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A few days ago, I wrote that 2015 wide receiver recruiting target Tre Tipton was planning to make a decision pretty soon. Tipton made good on his decision to select his school within a few weeks and on Saturday, he committed to Pitt - reportedly over his other finalist, Michigan State.
I ran through the gamut on Tipton in that initial link above, so I won't do it again here. But on the surface, this appears to be another solid get for Paul Chryst. The scouting services are a little mixed on his rating, but he had an offer from Michigan State and, according to Scout, Penn State as well. If nothing else, the Nittany Lions at least appeared to show some interest.
Recruiting is always an up and down process. Heck, just a few months ago, Tipton had Michigan State at the top of his list (and that was before they offered him). That's obviously changed.
Despite his earlier affinity towards the Spartans, it doesn't sound like a potential flip will be in the mix:
In addition to Pitt and Michigan State, Tipton had offers from Akron, Buffalo, Duquesne, UMass, Ohio, St. Francis (PA) and Toledo. He was considering Penn State's prospect camp this coming weekend and a return trip to Michigan State, but he said those plans are cancelled.
"I'm calling off the visits and everything," Tipton said. "I'm a Pitt guy."
One thing that may have helped is that Tipton's coach at Apollo-Ridge, John Skiba, was a former Panther:
Long discussions with his mother, Kim, and his coach, John Skiba, helped him negotiate forks in the road and choose the correct path.
Skiba also played at Pitt, and Tipton said the coach was "ecstatic" about his decision.
...
Skiba did not push Tipton toward Pitt but advised him to put more thought into the situation.
"I'm a Pitt guy, but it was all his decision," Skiba said. "He felt at home with the players and staff. I'm excited for him; I love that the hometown kid is staying."
His coach downplays it, but I'm sure it couldn't have hurt.
All in all, it's hard to rate this as anything but a solid commit for Chryst. At 6'0" or 6'1", Tipton isn't the biggest guy in the world. And outside of his 14 touchdowns, Tipton's numbers from last year as a junior (44 catches for 697 yards) seem modest. But the three-star ratings from ESPN and 24/7, as well as other interest from some quality programs, is encouraging and makes me think the coaching staff may have picked up a good one here.
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