Pitt Makes Cut for Top 2025 3-Star Florida Defensive Lineman

Pitt has made the cut for a talented defensive end from Florida in the class of 2025 — albeit, a very large cut.

Wilnerson Telemaque — a 6-foot-6, 260-pound three-star defensive lineman from Monsignor Pace in Opa Locka, Fla. — has cut a list of nearly 30 offers to just 12: Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Minnesota, Missouri, Pitt, Texas A&M, USF and West Virginia.

Pitt football recruiting coverage sponsored by

RM LAW, P.C. is a boutique litigation law firm with a national practice dedicated to protecting shareholders’ interests and promoting improved corporate governance practices.

Telemaque is a recruit that’s in high demand, and it’s clear that he will be considering more than a handful of schools as his recruiting process heats up this spring.

Where’s home 🏠👀 @CoachPJCooney @Coach_Walker20 @RivalsFriedman @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @Andrew_Ivins @LemmingReport @305Sportss @JerryRecruiting pic.twitter.com/D914zeoQLN

— Wilnerson Telemaque (@__Iamwil) January 30, 2024

Pitt was one of the first schools to offer Telemaque all the way back in February of last year, and it came from Pat Narduzzi and Charlie Partridge. And the Panthers quickly jumped into the fold as one of his top schools.

“Coach Partridge shows the most love every time checks on me,” Telamaque told Rivals last May. “When he can, he comes to the school. The first time I really knew he was serious about me was when he showed me his board of top defensive linemen in South Florida and he gave me an A-plus on his list. Then he brought coach Narduzzi to talk to me. I’m planning to go on a visit there in the summer plus Ohio State, Penn State, and West Virginia.”

But it doesn’t appear as though Telemaque made a visit to Pitt last summer. He’s been active over the last year, taking unofficial visits and making camp appearances, but it appears as though Pitt still needs to land him on a visit — or two.

Partridge checking in on Telemaque isn’t a surprise though. He might be bigger than most Pitt defensive linemen, but he has the exact skillset that Partridge values in his edge rushers.

In eight games recorded on MaxPreps as a junior at Monsignor Pace, Telemaque racked up 16 tackles (10 solo), three tackles for loss, three sacks and a pass breakup — helping the Spartans to a 7-5 record.

247Sports rates Telemaque as the 631st-ranked recruit in the class (54th-ranked defensive lineman and 83rd-ranked recruit in Florida) while Rivals rates him as the 29th-ranked strongside defensive end and 79th-ranked recruit from Florida.

It will be very important for Pitt to land Telemaque on an unofficial visit this spring, and again for an official visit this summer, and that will be an important task for the coaching staff over the next couple of months. Telemaque holds an impressive offer sheet and despite what appeared to be an early importance, a strong bond will be vital over the next couple of months.

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), four-star wide receiver Jadyn Robinson (San Juan Capistrano, Cal.), three-star running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. (Woodbridge, Va.), three-star athlete Jaiden Brown-Demery (Mest Mifflin, Pa.) and three-star edge rusher Sharlandiin Strange (Wyncote, Pa).