Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt Bolstering Relationship With WPIAL 4-Star LB
Although it’s called ‘Junior Day’, more than just 11th graders were at Pitt’s big recruiting day over the weekend.
One of those players that received a special invite was sophomore Gabriel Jenkins, one of the top-rated players in the WPIAL.
Jenkins is a 2027 four-star cornerback from Imani Christian Academy and Rivals.com rates him as the No. 54 overall player in the Class of 2027. Currently, Jenkins is playing defensive back but Pitt is recruiting him as a linebacker.
At this time, Jenkins holds offers from Pitt, Penn State, Michigan State, Syracuse, Central Florida and West Virginia.
The Pitt program has had their eye on Jenkins for some time now as they extended him an offer last October, becoming the first D-1 offer for this talented athlete.
“Getting my first offer feels surreal,” Jenkins told Pittsburgh Sports Now last year after receiving that first offer from Cory Sanders. “I’ve worked so hard just to hear those words, to get that call everything I have done to lead up to this very moment, but sometimes in the back of your mind you don’t know for sure if it will happen. This offer means everything to me, this offer is the door to a better life a better future. Getting the offer from Pitt is a big deal, this is major. It’s like my own hometown believing in me, so I feel honored. It feels like an honor.”
Full season film !!!
1,300 rushing yards
6 picks
5 pbu
1 pick 6
20 tackles
5 TFL@Chise89 @RivalsFriedman @On3Recruits @On3sports @Rivals @EatTeam_2 @ @WPIAL_Insider @wpialsportsnews @PA_TodaySports @412Elite_7v7FB https://t.co/HMTk4C4I6P pic.twitter.com/7UmtTILgdL— Gabriel Jenkins (@gabealldy) December 11, 2024
Pitt’s push for Jenkins continued on Saturday as he spent time with the Pitt staff, especially Sanders and head coach Pat Narduzzi.
“I visited yesterday (Saturday) because I wanted to speak to the coaches and see how things were going,” Jenkins tells PSN. ” As far as my experience, I had an amazing time going through and looking at the facilities and the basketball game was amazing to feel the atmosphere of Pitt and the coaches treated me really well.”
Being a local kid, some of what he saw might not have been new to Jenkins like it was to some of the out-of-town recruits, but that didn’t mean certain things didn’t stand out.
“I’ve been too Pitt plenty of times and have a great time every time I go, but one thing I could say stood out is the weight room and also the meeting rooms and how you can interact with the coaches during meeting closely if needed,” Jenkins said.
With such a high recruiting ranking already, Jenkins is going to be receiving plenty of attention from major programs over the next couple of years. As far as what he’s looking for in his future home, Jenkins lists relationships, a good coaching staff and school that has his major. As far as Pitt goes, here is Jenkins current thoughts on the Panthers program.
“It’s a good program that develops their players and makes them better, there’s a good brotherhood within the Pitt program and the fact that it is close to home is nice,” Jenkins said.
♦️Top-20 Countdown♦️
The WPIAL Insider Top-20 Breakout Performers 💥
These players took the WPIAL by storm this year 🏈🌪️⛈️ pic.twitter.com/B36aBWFUGI
— WPIAL Insider (@WPIAL_Insider) January 3, 2025
Despite recruiting many of their former stars in the past, Pitt is still trying to land an Imani Christian standout. Currently, they’re pursuing a teammate of Jenkins, 2026 3-star athlete David Davis, who placed Pitt in his top six schools, along with Penn State, West Virginia, Nebraska, Michigan State and Cincinnati.
