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A figurative and literal big pickup for the Panthers today as they secured a commitment from 6'7" offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith. The Philadelphia lineman is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, ESPN and Scout, while he's just a two-star on Rivals. His list of schools suggest he may be more than a bit underrated by the scouting services, however: Jones-Smith had offers from Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina State, Arizona and his other finalist, Virginia.
Philadelphia (PA) West Catholic offensive tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith has committed to #Pitt.
— Chris Peak (@PantherLair) January 15, 2013
With the addition of Jones-Smith, Pitt seems to have successfully used the past two seasons to compensate for poor offensive line recruiting during the coaching carousel and the tail-end of the Wannstest era. Including Jones-Smith, Pitt has added seven big bodies up front. And not only is Paul Chryst adding numbers along the line, he's remaking the line with the type of players he wants. At a glance:
| Adam Bisnowaty | 6'6" | 275 lbs |
| Gabe Roberts | 6'5" | 290 lbs |
| Carson Baker | 6'5" | 315 lbs |
| Dorian Johnson | 6'6" | 280 lbs |
| Aaron Reese | 6'5" | 290 lbs |
| Alex Officer | 6'4" | 300 lbs |
| Jaryd Jones-Smith | 6'7" | 300 lbs |
That's seven lineman. Six are 6'5" or taller. Five are within ten pounds of 290 lbs or more. Will any of them pan out? Who knows. But Chryst has built his offenses on giant lineman and Pitt is taking a step in the right direction with those seven.
Welcome to Pitt, Jaryd!
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