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‘A Dream Come True:’ Lucas Shanafelt Earns Pitt Offer

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As Pitt football opened the 2024 season against Kent State on Aug. 31, Lucas Shanafelt and several of his Peters Township teammates were in attendance at Acrisure Stadium.

At the time, Shanafelt was just a guest and not there for a recruiting visit. Still, the Panthers treated him well even though he did not have a Division I offer to his name.

In the following four months, offers started to come in for the 6-foot-4, 235-pound prospect, primarily from the Mid-American Conference and Ivy League.

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Since his experience in August, Shanafelt continued to learn more about the Pitt program from Peters alum and safety Donovan McMillon and his father, who is Shanafelt’s defensive line coach. Fellow classmate Reston Lehman, who picked up an offer from Pitt in September, along with incoming Pitt freshman Shep Turk also shed light on the program.

Interest from the Panthers seemed minimal heading into the fourth week of January for Shanafelt until offensive coordinator Kade Bell asked to stop by his house.

By the end of Bell’s visit on Friday, Shanafelt earned his first Power Four offer from Bell and Pitt.

“It was like a dream come true,” Shanafelt told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “Being from here, it was surreal.”

Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell meets with Lucas Shanafelt. Courtesy of Shanafelt's X account.

Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell meets with Lucas Shanafelt. Courtesy of Shanafelt’s X account.

Bell and Shanafelt carried a 45-minute conversation that ranged from topics about the university to how the tight end recruit would fit into the offense.

“It was a naturally flowing conversation,” Shanafelt said. “He was talking about where they see me on their offense and who they compare me too.

“They mentioned how Gavin Bartholomew caught a lot of passes last year and can play a role like that.”

The offensive coordinator shared with Shanafelt what impressed the coaching staff about his game.

“They said I sunk my hips well on routes and got out of my break well to get separation,” Shanafelt said.

Once Bell packed up and hit the road, Shanafelt relived the moment with his parents.

“They seemed even more shocked than me. They were very happy,” he said.

The Pitt connection runs deep in Shanafelt’s family. His dad went to grad school at the university and enjoyed spending time at football games. His grandfather and several aunts went there, too. He also has a few cousins that attend the school.

Carrying on the family legacy at Pitt is something Shanafelt could see himself doing.

“It would be awesome,” he said. “A lot of my family members are rooting for me to go to Pitt, and I see why. They really have a lot of love for it there.”

The 2026 recruit says Pitt is at the top of his list and plans on making a visit during spring ball before a potential commitment in late spring or early summer. His other offers include Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Buffalo, Miami (OH), Penn, Cornell, Harvard and Fordham.

Peters Township TE/DE Lucas Shanafelt against Bethel Park. Oct. 24, 2024 // Ed Thompson. PSN.

Peters Township TE/DE Lucas Shanafelt against Bethel Park. Oct. 24, 2024 // Ed Thompson. PSN.

Outside of one, all of Shanafelt’s offers came after the completion of his junior season.

“It’s crazy. I feel like it’s a testimony of how far I’ve come. I didn’t start last year and didn’t have any real film. None of these coaches could really talk to me because I didn’t have much to offer. It’s crazy how it’s heated up over the past couple months,” Shanafelt said.

Moving from receiver to tight end from his sophomore to junior season, Shanafelt saw improvement in his game this past fall.

“I feel like I worked on a ton of things between my speed, my strength and mostly my technique. I feel like I was able to be a versatile player this year for my offense and my defense playing a number of different roles,” Shanafelt said.

During his junior campaign, Shanafelt compiled 16 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown. Looking to repeat as Class 5A champions, Peters Township fell short against Pine-Richland in the title game on the field that Shanafelt could potentially call home.

“That was awesome,” he said. “I remember everyone like, ‘Wow, we’re really going to play where Pitt and the Steelers play. I remember my coaches telling me, ‘Whenever you step out there, just take it all in.’ I feel like that’s what I did stepping on that field for the first time. Very surreal.”

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker

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