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Pitt Lands in Priority 4-Star DE Jalen Thompson’s Top 5

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With Pitt’s month of June featuring a massive haul of commitments from official visitors, it was a very, very busy month for the coaching staff, but there are still a few official visitors the staff is actively trying to pull in.

One of those is 2023 four-star defensive end Jalen Thompson from Cass Tech High School in Detroit, Michigan. Thompson (6-foot-4, 250 pounds) visited Pittsburgh during the first weekend in June, and he clearly liked what he saw.

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Thompson narrowed his 32 offers to just Pitt, Penn State, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Michigan, Michigan State, Kentucky, USC, Georgia and Vanderbilt in February, and today he narrowed that list to just Michigan State, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Penn State and Pitt.

Thompson made his official visit in June, of course, but he also made an unofficial visit out to Pittsburgh for the first time a few months prior. — and in making the visit, he was able to see how the defense ran and learn the values and culture around the program, which is something that really stood out. He’s gotten to see Pittsburgh rather well, and Pitt’s staff has made it up to Cass Tech to court him at home.

With heavy interest from Cincinnati, Penn State and in-state school Michigan State, Pitt has its work cut out in securing his signature, but the bond he’s built with secondary coach Archie Collins and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge has been significant.

“First of all, and very importantly, coach Archie Collins is a really good football coach,” Thompson told PSN in February. He didn’t even offer me when we first met. However, when he started to recruit Terrence Enos, who’s at Pitt now, that’s how I first got to know him. He’s such a cool dude and someone that I’ve come to admire.

“He and I started to build a relationship and over time and after talking with him more and more, he offered me and kept telling me how he really wants me down with him at Pitt. Terrence has also played a factor. I still talk with him and actually talk with him every couple days, he checks up on me and tells me about Pitt. Finally, a big factor is the great defensive line coach they have. Coach Partridge, oh man, that guy is really good and puts so many guys in the league, like Aaron Donald. He definitely knows what he’s doing.”

And in getting to know Partridge, after a junior season in which he recorded 30 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in just six games, that sort of pairing would be game-changing coming off the edge at Heinz Field.

247Sports rates Thompson as the 202nd-ranked recruit in the class (30th-ranked defensive lineman in the class and the second-ranked recruit from Michigan while Rivals rates him as the 197th-ranked recruit in the class (18th-ranked strongside defensive end and the third-ranked recruit from Michigan).

Pitt has landed strong commitments from three-star defensive end Antonio Camon () and three-star defensive lineman Isaiah Neal (Baltimore, Maryland) in 2023, and Thompson would be the crown jewel of the class.

Thompson hasn’t set an official commitment date yet, but it will likely be sometime before the start of his senior season.

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker
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kevin
kevin
1 year ago

H2P!!!

On Campus Stadium Please
On Campus Stadium Please
1 year ago

Michigan State

Jim
Jim
1 year ago

Always at the dance … but

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