Pitt Football Recruiting: Darryl Render Picks Pitt Over Iowa, West Virginia, Others

Todd Graham picked up another verbal commitment for 2012 - this one from defensive end Darryl Render out of St. Edwards in Ohio.

His coach says he's good against the run:

"He is really stout against the run, very physical and plays with great leverage and has really improved his quickness," Finotti said. "He is really a dominant edge rusher."

Render is a three-star recruit as rated by Rivals and Scout. Rivals also calls him the 60th best player in Ohio. He just announced his intentions, but it sounds like he was sold after attending Pitt's Spring game.

Of that contest, Render said:

"I went to their spring game and I love their style of play,'' Render said. "They play the same type of defense we do (4-3) and I'll play end. The coaches were really enthusiastic and I liked that. It felt like home.''

That enthusiasm by the Pitt coaches may be the thing that hurt Louisville, another one of his favorites. He referred to Louisville head coach in a recent ESPN Insider article as 'laid back.' Guess that's not what he was looking for.

He chose Pitt over several other schools including West Virginia, Iowa, Syracuse, Louisville, Cincinnati, and UConn.

Render also comes from a solid program - the Cleveland Plain Dealer ranked St. Edwards #1 in their top 25.