Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt Football Makes Elite Michigan 3-Star Athlete Top 8
Pitt is in prime position to land one of its top targets in the Class of 2025.
On Wednesday, three-star athlete Elijah Dotson locked Pitt into his top eight schools.
WHERE’S 🏠?? @SteezoDsgn @Rivals pic.twitter.com/0hRJdlsjDa
— Elijah Dotson 4⭐️ATH (@ElijahDotson06) March 27, 2024
The Panthers have been heavily involved with the Detroit, Michigan native since day one and it has paid off.
“They’ve been showing a lot of love,” Dotson told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “They were my first offer, so that will always be a special one. They’ve been consistent since day one. They’re the first school for me to get my journey rolling.”
Dotson’s decision date could come as soon as the end of April and acknowledges that Pitt is certainly one of the top landing spots, he further told PSN.
A big reason as to why Pitt is in consideration for the Belleville High School product are the relationships he has built with head coach Pat Narduzzi and secondary coach Archie Collins.
The coaching staff has not been shy in letting Dotson know that he is a major priority in Pitt’s recruiting efforts.
“They tell me, ‘We want you bad.’ They’ve been consistent and honest. That’s all I’ve been asking for is consistency, honesty and a family environment and that’s what they’ve been showing me,” Dotson said.
Dotson recently visited the Pitt program on March 22, and it provided the Panthers another opportunity to make a key impression not only on the field, but also what they offer away from the facility.
“I had a great time,” Dotson said. “I got to tour a lot of the facility and a lot of things outside of sports. I got to see the full experience of the whole school.
“They showed me more of the academic side and that’s important more than just sports. That shows that they care more about me than just an athlete. They care about my future and what I want to get into outside of football. I want to go into communications, so they showed me a lot of communication part of their program.”
Prior to his visit to Pitt, Dotson made another trip with his Rising Stars 7-on-7 team to Pittsburgh in mid- March to compete in the Red Zone Elite Tournament. By default, thanks to his son playing in the tournament, Collins was in attendance as well.
Collins and the Panthers are recruiting Dotson in the secondary with him potentially slotting in at corner.
“They like me at corner. I haven’t really played corner in high school. They want me on the field. If the opportunity is at safety, then that’s where I’ll be. If I’m balling out at corner, I’ll be at corner,” he said.
Either way, Dotson knows that no matter what position, Pitt has made it a recent tradition to send defensive backs to the NFL.
“They put DBs in the league every year as you can see with M.J.,” Dotson said about M.J. Devonshire’s draft prospects.
With a decision date looming in the near future, Dotson will decide between Pitt, Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, Tennessee, Illinois and Kansas.
Elite and 3 star do not go together. Bit too much hyperbole there.