Pitt FB Recruiting
Farrell Files: Latest on Pitt Offers and Recapping 2023 LBs
In this edition of the Farrell Files Pitt edition, I’ll look at the Panthers linebacker haul in 2023 and look at some recent recruiting news and how it impacts Pitt.
Let’s start with the latest news. WR Keylen Adams from Virginia had Pitt in his top four with Penn State, West Virginia and Virginia Tech which is great. He’s an elite slot from the Tidewater Area and a potential difference maker. Why did I said “had”? Because Alabama offered and now it’s a top five and Penn State now has Marques Hagans as their WR coach, and he has great ties to the area. Pitt will stay in this for sure and I don’t think Alabama pursued him to the point of a committable offer, but they don’t lead here. 2023 class DB Jordan Bass from Virginia Beach will help here but we will see how much.
Another Virginia player, DB Noah Jenkins, also has Pitt on his short list with Penn State, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. Penn State has the edge here, but Pitt has his interest. Pitt has landed a couple of players over the last two years from Hampton Roads but a win in Richmond would be key as it’s an underrated area of talent.
Tre Poteat has a last name you’ll recognize. He’s the son of former Big East standout Hank Poteat who played at Pitt in the late 1990s. Tre is a DB out of Wisconsin and hasn’t been around Pittsburgh in a while but as a legacy he’s going to show the Panthers a lot of interest. The problem? He’s an elite national recruit with Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin and other offers early as a 2025 player. Yes, he’s not a 2024 so this will be a long recruitment but it’s good for Pitt to get in here early.
And finally for news, Cheshire, CT LB Elijah Newby received an offer and the skinny 6-4, 195-pounder now has Pitt on his list with West Virginia, Penn State, Louisville and others. New England is an area where you can find diamonds in the rough and Michigan has done especially well landed some key contributors from the area. This is a smart offer for Pitt.
Wrapping it up, here’s a look at the 2023 LB class for Pitt. They got a couple of undersized guys who can run in local Braylan Lovelace and Ohio ATH Rasheem Biles. Both players need to add weight and strength, but each can run and have length so that’s important. Briles plays longer than his 6-1 size and he is versatile so he can drop in coverage as well as make plays attacking the line of scrimmage. Lovelace is bigger at 6-2 and more physical and more of a natural linebacker as a great tackler. I have them both as mid 3-star prospects and they will cover a lot of area on defense but may struggle facing bigger players at the second level.
