Jiavani Cooley may not have been well-known to Pitt fans before he announced his commitment, but that’s going to change in a big way over the next few days.
Cooley, a 6-foot-6, 265-pound three-star offensive tackle from Erie Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pennsylvania, officially committed to Pitt Saturday afternoon, adding the first offensive lineman to the class of 2024 — the seventh overall.
He chose Pitt over offers from Akron, Boston College, Maryland, Massachusetts, Syracuse, Toledo and Western Michigan.
“I would say the reason why I picked Pitt was coach Borbely,” Cooley told PSN. “He won me over with his personality, he’s a funny dude and he just kept it real with me the whole time. He just kept in contact.”
Cooley plays football about two hours north of Pittsburgh, holding down the right side of the line with a blend of speed and power. He’s thin for a lineman at just 265 pounds, but he’s tall enough to be able to add weight to his frame in the Pitt Iron Works.
Pitt likes to add a handful of offensive linemen each cycle, especially when the losses on the line will be as great as last season’s and after next’s, and Cooley is the sort of mauler Pitt’s staff likes.
He pointed to his aggression as his best attribute, promoting his eagerness to jump into scrums and hit people, and that sort of play style is evident once you cut his film on.
247Sports rates Cooley as the 703rd-ranked recruit in the class (56th-ranked offensive tackle and 24th-ranked recruit from Pennslyvania).
On3 rates him as the 61st-ranked offensive tackle and the 22nd-ranked recruit from Pennsylvania while Rivals rates him as the 29th-ranked recruit from Pennsylvania.
Cooley is the fourth recruit landed from Pennslyvania in the class of 2024, joining four-star defensive lineman Jahsear Whittington, three-star running back Julez Goff and three-star defensive lineman Ty Yuhas.
The rest of the class features four-star wide receiver DayDay Farmer, three-star defensive tackle Francis Brewu and three-star tight end Eric Ingwerson.
