Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt Football Makes Top Eight Schools For Ohio Three-Star Defensive Tackle
Pitt football is continuing to make Ohio a priority when it comes to recruiting and landed in the top eight schools for a Class of 2025 three-star defensive tackle from the state on Monday.
Drayden Pavey, who plays for Taft High School in Cincinnati, included Pitt along with schools like Boston College, Indiana, Purdue, West Virginia, Toledo and Miami (Ohio) in his top eight programs.
Wanna thank all the coaches and I’m blessed to be here. Where’s 🏡 @BatesBacker @CoachBrown_DL @Coach_Cass @CoachSDuggan @CoachFlemWR @CoachJaxDL @PrestonnnG99 @CoachBrickHaley @Coach_PatKuntz @CoachTy_1 pic.twitter.com/62t3iQHsyD
— Drayden “Big Pav” Pavey (@dpavey_) February 26, 2024
“Pitt made my Top 8 because they are one of the few schools who put d-lineman like me in the league,” Pavey told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “I’ve seen it, we’ve all seen it. Coach Bates has been supportive through this process. I knew that I liked Pitt from the jump.”
“The best relationship that I have with a Pitt coach is with [defensive coordinator] Coach [Randy] Bates. Every time I see him, he’s always making a situation funny, but as a coach he is the real deal. He might now know this, but he is the reason Pitt is in my Top 8.”
Standing at 6-foot-3 and 294 pounds, Pavey is an absolute force on the defensive line. Most offensive linemen, particularly guards and centers, stand no chance against him, as he moves through them with ease and gets to the quarterback or running back in the back field to blow up a play.
He finished a strong 2023 junior season with 46 tackles, 7.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss.
Pavey is in the process of putting together unofficial visit dates to programs, such as Pitt. Although he doesn’t have one set, Pavey tells PSN that he will be visiting in the spring. This upcoming one will be important for both sides as he determines whether or not the Panthers could be a potential fit for him. Pavey tells me that he has visited Pitt football previously.
“They like that I can play anywhere on the line,” said Pavey. “I’m not just a 0 technique, I’m athletic, I can move, and I can beat you in many ways. Coach Bates saw that early and he’s said that a few times to me. He wants me to get leaner as well.”
Other upcoming trips right now for this talented 6’3″, 295-pound defensive tackle include Ohio State, Notre Dame, Purdue, Indiana and Vanderbilt.
