Jaymar Parrish Commits To Pitt

As if yesterday wasn't news-packed enough with the John Marinatto stuff and the Tom Savage story (we'll get there later), Pitt also managed to pick up a recruit in Jaymar Parrish.

Parrish said the focus was on making a decision quickly:

Parrish said he was eager to finalize his choice.

"I wanted to get it over and done with and focus on my team," he said.

Sounds as if he'll play fullback at Pitt. He is also a defensive standout in addition to playing fullback and tight end in high school. He had 68 tackles, seven sacks, and an interception last season as a junior linebacker.

Parrish is another WPIAL commit for Paul Chryst and plays at Gateway. His only other offer was from Akron, though his coach says Wisconsin, Penn State, and Purdue were showing interest. His coach also had more to say about his athleticism and his commitment.

Gateway coach Terry Smith alluded to the fact that other Gateway players at Pitt made it one of the reasons he chose the school:

"With [former Gateway players] Cam Saddler, Shayne Hale and Brendon Felder down there at Pitt, he obviously has a great relationship with those guys," said Gateway coach Terry Smith. "I think he has always followed Pitt and always liked Pitt, and the position they recruited him for is perfect for him."

Pitt will be playing him at fullback, but his coach says he has good pass-catching skills as well:

"He was our leading receiver last year," Smith said. "He's very athletic, has terrific hands and is a great route runner."

Sounds as if there may be some opportunities for some receptions as a fullback - a la Henry Hynoski. Confirming that a bit, he had a huge game (six catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns) last year against Latrobe.

More on Parrish after the jump.

Last month, he talked about being recruited as a fullback even though that's not his current position (subscription article):

Jaymar Parrish is being courted by Division I programs as a fullback, a position for which he projects perfectly but has never played. The Gateway junior might marvel at the oddity of his recruitment, but he certainly isn't complaining.

"It's a little weird," Parrish said. "There's really not a lot of fullbacks out there. If I go out there and become the best at my position, that's something to strive for."

Parrish is unrated by both Rivals and Scout, so he's not highly touted. Rivals, however, calls him the ninth best tight end in Pennsylvania.

Pretty soon, we're going to start hearing about how Pitt is filling the roster with a bunch of unknowns. That may be fair later, but not right now. It's still early in the recruiting game and many of the bigger players won't be committing until later.

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