The Los Angeles Rams are off this weekend, and it allowed Aaron Donald to come home and cheer on his alma mater.
Donald watched from the sideline at Martorelli Stadium as his alma mater, Penn Hills High, took on Pine-Richland High in the WPIAL Class-5A semifinals — with a spot at Acrisure Stadium on the line.
And while the Indians — led by Pitt three-star quarterback commit Julian Dugger — were unable to pull out a win, falling 16-9 to the Rams, Donald did his best to spur on a win. He even delivered a halftime speech in the locker room.
“Y’all gonna put a show on for me?” Donald asked in the locker before he spoke. “Y’all gonna put a show on?”
It was a heartbreaking end to the season for Dugger and the Indians, bowing out without achieving their WPIAL championship aspirations, but it’s certainly a moment that the Penn Hills football team won’t soon forget.
Donald, just a three-star recruit himself out of Penn Hills in the class of 2010, has done pretty well for himself since leaving Pittsburgh. And, of course, he didn’t leave Pittsburgh until he earned All-Big East and All-American honors at Pitt first.
He became a first round NFL Draft pick in 2014, slipping to 13th overall, following an All-American four-year career in Pittsburgh. He racked up 181 tackles (115 solo), 66 tackles for loss, 29.5 sacks, forced six fumbles and defended 10 passes during his career in Pittsburgh.
And his senior campaign of 59 tackles (43 solo), 28.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, four forced fumbles and three passes defended rounded out one of the best defensive efforts in Pitt — and college football — history.
Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, improved to even greater heights following his Pitt career, and he’s in the midst of his 10th NFL season with the Rams — still one of the very best defensive players in the NFL. In a bounce back to an injury-riddled 2022 season, he’s recorded 37 tackles (19 solo), 11 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
In nine-and-a-half seasons, he’s tacked up 527 tackles (331 solo), 171 tackles for loss, 108.5 sacks, 24 forced fumbles and seven recoveries and 18 pass breakups — cementing himself as one of the greats at just 32.
Prior to last season, Donald had earned seven consecutive first-team All-Pro honors — setting himself apart from his peers. And he’s once again in the midst of an All-Pro caliber season in 2023.
