Korey Duff Jr. may not truly have a true position right now, simply serving as an offensive weapon at St. Anthony’s, but he can do a little bit of everything, nonetheless.
As Duff — a 6-foot-5, 205-pound three-star wide receiver/tight end from St. Anthony’s High in Melville, New York — visited Pitt Thursday, he caught up with both Tiquan Underwood and Tim Salem, which makes sense considering that versatility.
Duff could pack on a few pounds at the next level and play tight end full-time, or he could simply hone his current self into a big-bodied wide receiver. Pitt’s coaching staff sees him as that hybrid option, but he spent a lot of time with Underwood Thursday.
“It was good to finally get down there,” Duff told PSN. “They offered me probably around this time last year, and it was my first time there, so it was really good to see all the coaches in person and really get a feel for the place.”
And it’s a relationship with Underwood that reaches back even further than Pitt.
“He’s very cool,” Duff said. “He was at Rutgers when they first started recruiting me. He was always my guy. He’s cool. I really love not only him as a coach but him as a person. He’s just a really good dude.”
But it’s been Salem who has kept in touch with Duff on a consistent basis since an official offer was extended back in January of 2022, and it’s been a relationship that’s just gotten stronger and stronger since the Pitt staff reached back out last Sept. 1.
So, as he checked out Pitt’s practice inside the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex Thursday, he flitted between Underwood and Salem. He watched Jake McConnachie and Jake Renda, a wide receiver and tight end, respectively. Interestingly enough, two guys he was expressly told to monitor.
Duff certainly watched the interpersonal dynamics Thursday, too, seeing firsthand how Salem’s energy — something you might not expect — translated with his players. He loved Salem’s style — and he thought Pitt’s players did, too.
“They love him, they respect his coaching style, they respect him as a person,” Duff said. “He definitely knows what he’s talking about, and he just wants the best for his players so however he has to do that, he’ll do it.”
He spent most of his time after practice watching film with Underwood though, which was perhaps the highlight of his visit, just chopping it up, but it was business after all.
“He told me straight up he’s looking for a bigger wide receiver, more of a ‘go-get-it’ kind of wide receiver, and that’s what he sees me as,” Duff said. “And that’s what he’s looking for at Pitt.”
Duff likes to line up as that mismatch in the slot, using his massive frame (6-foot-5) to work over smaller, slower linebackers and safeties. It’s that Y-flex role, either as a wide receiver or tight end, that he’s used to. He may be that go-up-and-get-it kind of threat, but he’s also a threat with the ball in his hands, too.
As a junior at St. Anthony’s, Duff showcased an elite receiving ability. He hauled in 42 receptions for 995 yards (23.7 yards per reception) and 12 touchdowns — all team highs.
In a 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame, he was too big and too strong for anyone to stop him.
“I’d fit nicely, move around,” Duff said. “In the meetings with coach Underwood, coach Salem, they see me moving around and kinda fitting in both, and I think I could definitely see myself doing that in that offense.”
247Sports rates Duff as the 844th-ranked recruit in the class (28th-ranked tight end and the third-ranked recruit from New York) while On rates him as the 707th-ranked recruit in the class (33rd-ranked tight end and the seventh-ranked recruit from New York).
Rivals rates him as the fourth-ranked recruit from New York — holding a 5.6 Rivals Rating.
Duff (who holds offers from the likes of Arizona State, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Maryland, North Carolina, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Texas A&M, Tulane, UCF, Vanderbilt and West Virginia) has visits scheduled for Syracuse, Rutgers and UCF soon.
He doesn’t have a decision date in mind, but he does have officials locked in with Rutgers and North Carolina, and while he doesn’t have anything official with Pitt right now, it’s most definitely a possibility.
“I think a big plus for them is how they share the facilities with the Steelers, just being around coaches and being around players, I think that can be great for the whole program,” Duff said.
“Pitt’s always been more towards the top, just keeping that relationship with coach Salem, him coming to see me during those live periods at my school and talking to him, so they’ve always been toward the top.”
