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Pitt ‘Feels Like Home’ for 2024 3-Star DT Angelo McCullom After Junior Day Visit

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Pitt feels like home for Angelo McCollum, but after his fourth visit out to Pittsburgh for Pitt’s Junior Day over the weekend, he feels closer than ever to the program.

McCullom, a three-star defensive tackle from Pickerington North High in Pickerington, Ohio, made the trip out to Pitt for Junior Day with a few of his teammates, and unlike his prior trips, he received a more personal experience with the coaching staff.

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He was able to spend more time with both linebackers coach Ryan Manalac and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, seeing how he’d fit in the system.

“(The visit) was great,” McCullom told PSN. “I loved it, being there with teammates that go to my high school. It was a great experience.”

McCullom (6-foot-3, 260 pounds) received his first Power Five offer from Pitt last year, but he’s also picked up offers from Akron, Central Michigan, Kent State, Miami (Oh.), Ohio and Toledo — and interest from Kentucky, Purdue and Virginia Tech.

The Pitt connection, especially after serving as his first Power Five offer, has always been a factor for McCullom. And Partridge, who would serve as his future position coach, has only helped foster that bond.

A big part of McCullom’s visit Saturday was spending time breaking down film with Partridge, watching what Pitt’s leading defensive line did well.

“We were breaking down film, looking at guys that play at Pitt,” McCollum said. “We were looking at Calijah Kancey, guys like that. D-tackles and D-ends, looking at moves as well.”

When it came to watching Kancey’s film, the most recent unanimous All-American at Pitt and the first since Aaron Donald in 2013, McCullom noticed his hands. His explosiveness, of course, but his hands, too.

It’s an area where McCullom feels like he can compare right now, his own work with his hands. And it showed in his work against opposing offensive linemen as a junior at Pickerington North in 2022.

According to MaxPreps, in just five recorded games, he recorded 25 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. And in two playoff games, he added 12 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

According to McCullom, it isn’t just his hands that Partridge likes either, it’s his explosiveness off the line and a level of competitiveness that never takes plays off. He has a motor that truly cannot be taught.

The relationship between Partridge and McCullom isn’t too bad either. McCullom likes his potential position coach, especially after a visit to Pickerington North to check everything out in person — and the relationship has continued.

“I love Pitt,” McCullom said. “It feels like home.

“I wanna see what the campus looks like, the dorms and all that. We were at the facility; we got a photo shoot and then we went over to the game. It was smooth; it was fire. The stadium was fire.”

As he watched the Oakland Zoo go crazy, as Pitt secured a massive win over No. 20 Miami, he liked it. It was exactly what he wants from a prospective fanbase, fans who care. Fans who make a difference.

McCollum is still working out what his plans will be this spring and summer, but he knows now that Pitt will be on the schedule sooner rather than later.

At the end of the day, Pitt is way up there on his list. It feels like a genuine, familial bond, and it’s also tough to find the kind of bond that Partridge offers, too.

247Sports rates him as the 59th-ranked defensive lineman and the 30th-ranked recruit from Ohio while both Rivals and On3 haven’t ranked him yet. But that will change.

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker
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On Campus Stadium Please
On Campus Stadium Please
1 year ago

what a picture

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