lone 2022 running back commit Jordaan Bailey no longer in the plans for Pitt after he was unable to meet the academic requirement to play for the program, Lloyd is already an important prospect for the future.
Lloyd, a 6-foot, 205-pound dual-threat back from Lakewood High School in Saint Petersburg, Florida, served as a strong rushing and receiving threat out of the backfield (641 yards and 11 touchdowns on 110 carries and 149 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions) for a strong Florida prep school in 2021.
While Lloyd isn’t a super highly ranked recruit in the class, a mid-level three-star recruit according to 247Sports and On3 (unranked by Rivals), Pitt’s staff saw enough to sign him immediately off his visit.
And, of course, Pitt’s own evaluations on players likely differ drastically from national databases.
Minchey committed to Pitt during his official visit to Pittsburgh last weekend, over offers from Arizona, Austin Peay, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Georgia Southern, Middle Tennessee State, South Florida, Toledo, Wake Forest and West Virginia.
Wide Receivers (2)
Zion Fowler – St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, New Jersey
The first — by far — recruit to put his trust in Pitt, Fowler will have been committed to Pitt for an entire year by the time Oct. 26 rolls around this year.
Fowler, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound pass-catcher from St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, New Jersey, is an explosive athlete who has made waves — and ESPN — as a football (a team-high 562 yards and seven touchdowns on 31 receptions) and basketball player.
In football we call it the fade in basketball we call it watch your head 💆🏽♂️ @SportsCenter @espn @NJHoopRecruit pic.twitter.com/j4PZ3Bsh0l
— Zion Fowler ✞ (@CantGuardZion) January 25, 2022
On3 is the highest on Fowler, rating him as a four-star wide receiver in the class, while 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN rate him as a three-star wideout. However, with Fowler’s blend of size, speed and athleticism, it’s hard to pick holes in his game.
He’s just another elite athlete who will be arriving in Pittsburgh in the next few years.
With an early commitment to Pitt, Fowler selected Pitt over Akron, Duke, Louisville, Massachusetts, Michigan State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.
Kenny Johnson – Dallastown Area High School in York, Pennsylvania
The first of two Pennsylvania recruits to commit to Pitt so far in 2023, along with the only WPIAL recruit in the class thus far two weeks later, Johnson was a recruit that Pitt snatched from the jaws of another in-state program — according to national pundits.
Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound wideout from Dallastown Area High School in York, Pennsylvania, was a dynamic threat for the Wildcats as a junior (hauling in 46 receptions for 852 yards and seven touchdowns in just 10 games. The big-bodied, strong-handed wideout
All four major recruiting sites, 247Sports, Rivals, On3 and ESPN, evaluate Johnson as a very solid three-star recruit in the class — rated as the 14th- through 17th-ranked recruit in the state.
With a Penn State lean according to national recruiting services, Pitt landed Johnson over the likes of PSU, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Connecticut, James Madison, Louisville, Miami (Oh.), Minnesota, Rutgers, Temple, Temple, Toledo, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Tight Ends (0)
Offensive Tackle (0)
Interior Offensive Linemen (0)
This is The type of players that they always get nothing new here …