Pitt FB Recruiting
Penn Hills Star & Pitt QB Commit Julian Dugger Shines in Big Win
Julian Dugger has Penn Hills firmly in the driver’s seat of WPIAL Class-5A football after a 26-20 win over Pine-Richland Friday night on the road.
Dugger — a three-star quarterback from Penn Hills High in Pittsburgh, who committed to Pitt in July — racked up over 200 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in the key win. He threw for 68 yards and two scores and ran for 150 yards and two more scores.
And while the passing yards don’t stand out, Dugger’s arm flashed late in the first half, lofting a 15-yard touchdown to teammate Martel Palmer on 4th-and-10 to give the Indians an 18-17 halftime lead.
Just check out these highlights from Dugger’s Friday night.
@JulesDugger02 pic.twitter.com/uofwNFQBIR
— L. I. DUGG (@LDugger100) September 9, 2023
How’s this for a gutsy call? Penn Hills coach Charles Morris rolls the dice on 4th-and-10 from the 15 and puts the ball in his best player’s hands — and Julian Dugger delivers.
The star senior floats a perfect 15-yard TD pass to Martel Palmer, giving PH an 18-17 halftime lead: pic.twitter.com/jzCVkeCrLb
— Steve Rotstein (@SteveRotstein) September 9, 2023
Here’s Naytel Mitchell hauling in an 8-yard TD pass from Julian Dugger to get Penn Hills on the board: pic.twitter.com/iG1JJbMsA2
— Steve Rotstein (@SteveRotstein) September 9, 2023
#2 Julian Dugger (@JulesDugger02) reaches across for 6! @phqbclub takes back the lead! 12-10. pic.twitter.com/AeXbJzp9Qn
— 22 The Point (@22ThePoint) September 9, 2023
Pitt recruit Julian Dugger uses his legs to give Penn Hills the lead in its showdown with Pine-Richland. #WPIAL pic.twitter.com/EVmGh68rqs
— Brad Everett (@BREAL412) September 8, 2023
It’s the continuation of a strong start to Dugger’s senior season, accounting for nearly 750 yards of offense over the first three games — 473 passing yards with seven touchdowns and just two interceptions and 268 rushing yards with three touchdowns. And most importantly, Penn Hills is 3-0 to start the season.
Dugger is a tall, athletic quarterback at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, a multi-sport athlete who stars on the basketball court and competes in track & field, and he’s taken strides as a quarterback — not just an athlete — over the last few months.
He started working with former WPIAL star and NFL quarterback Mike McMahon earlier this year, and it’s shown with his on-field results. Dugger was impressive at a Pitt camp in June, was one of the top performers at the 2Tenths Top 150 camp in July and eventually pledged himself to Pitt at the very end of July.
“I think I impressed people with my footwork and the fact that we were winning and didn’t get stopped the entire camp,” Dugger told PSN in June. “During the camp, I had a very high completion percentage. I was doing a good job of throwing the ball on time and throwing to where my receivers were supposed to be and not waiting for them to get to a spot. I was throwing with anticipation.
“I went to this camp with the goal of showcasing to all the coaches there my talent and showing everyone how I really can throw the ball. I also went there with the goal of winning, which I knew would bring me attention.”
As the starting quarterback at Penn Hills in 2022, Dugger completed 73-of-130 pass attempts (56%) for 1,137 yards with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He also added 476 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns on 61 carries. And he’s on pace to put up even stronger numbers this season.
Dugger, likely, did not hold a committable offer entering the summer, but he quickly worked his way into Pitt’s quarterback in the class of 2024 after a very, very strong summer.
And all of that potential, in the air and on the ground, was on full display in a huge win over Pine-Richland Friday.
