Pitt FB Recruiting
2025 3-Star IOL from DMV Picks Up Offer from Pitt Coaching Staff
Kenneth McManus wouldn’t say he’s super close with either Isaiah Neal or David Ojiegbe, but when he came to a Pitt camp last summer, he was able to chat with “Ghost” during the downtime. All three are from the DMV.
And now all three have officially received offers from Pitt — with Neal and Ojiegbe obviously committing.
McManus — a 6-foot-2, 290-pound three-star offensive lineman from St. John’s High School in Washington, D.C. — picked up an offer from Pat Narduzzi and Lindsey Lamar during an in-school visit to St. John’s last week.
“I was very excited when I got the Pitt offer,” McManus told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “It’s one of the schools that I always thought was a great fit for me.”
Blessed and Honored to receive an offer from The University of Pittsburgh #H2P @LindseyLamar5 @CoachDuzzPittFB @patward71 pic.twitter.com/tkn74bkziS
— Kenneth McManus IV (@kennethmcmanus_) January 26, 2024
McManus has been hearing from the Pitt coaching staff since last spring, back when it was Dave Borbely and Andre Powell, and he made it out for a camp appearance — which he thought went well. He didn’t hear much from Pitt due to the dead period, but he heard from Powell once during his junior season.
And Powell — and Borbely — were let go following the season, of course. It fell upon Lamar to resume the relationship.
Lamar stopped by St. John’s two weeks ago, spent some time with McManus and then Lamar stopped back in with Narduzzi in tow to officially extend an offer.
“Coach Lamar is a great guy,” McManus said. “He’s very truthful, he’s a genuine guy, knows a lot of football. And I know he’s gonna be a great coach at Pitt.
“They said they liked how physical I was and my athleticism — how I can move from side to side, how I can pull. But also, how smart I am.”
McManus was certainly a physical presence as a junior, directing his fellow offensive linemen. He earned first-team All-WCAC honors as an interior offensive lineman and helped the Cadets to a 5-5 record. Pitt sees McManus as a center at the next level.
McManus is rated as the fifth-ranked recruit in Washington D.C. by Rivals, holding a 5.5 Rivals Rating, but he hasn’t been evaluated by 247Sports or On3. Those ratings will both arrive with a busy spring of taking visits and making camp appearances.
He currently holds offers from Akron, Boston College, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Duke, East Carolina, Marshall, Maryland, Syracuse, Toledo and USF — and he’s been hearing from West Virginia, too.
He plans to take some visits this spring, including Pitt, and get a feel for the programs that have offered him and see whose interest is genuine. Once he determines that, he’ll start to narrow down the scope of his decision. He’s looking for a family environment where people care about each other beyond football. A great education and a place he’ll be able to grow as a man. He sees some of that in Pitt.
“I love Pitt,” McManus said. “Pitt is a great program, always puts players in the league and seems to build a lot of great young men, not just football players.
“It’s definitely among my top schools right now. The history, the coaching, I like how they coach up there, hard-nosed coaches. It’s definitely a family environment, I’ve seen a couple of guys interact with each other.”
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).
