Zion Fowler may not be enrolled at Pitt for spring ball, but he’s still putting in offseason work with a Pitt quarterback.
Fowler — a 6-foot-1, 185-pound wideout from Jersey City, New Jersey — signed with Pitt back in December, as one of four wide receivers in the class of 2023, and he’s spent some time working with former Pitt, current Steelers, quarterback Kenny Pickett.
“That Pitt connection,” he captioned his Twitter post.
Fowler, who attended St. Peter’s Prep High in Jersey City, which is about 50 miles north of where Pickett attended Ocean Township High, was the first commit in Pitt’s class of 2023 — way back in late 2021.
And while he would eventually decommit in November of last year, he took about a month to evaluate all of his options, which included offers from Duke, Louisville, Michigan State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech, and recommitted the day before Signing Day last December.
“After reflection and thought, I have decided that the University of Pittsburgh is and has always been, the best place for me,” Fowler said after his commitment. “I want to thank all of the Pitt coaches for believing in me throughout this process and giving me a tremendous opportunity to represent a great program.”
As a senior at St. Peter’s, starring on the field and the court as a high-flier, Fowler racked up 729 yards (20.3 yards per reception) and 10 touchdowns on just 36 receptions. He also returned seven kicks for 111 yards and seven punts for 103 yards.
“We’re happy to have him back,” Pat Narduzzi said after Signing Day. “You guys probably saw some of his dunks last spring. I think this guy’s an explosive guy. You watch him on the basketball court, and the tape, he goes up and gets the ball. He can highpoint the ball about as good as any receiver in the class. So, when we do deep ball drills with our guys, he likes to jump, and he can run. So, we’re excited to get him here.”
Fowler and Pickett working together is a case of not just two football players from New Jersey, but also (soon-to-be) two football players from Pitt. If there’s ever been anyone to learn from when it comes to what it means to be a Panther, it would be hard to find someone better than Pickett.
Fowler, along with early enrollees Lamar Seymore and Israel Polk and fellow signee Kenny Johnson, form a young corps of wide receivers looking to come in an impact the offense.
It’s great to see ex-Pitt stars, now in the NFL, actually hands-on working with new Pitt recruits. Makes for better prepared recruits and builds loyalty to the team.