Pitt’s Class of 2019 growing
Picks up lineman from Morgantown
From local and wire dispatches
Lately, Pitt football is taking on commitments like it’s trying to fill its 2019 recruiting class before the 2018 season even begins.
Nick Malone, an offensive lineman from Morgantown High School in Morgantown, W.Va., has given his verbal pledge to the Panthers, he announced Sunday on Twitter.
The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Malone is the fourth player to pick Pitt in 10 days, and continues a trend among the program’s most recent additions.
Like the two prospects who preceded him in the past week, fellow offensive lineman Matt Goncalves and wide receiver Jared Wayne, Malone has only one power-five scholarship offer, and it’s from Pitt.
Also like those two, Malone is unranked by recruiting websites at the time of his commitment, though Rivals and 247Sports now consider Goncalves a twostar prospect and Wayne a three-star.
Malone’s other two scholarship offers come from Eastern Kentucky and Robert Morris.
But Pat Narduzzi isn’t much for star ratings, and Pitt offered Malone in early June, the first Division I program to do so.
Malone currently plays offensive tackle and defensive end for Morgantown, which finished 4-7 last year and lost at North Allegheny, 45-0, in its season opener.
Now up to 18 members, Pitt’s 2019 class has at least two of everything except quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. The past three to jump on board might not be highly touted, but they are filling positions where the Panthers looked to be light in this recruiting cycle.
Oklahoma State
The Cowboys have some holes to fill at receiver. The team lost Biletnikoff Award winner James Washington to the Steelers, starter Marcell Ateman to the Oakland Raiders and reserve Chris Lacy to the Detroit Lions. But they have three productive returnees in Jalen McCleskey, Dillon Stoner and Tyron Johnson. Coach Mike Gundy has high expectations for the trio. “Everybody’s used to the other guys, so they’re kind of seeing them as what’s left,” Gundy said. “I think those guys can make plays.”
Tennessee
Offensive tackle Drew Richmond gave a two-word analysis of Tennessee’s dreadful 2017 season. “It’s over,” Richmond said. When defensive tackle Shy Tuttle was asked to describe the 2017 season, he replied with a one-word expletive. Yet no matter how hard they try to put it in the past, the Volunteers realize they’ll never forget what happened last year as they staggered through one of the most disappointing seasons in this program’s proud history. Ranked in the Top 25 to start the season, Tennessee finished 4-8 and failed to win a Southeastern Conference game for the first time since the league started football competition in 1933. The collapse led to the firing of Butch Jones and the hiring of former Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. “It’s in the rear-view mirror” Tuttle said. “The past is the past,” linebacker Daniel Bituli said. “I feel like every guy on this team has rally embraced a new staff, a new scheme. We’re just excited for this season.”
Southern California
Highly touted freshman JT Daniels, redshirt sophomore Matt Fink and redshirt freshman Jack Sears are in the three-man race to be the successor to Sam Darnold as the Trojans’ starting quarterback. “They are ready to compete. That’s really as much as I can say,” running back Aca’Cedric Ware said. “Whoever ends up the starting quarterback, I’ll be happy with.” Darnold went 20-4 as a starter, becoming the first passer in school history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season and leading the Trojans to their first Pacific12 Conference championship since 2008. He was drafted third overall by the New York Jets in April after forgoing his final two seasons of eligibility, leaving coach Clay Helton to preside over his second quarterback competition in three years.