2025 Virginia Athlete Includes Pitt Among Top Three

Pitt has made the cut for a wide receiver in the class of 2025.

While the Pitt coaching staff is currently focused on recruiting transfer portal targets, landing a commitment from former Ohio linebacker Keye Thompson and hosting a handful of others, a high school recruit is on the radar.

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Emmanuel Taylor — a 6-foot-2, 195-pound athlete from Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, Va. in the class of 2025 — narrowed a list of offers that included Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Duke, East Carolina, Liberty, Marshall and Virginia Tech to just three: ECU, Liberty and Pitt.

“I’m truly blessed to be put in this opportunity and truly grateful,” Taylor wrote on Twitter. “I would love to thank each and every school that has offered me.”

Top3 ‼️ I’m truly blessed to be put in this opportunity and truly grateful. I would love to thank each and every school that has offered me . @RivalsFriedman @NCAAFNation247 @BrianDohn247 @Dyrell_Roberts @Tony_TDUB @PittRecruiting @LUFBRecruiting @ECUPiratesFB @QPayton pic.twitter.com/NufQB1IzoF

— Emmanuel “Manny” Taylor (@EmmanuelKT4) January 4, 2024

Pitt extended an offer to Taylor back in November, with Andre Powell serving as a lead recruiter for the Virginia recruit, but it appears that Ryan Malanac has also been involved for the talented athlete.

Taylor possesses good size, and as he’s played wide receiver and linebacker at the high school level, he’s likely to be recruited for both positions. But he looks like a Star linebacker when it comes to the Panthers.

He was an explosive defensive playmaker for Green Run in 2023, racking up 120 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, four sacks and six touchdowns, and his athleticsm flashes just about every time he steps on the football field.

The major recruiting services have not yet rated Taylor, but as he goes through the spring and continues his recruiting process throughout the summer, that will change.

If Pitt wishes to progress its relationship with Taylor, a relationship that is seemingly led by Powell and Manalac, it will need to land the versatile recruit from the class of 2025 on as many visits as possible — unofficial and official — over the next couple of months.

Pitt has not landed a recruit in the class of 2025 to this point, but Taylor is one of a handful that has named Pitt to the next level of their recruiting chases.

The others include four-star linebacker Dayshaun Burnett (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and four-star wide receiver Santonyo Isaac (Tampa, Fla.) to this point.