Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt Pushing for Visit from Former Top Prospect, Miami DE
Pitt is looking to reinforce a defensive line that took some hits this spring, and the only way to do that now is to dip into the transfer portal.
A few offers have been extended, a ton of interest shown and that won’t stop any time soon. The latest interest has been shown in a now-former ACC rival defensive end.
According to a report by On3’s Steve Wiltfong, Pitt is one of the schools to show heavy interest in Miami transfer defensive end Jayden Wayne.
Since entering the portal, Wayne — a 6-foot-6, 245-pound sophomore from Tacoma, Wash. (IMG Academy) — has heard from Cal, Florida State, JMU, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Virginia Tech, Washington and Wisconsin.
Wiltfong further reported that Cal, Kansas, Pitt, UCLA and Washington have been pushing for visits.
Wayne played sparingly as a true freshman last season, recording 135 defensive snaps over eight games and racking up 13 tackles (four solo), 0.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. But he’s not far removed from a standout high school career.
Wayne was a top recruit out of IMG Academy in the class of 2023, a top-10o prospect with over 40 official offers, and he picked Miami over Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan State and Oregon.
He would be a sure-fire addition if the opportunity arose, but he would be yet another young, somewhat inexperienced option on the edge. It remains to be seen how the relationship will progress, and if the Panthers will be able to land him on an official visit, but it bears watching.
Pitt has already revamped its defensive line once this offseason, adding Nate Matlack, David Ojiegbe and Nick James over the winter, but it’s a young unit still, especially on the outside. Bam Brima has been around for a while, but Jimmy Scott, Sincere Edwards, Zachary Crothers and Maverick Gracio have very little experience combined.
If the season began tomorrow, Matlack and Brima would likely be the starters on the edge. Scott, Ojiegbe and Edwards would all be in the mix.
