Pitt FB Recruiting
Following Official Visit, Former JAX ST OT Xavier Bausley: ‘Pitt Set The Bar High For Me’
It’s going to be a busy week for former Jacksonville State offensive tackle Xavier Bausley.
The talented freshman lineman heard from many programs after entering his name into the transfer portal but narrowed his options down to West Virginia, Kentucky and Pitt. On Wednesday, Bausley started his official visits by traveling to Pittsburgh.
Following his visit and on his drive to West Virginia to check out Neal Brown’s program, Pittsburgh Sports Now spoke with Bausley, who had nothing but good things to say about his visit to Pitt.
“What piqued my interest first about wanting to come visit Pitt in the first place was the proximity to home,” said Bausley. “It’s only about 3 hours from my home (in West Virginia), but still, growing up in West Virginia, you’re taught to hate Pitt but when their coaches reached out to me, like every single day to the point where we built a great relationship. After that, I decided to make them a part of my top three.”
“After visiting there, the facilities there are immaculate. Plus, being next to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pitt is in its own section but you’re still around those guys. Today we got to watch the Steelers practice and to be around the professionalism of those guys, to see how they work, you really get a different perspective. It teaches you how to work and how to master your game just being around those guys. The Pitt locker room, really everything about the facility is great. The city, there’s so much to do in the city. I wish I could seen some students on campus but the campus and city were still active.”
The other important part of the official visit was the first-time personal interaction Bausley got to have with members of the Pitt coaching staff. Up until this point, all of their conversations have been through text messages and phone calls.
“Coach Narduzzi is hilarious and just a fun guy to be around,” said Bausley. “When you enter the building with the coaches, you could just feel that it’s a family there with Pitt. I could just feel the love as soon as I walked through the doors. Coach Narduzzi, him and my father, were taking some jabs about West Virginia. My dad taking a jab at Pitt or whatever, in good fun. Coach Borbs, he’s a funny guy as well. He’s really hands on, as we did a couple of drills. Not on the field but in the meeting room, some stances. He’s very knowledgeable, you can just tell. Those two coaches were really a pleasure to be around.”
𝐀𝐥𝐥 @ConferenceUSA 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦‼️@BausleyXavier #HardEdge | #EarnSuccess pic.twitter.com/gSbztgYHRY
— Jax State Football (@JaxStateFB) December 5, 2023
Bausley isn’t the only offensive tackle that Pitt has offered, so it’s obvious that adding another tackle to the 2024 roster is a priority. I asked Bausley about that and what the coaches said to him about what they’re looking for.
“They expressed a need at right tackle, with their former tackle moving onto the NFL Draft. There’s a hole at tackle and they said they have a need at right tackle which is why we offered you and brought you in here.”
Bausley, who has three seasons of eligibility remaining, will be in Morgantown today and then will travel to Kentucky over the weekend. Bausley is excited to visit those two programs as well but left Pitt giving them a high grade.
“Pitt really set the bar high for me,” said Bausley. “All the other schools will be playing catch to them. We’ll see if the other schools can do better.”
