Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt Extends Offer to 2026 TE from Idaho
The Pitt football program has extended their recruiting reach a lot over the last few years making an effort to get into new places such as Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, etc.
Although this certainly won’t be a place they regularly recruit, Pitt extended an offer to a player in a state that is new to me — Idaho.
On Wednesday, tight ends coach Jacob Bronowski extended an offer to 2026 3-star tight end Preston McDaniel from Idaho Falls, Idaho.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound athlete holds offers from Oklahoma State, Tulsa, San Diego State, Fresno State, Army and Air Force. McDaniel took his first official visit last month to Oklahoma State.
McDaniel tells Pittsburgh Sports Now that his relationship and communication with Pitt is in the early stages, but he was excited when receiving that initial call from Bronowski.
“So, the first conversation I had was actually yesterday (Wednesday) when he called me, but before that, I talked to somebody else on their offensive staff,” said McDaniel. “He reached out to me, and we talked for a bit, and that was really the first time that I talked with the coaches at Pitt.”
“When he called, Coach (Bronowski) told me that they were impressed with my film and that he thought that I’d be a good fit for the tight end room over there and he just wanted to let me know that I have an offer from Pitt. He just that he liked my violence when I have the ball in my hands, my after the catch capabilities and thinks that I’m an explosive athlete.”
“I’m definitely a pass catching tight end. I grew up playing receiver and then just got bigger than I was supposed to. I consider myself a good route runner and think I’m explosive and more athletic than most tight ends, but I can still block and believe that I’m a well-rounded player.
Junior year highlights!https://t.co/YuPIIFN3xx
— Preston McDaniel (@Prestonmcdani) November 14, 2024
Preparing for a big summer. TE/DE – C/O 2026 – Thunder Ridge High School.@Prestonmcdani @DjTialavea_86 @CoachPotter73 @gnduff @CoachKHensley @CoachBobbyJay @CoachJBHall @Rundatheball @XGoldsmith_ @hayd_livingston @POLY_STRENGTH @CoachHaydenMace @NickFarman55 @coachfrankmaile pic.twitter.com/EKgcYHARWJ
— Oakley Hussey | Coach 12 (@Oakley_Hussey) May 22, 2024
This becomes McDaniel’s second Power Four offer and a lot of that likely has to do with not getting the national attention in a state like Idaho. However, hearing from and receiving an offer from Pitt has McDaniel excited.
“A lot of great players have come out of Pitt and really, getting an offer from them was a surprise just for the fact that I hadn’t talked to them a whole bunch,” said McDaniel. “But receiving an offer from Pitt was very cool. I actually have some family that had lived in Pittsburgh so that was cool. This definitely is something that means something to me because I’ve watched Pitt football before. This is definitely exciting.”
As we concluded our talk, I asked McDaniel what his current plans for the summer are in terms of unofficial and official visits. At this point, things are a bit on hold until he sees what other schools might get involved.
“I’ve taken one official visit so far to Oklahoma State and I’m planning on taking a couple more in June. I haven’t really narrowed anything down with schools and who I’ll be visiting yet, but I’ll be looking to schedule more and am open to all the opportunities that would be coming my way.”
In terms of how he left things with Bronowski, McDaniel says that they plan on staying in touch with Pitt and hopes to get out and make a visit in June.
