Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt Offers Former Blue-Chip Maryland Transfer Tight End
Pitt received a massive boost when Gavin Bartholomew announced he’d be returning to Pitt for another season, but the coaching staff is still looking to supplement the tight ends room.
Pitt has extended offers to a handful of transfer tight ends, and the most recent is Maryland tight end Rico Walker. Walker, a rising sophomore from Hickory, N.C., picked up an offer from assistant director of player personnel Alex Kline Monday afternoon.
Pitt is the first school to offer Walker, who was the highest-rated recruit in Maryland’s class of 2023 and a consensus four-star recruit out of Hickory High, since he announced his intentions to enter the portal on Dec. 1.
Offered🔵🟡 @CoachKlineAlex @GJrWorth #H2P pic.twitter.com/wGSpXOpSR1
— 6’4”specimen (@Ricowalker15) December 4, 2023
Pitt wasn’t involved in Walker’s recruiting chase out of high school, which eventually boiled down to a top five of Tennessee, Auburn, Maryland, North Carolina and Florida, but it’s clear that the 6-foot-4, 250-pounder is on the radar this time around.
Walker played in eight games in 2023, but he only took 138 offensive snaps (49 of which came against Towson and Charlotte in the first two weeks of the season) and received six targets, racking up four receptions for 27 yards in the process.
Given Walker’s pedigree and athleticism in a large frame, with three seasons of eligibility remaining, he should be in high demand once again this time around.
Pitt will have the one-two punch of Bartholomew and Karter Johnson returning in 2024, with Jake Renda and Cole Mitchell in the fold as well, but the Panthers have not landed a high school tight end commit since 2021 — when Bartholomew, Renda and Mitchell arrived.
Walker’s upside and future potential likely factor into the Pitt interest, a player who could come in and contribute immediately while also possessing the ability to bridge to have multiple seasons in the system.
For all your college football transfer portal needs, check out the Portal Report and their Transfer Portal Tracker.
