Pitt FB Recruiting
2025 Florida QB Picks Up First Power Four Offer from Pitt
Chris Denson had to hand the phone off to his mother Saturday night. He needed a little bit of time to collect himself before taking the phone back.
Denson — a 6-foot-2, 185-pound quarterback from Plant City High in Plant City, Fla. — did just pick up his first Power Four offer from Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell.
“So, basically around 9:30, coach Bell Face Timed me, and he was with the tight ends coach,” Denson told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “And we were basically just talking about how he liked my game and how I’d fit in with his offense. It was more personal, at first, we just started off with more personal questions, and it led up to that.
“It was exciting, the first Power Five offer is huge, so I was excited. I ran and gave my phone to my mom, and they talked on the phone for a little bit. I got my thoughts back together.”
#AGTG Extremely!!!! Blessed to have received my first P5 Offer from the University of Pittsburgh!! @Kb1Raw @CoachDuzzPittFB @LindseyLamar5 @JacobFloyd_ @coachcsanders @coachjbronowski @CoachKlineAlex @PlantCityFB @Coachwbbaker @_housecall @H2_Recruiting @BigCountyPreps1 @polk_way… pic.twitter.com/RPllV7meGn
— Chris Denson (@chrisdenson03) February 11, 2024
Denson has been hearing from the Pitt coaching staff for just about a week, with Pat Narduzzi himself reaching out a few days ago to send him the spring practice schedule, and the relationship is off to a fast start.
It’s been mainly Bell who’s been communicating with Denson at this point, but he’s meeting more and more coaches seemingly every day. It’s a coaching staff that Denson is already connecting with.
“I really like how (Narduzzi has) brought in all the staff, and he’s really let coach Bell really bring in some of his staff from Western Carolina,” Denson said. “So, I really like that they all have that relationship with each other, and I feel like it’ll transfer over to the game at Pitt.”
He’s still not entirely familiar with Pitt considering he’s a kid from Florida, but he has heard a lot from the coaching staff — and done his own research.
“Well, first, it’s a little chilly up there,” Denson said. “They have a big program, and maybe not necessarily last year, last year was probably one of the lowest seasons, but I know in years prior, they’ve been sort of a problem for other teams.”
Pitt has been searching for its starting quarterback since Kenny Pickett left for the NFL following the 2021 season, going through a handful of starters over the last two seasons, but there’s a new scheme in place under Bell. And Denson is the ideal type of quarterback to run his offense.
Bell has been very complimentary when it comes to the way Denson’s dual-threat ability impacts a football game.
“That I have a big arm and I’m able to run, so teams really have to respect both,” Denson said. “If you drop back, I can run, and if you come up, you can throw it over the top. He told me he likes to air it out a little bit, and I’d fit in with that. He kinda referred it to 2019 Joe Burrow.”
Denson led Plant City to the Florida 4M District 7 playoffs, completing 135-of-209 pass attempts (65%) for 2,147 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions — adding 82 carries for 688 yards (8.4 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns.
The major recruiting services (247Sports, Rivals and On3) haven’t rated Denson yet. But as he begins to collect additional Power Five interest, that will certainly change.
Denson holds offers from Arkansas State, Bethune-Cookman, Coastal Carolina, FAU, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, JMU, Liberty, Toledo and USF. He’s heard a bit from Florida State, but the communications died off as the Seminoles added a quarterback in the class already.
He’s planning a visit to Pitt over the spring to check out a practice, and it will be an opportunity to check out the coaching staff in person and see how a day-to-day practice is run. It’s those relationships that he’s really looking forward to building.
“(Pitt is) one of the top ones, for sure,” Denson said. “And coach Bell seems really genuine, so I’m sure he’ll stay at the top.”
Pitt landed its first commitment in the class of 2025 Monday night in the form of Trevor Sommers, a defensive lineman from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and there could very well be more on the way in the coming days and weeks.
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).
