Pitt FB Recruiting
Has Pitt Really Lost Out by Not Landing WPIAL Talent?
The Pitt football program’s success or lack thereof of recruiting WPIAL players, the topic that never dies, was brought to life again this week by Pittsburgh Steeler and former North Allegheny cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Appearing on the Christian Kuntz Podcast, Porter claimed “Pitt didn’t recruit in their backyard enough,”
Blah, Blah, Blah, I’ve expressed my opinion enough on this silly topic and will spare you from me repeating myself.
Instead of throwing out opinions, I’ll stick with facts and let you form your own opinion.
The prevailing thought around these parts is that it’s vital for Pitt to aggressively recruit the WPIAL and with all these recent recruiting losses, they’ve lost out on a ton of talent.
I know that’s what plenty of people like to write on twitter and say on podcasts, but the question though is that really the case?
Pittsburgh Sports Now went back to the Class of 2020 and gathered the names of WPIAL/City League players that Pitt offered and recruited but ultimately decided to commit elsewhere.
I’ll let you decide on what Pitt lost out on.
Class of 2020:
Josh Rawlings-Woodland Hills/Virginia: Appeared in 2 games in 2023 with 2 catches for 10 yards.
Michael Carmody– Mars/Notre Dame: Made 2 starts at Notre Dame against Toledo and Cincinnati. Transferred to UCLA and appeared in 2 games in 2024.
Aaron Beatty-Central Catholic/North Carolina: Did not play for UNC, transferred to the University of Albany after 2020 season.
Zuriah Fisher– Aliquippa/Penn State: appeared in 2 games in 2022, also appeared in 13 games in 2023 on special teams and defense, making 17 tackles and netting 3.5 sacks. Missed 2024 due to injury.
Mars 2020 4-star OT Michael Carmody
Class of 2021:
Josh Hough– Beaver Falls/Syracuse: Missed both seasons with an injury and never appeared for the Orange.
Khalil Dinkins– North Allegheny/Penn State: Appeared in 12 games on offense and special teams in 2023, made 5 catches for 57 yards, and reaching the endzone against Iowa and Indiana. Dinkins made 6 starts in 2024 posting 14 catches for 122 yards and 2 TDs.
Derrick Davis- Gateway/LSU: Made 15 appearances in his two seasons as a Tiger before transitioning to Running Back during his sophomore season and transferring to Pitt in 2023.
Donovan McMillan– Peters Township/Florida: Was primarily a Special Teams player at Florida, obtaining 30 tackles throughout his two seasons with the Gators before also transferring to Pitt in 2023.
Courtesy of Donovan McMillon
Class of 2022:
Donovan Hinish– Central Catholic/Notre Dame: Started 3 games for the Irish in 2024, garnering 35 total tackles as well as 4.5 sacks.
Tyreese Fearbry– Perry/Kentucky: Saw some action in Lexington, netting 21 tackles and a tackle for loss throughout his career, before transferring to Wisconsin this past year.
Courtesy of Tyreese Fearbry
Class of 2023:
Rodney Gallagher– Laurel Highlands/West Virginia: Gallagher is yet to start a game for the Mountaineers; however, he did grab 26 catches for 288 yards and three touchdowns in 2024.
Ta’Mere Robinson– Brashear/Penn State: Appeared in 5 games in 2024, before entering the transfer portal, and committing to USC.
Lamont Payne– Chartiers Valley/Penn State: Payne hasn’t recorded a stat yet through his two seasons with Penn State.
Davoun Fuse– Washington/Rutgers: Played in 12 games for Rutgers primarily on Special Teams last season.
Photo courtesy of Rodney Gallagher’s Twitter account.
Class of 2024:
Quinton Martin– Belle Vernon/Penn State: Martin ended the season with 13 carries and 32 yards in 2024,
Peter Gonzalez– North Allegheny/Penn State: Did not appear for the Nittany Lions and redshirted in his freshman season.
Ryan Cory– Pine-Richland/Wisconsin: Played in one game. and redshirted in 2024.
Cole Sullivan– Central Catholic/Michigan: Appeared in 12 games on Special Teams and netting 4 tackles.
Anthony Speca– Central Catholic/Penn State: Appeared in six games and made 8 tackles as a freshman.
Quinton Martin
Class of 2025:
Tiqwai Hayes– Aliquippa/Penn State: Incoming freshman
Dayshaun Burnett– Imani Christian/Penn State: Incoming freshman
Bradley Gompers– Central Catholic/Duke: Incoming freshman
Alex Tatsch– Latrobe/Penn State: Incoming freshman
Bradley Gompers
My Take– Obviously, I’ll reserve opinion on the Class of 2024 because for the most part, none of them received much playing time and that will change this year, especially with Martin. However, with the four classes prior to that, Pitt wasn’t hurt by a single player that didn’t commit to them and two of the players that did originally pass on them, eventually transferred back home. I’d say Donovan McMillan made a pretty smart decision as he’ll be battling for a spot this season with the Cleveland Browns.
Of course, you can always go back to years past and select local players that have gone on to perform well at various schools but if you really examine things, Pitt hasn’t lost out on WPIAL players passing them over. Would it be nice for Pitt if a few more kids decided to stay home, of course. But the truth is if they don’t Pat Narduzzi and his coaches will continue to pull talent from talent rich states such as Florida, Texas and Georgia.
