Pitt Makes Top 10 for Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year

Some would say that Jeffrey Overton Jr.’s junior season was out of this world. He looked like an alien on the football field, that’s for sure.

Overton — a 5-foot-10, 185-pound three-star running back from Freedom High in Woodbridge, Va. in the class of 2025 — considers himself an alien. At least, he used an alien emoji to help usher in the next phase of his recruiting process.

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Overton has narrowed his list of offers to just 10 programs: Duke, Maryland, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Pitt, Syracuse, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

❓ Let’s Turn it up a notch 👽@CoachOvertonJ @OvertonCoach @336Edits @RivalsFriedman @On3Recruits @TerpsFootball @DukeFOOTBALL @WVUfootball @FootballNCState @OhioStateFB @Commit2Cuse @Pitt_FB @UVAFootball @HokiesFB @WakeFB pic.twitter.com/OMSryb7LNr

— Jeffrey Overton Jr (@JeffreyOverton1) January 8, 2024

Pitt was one of the first programs to offer Overton early last year, with former running backs coach Andre Powell extending an offer back on Jan. 24, 2023, but the relationship has not progressed too much over the past year.

It will be important for Pitt to not only land Overton on an unofficial visit over the next couple of months but hire a new running backs coach who will continue the relationship that Powell started.

The DMV area, and Virginia as a state, have been targeted by Pitt over the past few seasons.

It’s easy to see why Pitt has targeted Overton early in his recruiting process, as the two-way athlete has racked up video game-like numbers and earned first-team All-State honors offensively and defensively.

Overton was perhaps the best high school player in Virginia last season, earning Gatorade Player of the Year in Virginia honors as he ran for 2,329 yards and 44 touchdowns to help guide the Eagles to a perfect state championship season.

But he made an impact on the defensive side of the ball, too, racking up 50 tackles and five interceptions as a defensive back.

247Sports rates Overton as the 621st-ranked recruit in the class of 2025 (52nd-ranked running back and 17th-ranked recruit from Virginia). On3 is higher on Overton, rating him as the 30th-ranked running back and 14th-ranked recruit from Virginia.

Rivals view him as the 22nd-ranked recruit from Virginia in the class — holding a 5.5 Rivals Rating.

Pitt has not yet landed a commitment in the class of 2025, but the recruits in the class are beginning to come to the forefront. The Panthers are in the mix for four-star linebacker Dayshaun Burnett (Pittsburgh, Pa.), three-star athlete Emmanuel Taylor (Virginia Beach, Va.), three-star offensive lineman Raphael Greene (Cincinnati, Ohio) and four-star wide receiver Jadyn Robinson (San Juan Capistrano, Cal.).

Overton is just the latest high school junior to feature Pitt in his list of top schools entering the spring.