Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt 2024 4-Star RB Target Yasin Willis Making ‘Big Announcement’ This Weekend
Pitt has not received a commitment since the month of June, way back when three-star offensive lineman Moritz Schmoranzer committed on June 30, but that could change soon.
Yasin Willis made his official visit to Pittsburgh in June, received several crystal ball predictions to Pitt in the days and weeks that followed and announced Sunday that he is making a big announcement this Saturday.
Big announcement Saturday stay tuned!💰
— Yasin Willis (@willisyasin6) July 23, 2023
Pitt is looking to land a second running back in the class of 2024, and Willis has been the top target on the board for quite some time now.
He made an official visit to Rutgers over the first week of June, followed up with his visit to Pittsburgh the following weekend and received late interest from the likes of Alabama and Michigan — but did not take a previously scheduled OV to Ann Arbor.
As he holds offers from Alabama, Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, he’s a highly-sought-after recruit in the class.
His official visit to Pitt went very well, and as he’s made it out to Pittsburgh in April and in June, he’s been able to get a close-up look at the program.
“I love the culture,” Willis told PSN in April. “It’s a real brotherhood over there, all the guys are real in tuned with each other, in the sport but also outside of the sport. I got to talk with Nick Patti. He’s a St. Joe’s alumni, so it was cool talking to him.
“I stuck with the running backs the whole day, just seeing how coach Powell was coaching them up, teaching them different techniques, when to use certain moves, I really took a lot from that. I’m gonna go work on that, put that into my game and get better.”
Willis was also in attendance for Pitt’s win over Virginia Tech last October, getting a front-row seat to watch Israel Abanikanda break Tony Dorsett’s single-game rushing record, and he sees a bit of himself in how Abanikanda played.
“Izzy, he’s a big guy, very explosive,” Willis said. “I like how he runs the ball. We kinda look the same, not gonna lie. They’ve been saying that I’m kinda built like him when he was coming in, I may be a little bigger than that.”
Willis has racked up 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons at St. Joseph, putting together a 171-carry, 1,023-yard sophomore season and a 181-carry, 1,133-yard junior season. He’s scored 26 rushing touchdowns over th4 last two seasons.
247Sports rates him as the 470th-ranked recruit in the class (36th-ranked running back and the 11th-ranked recruit from New Jersey) while Rivals is much higher on Willis, rating him as the 187th-ranked recruit in the class (16th-ranked running back and the top-ranked recruit from New Jersey).
247Sports, Rivals and On3 have all predicted Willis to wind up at Pitt, with crystal ball predictions officially placed, and it’s clear there’s a strong mutual bond among the two sides.
“Just the fact that the coaching is amazing, they know how to take guys to the next level,” Willis said. “They send you when you’re ready, they also keep it real with you. They tell you when you’re not ready. They teach you how to play the game in every aspect. Even outside of football, they prepare you for life.”
Pitt currently has a commitment from three-star running back Juelz Goff (York, Pennsylvania) in the class of 2024, and Willis would be a foundational piece to add to the running backs room.
Penn State will promise him the world, hopefully he will see through the lies. Franklin has no shame.
Yasin would get ‘lost in the sauce’ over at State Penn. His best path to the pros is with Pitt.