Karsen Konkel hasn’t been talking to Pitt’s coaching staff for long, just a day or two before he picked up an official offer, but it’s a relationship that has already progressed.
Konkel — a 6-foot-6, 225-pound tight end from Pinckneyville High in Pinckneyville, Illinois — was offered by Tim Salem on Friday, just a day after Pitt hit him up on Twitter and Pat Narduzzi sent him a text, and he’s looking forward to seeing Pitt for himself.
“It feels great to get an offer to Pitt, looking forward to getting up there and checking it out,” Konkel told PSN.
Pitt is just the latest school to offer Konkel, joining the likes of Ball State, Boston College, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, State, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois and Virginia Tech.
Pitt’s coaching staff hit him up on Twitter, Konkel and Salm set up a phone call and the call ended with an official offer. It moved rapidly, the offer arriving just about 48 hours after the two sides started to communicate.
And while Konkel’s heard from Narduzzi, it’s been Salem that he’s built a relationship with.
“He has a lot of energy, and I like it,” Konkel said. “It’s cool, different.
“He sent me some pictures of routes they run, and then just kinda showed me what they do as far as tight ends. He said he likes how big I was and how I can move for how I was.”
Pinchkneyville is a very, very run-heavy offense, so Konkel wasn’t able to showcase a whole lot of his pass-catching ability (just one reception for a 28-yard touchdown), but his size and athleticism was utilized with pitches from the H-back position.
“We don’t do a lot of receiving at our school, it’s more blocking right now, but I can definitely get out,” Konkel said. “They kinda spread me out at the high school level, and I receive it.”
As a junior, Konkel took 25 carries for 170 yards (6.8 yards per attempt) and another touchdown — in the five games recorded on MaxPreps.
247Sports rates Konkel as the 42nd-ranked tight end and the 17th-ranked recruit from Illinois. Neither Rivals nor On3 have rated him yet, but that will certainly change over the course of the summer.
And while Konkel wasn’t too aware of Pitt before Salem extended him an offer, he’s certainly done his research when it comes to the city of Pittsburgh and the program. And he’s looking forward to continuing his research in person.
“One of their coaches might be stopping in this week or next week, and then me and my mom actually got an official lined up to go and meet their staff over there and build a relationship,” Konkel said.
Konkel said he isn’t sure the exact date of the official visit to Pitt, but he believes it’s the third or fourth weekend in June.
The only other official visit that he’s publicly set up to this point is Illinois on June 9, but he’s been hearing a lot from Indiana, Michigan State and a few other schools that haven’t offered him yet, too.
When it comes to his eventual commitment, which he doesn’t have narrowed down to an exact date yet, he wants to be able to find a coaching staff that he’s able to connect with in a place where he’s able to see himself spending the next four or five years.
Pitt, despite the recency of the relationship, has certainly been able to stand out — enough to earn an official visit.
“They’ve really kept in contact with me, like, a lot,” Konkel said. “They check up on me pretty often, they send me stuff, so I guess they’re a little more outgoing, I guess.
“I don’t have anything in particular in mind (for the official visit), I just want to take it all in when I get there and see how it goes. See what I like, and I don’t like.”
Pitt currently has a commitment from three-star tight end Eric Ingwerson in the class of 2024 (and three-star Devin Zahursky scheduled for an official visit of his own), so it wouldn’t be surprising if Pitt takes a couple of tight ends in the class by Signing Day.
