Pitt FB Recruiting
Penn Hills 2024 QB Julian Dugger Continues Pitt Relationship With Junior Day Visit
Julian Dugger is very familiar with Pitt, considering he’s the star quarterback at Penn Hills High School, but Saturday’s Junior Day visit allowed him a new view.
“I had a great time,” Dugger told PSN. “I got to see other people, it wasn’t just me and a couple of other people that I knew. It was more coaches interacting, it wasn’t just Karlo (Zovko) or just a couple coaches. Most of the staff was there, and I got to interact with them.”
Dugger, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound quarterback from Penn Hills, originally picked up an offer from Pitt last May. As a hometown kid, he’s been around the program for camps and 7-on-7, but Saturday was his most in-depth yet.
Dugger was still able to catch up with Pitt’s assistant director of player personnel, but he also was able to spend more time with head coach Pat Narduzzi and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., too.
“I think (Cignetti’s) a great coach,” Dugger said. “I asked him a question, like, ‘What are you looking for in a quarterback?’ And he told me first, a quarterback that can obviously throw the ball, but he likes people who can make plays and get out of the pocket, and he said he sees that in me.”
As the starting quarterback at Penn Hills in 2022, Dugger completed 73-of-130 pass attempts (56%) for 1,137 yards with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also added 476 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns on 61 carries.
He’s a true dual-threat quarterback, and he did it right in Pitt’s backyard — at Aaron Donald’s high school, of course.
The continued communication with Narduzzi, and especially with Cignetti (who also serves as Pitt’s quarterbacks coach, of course), is a blessing for Dugger.
“It just feels good, growing up watching Pitt, and actually to have a chance to play there one day just feels like amazing,” Dugger said.
As of right now, Dugger doesn’t have anything planned for the summer yet. But he will likely make it back out to Pitt — at least for a camp or visit, and maybe for the spring game in April.
After all, Pitt has that feeling of home for Dugger.
“I love it,” Dugger said. “It feels like home like I could go down there any time and all the coaches love me.”
Dugger currently holds offers from Pitt, Massachusetts and Toledo, and he’s received interest from West Virginia and Wisconsin. A strong summer could help that interest blow up.
