Pitt FB Recruiting
Well-Timed DM Helped 2025 Pitt LB Target Pick Up Offer
Caleb Matelau’s relationship with Pitt started with a direct message on X (formerly known as Twitter). He was followed by Cory Sanders, so he decided to shoot his shot.
“I actually reached out to him on Sunday,” Matelau told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “He followed me, so whenever he followed, I followed back and sent him a message. I said, ‘Hey coach, this is Caleb Matalau from class of 2025 from Palmetto High School. I’m 6-1, 215, and it would be an honor to have you check out my highlights.’ So, right after that, we just got to talking and today he asked me if I had anything going on after school and he ended up swinging by.”
Matelau — a 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker from Palmetto High in Palmetto, Fla. — picked up an offer from Pitt during an in-school visit Tuesday.
He added Pitt to a list of offers that includes Arkansas State, FAU, Louisville and USF.
Blessed to receive an offer from the University of Pittsburgh!! AGTG🙌🏽@coachcsanders @JRashadWest @RickFarmer53 @PalmettoFBall @CoachDuzzPittFB @Pitt_FB @PghSportsNow pic.twitter.com/bzlsEwUUyL
— Caleb Matelau (@CalebMatelau) January 30, 2024
Sanders extended an offer to Matelau, and it was the result of a quickly forged friendship and some hard work on the football field over the past few seasons.
“It feels great (to have the Pitt offer),” Matelau said. “Coach Sanders came down and met me at school. It was cool. He told me a bunch of things about the program, and it was cool to hear about.”
It was the first time that Matelau met a Pitt coach in person, and it just may have been the start of a strong relationship between Matelau and Pitt.
“(Sanders) said whenever he looks at players, he always loves to find kids who actually have a love for the game,” Matelau said. “A lot of kids have a love for what the game brings to them, the popularity and the money and all that, but he said he could tell from the way that I play that there’s a fire inside of me that comes out whenever I’m out on the field.”
Matelau attributes that firey passion to his faith. He chooses to go out every game he plays and dedicate himself to Jesus. If he’s able to shine on the field, it’s all in the pursuit of his faith. And it’s that faith that helped him further his bond with Sanders.
“(Sanders) is a cool guy, somebody who would be a cool coach,” Matelau said. “I always enjoy having conversations, and I like whenever people can relate with me on these things or whenever they at least push me forward. I told him how my sister is a missionary, and he asked me if there’s anything I would have to do before coming to college or if I would have to go on a mission, and I said, ‘Nah, I feel a big way I can express my faith is through this platform I’m gaining or through this platform I would have at one of these big schools.’”
He didn’t know much about Pitt before the offer was extended but was certainly aware of the Panthers well before that offer arrived.
“My boy Adonis got offered by them a year ago, and I was like, ‘Dang, I wish.’ And now it’s crazy being in that spot where it’s me,” Matelau said. “It’s crazy, like, God really did this for me.”
Matelau was a dominant presence as a junior at Palmetto, racking a team-high 94 tackles (35 solo), six tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and two recoveries and a pass breakup.
Matelau hasn’t been rated by the major recruiting services (247Sports, Rivals or On3), but he’s a rising recruit who will be busy this spring. The recruiting rankings will arrive with it.
He’s hearing from the schools that have offered him at this point, and there will be additional schools that join the recruiting process, but Matelau plans to eventually commit to a school that makes him feel most comfortable. He wants to find a brotherhood, a place where the family aspect shines through.
There’s a bond being built with Pitt, and he’s being put in touch with Ryan Manalac (and setting up an unofficial visit in the near future).
“(Pitt is) definitely up there,” Matelau said.
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).
