Dane Jackson commits to Pitt

Chris Peak of Pantherlair.com broke the news of Dane Jackson committing to Pitt on Twitter earlier today. Jackson is a local product that hails from Quaker Valley High School in the WPIAL. Jackson helped lead the Quakers to an 8-3 record last season and a berth in the WPIAL playoffs, before they were bounced by Aliquippa. The local standout is certainly an under-the-radar type player. He only claims offers from two other FBS schools, Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan.  He is listed as an Athlete by Rivals, a corner by Scout, and a Safety by 24/7. He is not given a star by most of the sites, but 24/7 gives him credit as a two star and rates him as the 41st prospect in Pennsylvania.

Jackson becomes the tenth commitment for the 2016 class. He is the seventh commit to join the class in the month of June, and he is the fifth player from the WPIAL in the class.  Jackson will likely join the Panthers in the defensive backfield. At 6'0" 170 pounds, Jackson brings ideal size to play either corner or safety. As you can see in his film, he does a little bit of everything for his high school team, and obviously the coaching staff likes his athleticism enough to give him an offer.

Kevin Gorman wrote a nice piece on Jackson back in September about his interesting dynamic of attending one high school (Cornell) that co-op's for football with another (Quaker Valley), and his ability to lead them to success right off the bat. Jackson appears to be a good athlete, but can come in as a puzzling offer for Pitt.  He is a lightly recruited guy without much fanfare, and will be sure to draw some questions from some Pitt fans. Paul Chryst and his staff can only bring in about 16-17 recruits this year, and this commitment brings them to ten already.  There is a long way to go before February, and now the staff needs to be smart and selective with the remaining spots.

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