Jeremiah Marcelin may be from Miami, Florida, but he has a mentality that belongs in the city of Pittsburgh.
Marcelin — a 6-foot-3, 230-pound three-star linebacker from Norland High in Opa Locka, Florida — committed to Pitt Thursday afternoon, pledging himself as the newest linebacker in Pitt’s class of 2024.
He’s the third linebacker to commit to Pitt this cycle, following Davin Brewton in May and Cameron Lindsey last week, and Ryan Manalac sees Marcelin as a versatile Mike or Money linebacker in Pitt’s scheme.
And while he’s blessed with excellent size, already looking like a seasoned veteran, and a mix of pass rushing chops, superb play recognition and controlled aggression, his mentality may be his biggest asset.
“When you look at my game, I’m a very hard-nosed, downhill, aggressive football player,” Marcelin told PSN. “That’s everything about Pitt. The grit they have, the determination to get to the ball, it’s a reason they finish top five every year since 2019 in sacks and TFLs and turnovers because they play really aggressive defense and that’s my style of play.”
It certainly flashed when you throw on Marcelin’s tape, his penchant for racking up splash plays evident with every clip. As a junior at Norland last season, he was a key cog in the Vikings’ run to the regional semifinals.
And in just 11 games, he racked up 82 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks and a forced fumble, wreaking havoc in opposing backfields on the way to All-County and All-State honors.
Brewton was recruited to Pitt as a Mike linebacker, and Lindsey appears to be slated as a Star in the scheme. So, Marcelin’s versatility is important. Inside or outside, Manalac sees a path forward for him.
“He thinks I’m interchangeable between all positions because of my versatility, but he sees me as a Mike and Money backer, and in the defense itself, they see me being able to do a lot of things that Voss did,” Marcelin said. “A lot of things that Solomon DeShield is coming to do. They see me being able to rush the passer in their Delta package, too. So, they just see me being a real versatile guy that they can add to their defense.”
It would be unfair to compare Marcelin to Dennis, as the latter grew into a captain, All-American and NFL draft pick, but it’s not hard to envision how Marcelin could use his versatility to impact Pitt’s defense in a similar way.
If anything, Marcelin embodies what it means to play like a Pitt Panther, and he’s not even officially a Pitt Panther yet. But he’s ready to be. He’s ready to come in in January, work hard and compete for a starting spot in the lineup.
His message for Pitt fans now?
“You getting a guy that’s gonna come in and work, and you’re getting a guy that’s gonna give you his all,” Marcelin said. “The only thing that I ask is y’all give us your all back.”
