Ludwig: Pitt Losing Elijah Dotson Isn’t End of the World

There was speculation that Pitt commit Elijah Dotson would flip to in-state Michigan sometime before National Signing Day on Dec. 4, and it’s come to fruition two weeks beforehand — and one day after a recruiting bump.

It sucks to lose the top recruit in your class, but it isn’t the end of the world.

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Pitt initially staved off Michigan, Michigan and Penn State to secure Dotson — a 6-foot-2, 180-pound four-star defensive back from Belleville, Michigan — in May. He cited a strong connection with secondary coach Archie Collins and the coaching staff looking at him as a cornerback at the college level.

I don’t know what Dotson is going to play at Michigan, but it makes sense why he’d want to go there. He plays his high school ball half an hour away. Michigan is his “hometown” school, and the Wolverines offer quite a bit financial and developmentally.

It’s not as if Pitt dropped the ball with Dotson; Michigan just made more sense. It happens.

So, we move on. NSD is two weeks away, way earlier than previous seasons, and based on which recruiting service you use, the new top recruit in the class is four-star wide receiver DaMarion Fowlkes (247Sports), four-star defensive back Mason Alexander (Rivals) or four-star safety Cole Woodson (On3).

There’s plenty of talent in a slept-on class of 21 recruits. There’s a lot to be excited about with hometown hero three-star offensive lineman Shep Turk, who is in the midst of leading Thomas Jefferson High to another PIAA championship. Fowlkes, three-star wide receiver Bryce Yates, three-star running back Synkwan Smith and three-star running Ja’Kyrian Turner form a skill position group that appears to fit offensive coordinator Kade Bell’s system.

Mason Heintschel is the type of athlete at quarterback that definitely fits the Bell scheme.

Even the four remaining defensive back commits have a whole lot of potential, with Alexander and Woodson forming a cornerback/safety duo, and three-star cornerback Shawn Lee Jr. and three-star safety Joshua Guerrier forming another.

There might be some who point to the three-game losing streak and the loss of Dotson as a sign of what’s to come, but I think Pitt is in good shape heading forward. Pitt has two games left, with the chance to finish at 9-3 still (a complete flip of last season) and NSD comes right after the regular season finale against Boston College. And then there’s a bowl game.

Pitt could go 7-5, of course, which would be a let down, but it’s likely that the Panthers win eight or nine games this season. And then the staff will hit the transfer portal, supplementing a roster that returns most of its major contributors.

Pitt has shown a reliable eye for talent, especially defensively, and that will need to continue. With new Director of Athletics Allen Greene in place and a growing NIL budget, there’s no reason the Panthers can’t add more major contributors from the portal in the coming weeks and months.

And Eli Holstein, Desmond Reid, Kenny Johnson, Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles and Javon McIntyre, amongst others, are all slated to return. That could change (you never know with today’s climate), but there are plenty of reasons for optimism.

It sucks to lose out on a player like Dotson, but it’s nothing to get bent out of shape over. Pitt is okay.