Pitt 4-Star RB Commit Taking Official Visit to ACC School

The Pitt coaching staff is currently on the road to meet with recruits in the class of 2024, trying to ensure that each of the 21 members in the class signs in a couple of weeks, but it may be difficult to hold onto a commit who is visiting another program.

Yasin Willis, a four-star running back commit from St. Joseph Regional High in Montvale, N.J confirmed to Pittsburgh Sports Now that he will be taking an official visit to Syracuse this weekend.

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It appears that Willis is a key target for new Syracuse head coach Fran Brown.

On the surface that doesn’t look good, but when PSN asked Willis about the visit, he said “(the visit) really doesn’t matter respectfully. H2P.” He said he’s absolutely still 100% committed to Pitt. But he is still taking the visit, so it remains to be seen how that will end.

Willis has been committed to Pitt since July 29, verbally pledging to the Panthers about two months after his official visit in June, and he committed over 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.

The Pitt coaching staff, Pat Narduzzi and Andre Powell primarily, prioritized Willis throughout the recruiting chase — and will certainly continue to do so as National Signing Day nears.

Willis ran the ball 129 times for a team-high 682 yards (5.3 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns in as a senior at St. Joseph Regional — adding 13 receptions for 196 yards.

He had 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 the last two seasons.

247Sports rates him as the 478th-ranked recruit in the class (37th-ranked running back and the 10th-ranked recruit from New Jersey) while On3 rates him as the 583rd-ranked recruit in the class (47th-ranked running back and 11th-ranked recruit from New Jersey).

Rivals is much higher on Willis, rating him as the 191st-ranked recruit in the class (12th-ranked running back and top-ranked recruit from New Jersey).

Willis is one of two running backs that Pitt currently holds verbal commitments from, along with three-star Juelz Goff, and it’s a one-two punch that has had Panthers fans excited since both committed.

Narduzzi and the coaching staff will likely be making a visit to Willis at his home in New Jersey in the coming days. But his visit to Syracuse certainly bears watching.