Jay Stocker commits to Pitt

PITT IS IT! ##H2P

— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) January 21, 2015

There it is, "The Pat Signal" is at it again. The Panthers social media savvy head coach officially unofficially announced something just happened, and by the looks of it, it was Jay Stocker committing to Pitt as Chris Peak of Pantherlair confirmed over Twitter. Stocker becomes the first player to commit to new head coach, Pat Narduzzi. The three-star safety from Coatesville, PA also becomes the 11th commitment for the 2015 recruiting class.

Jay Stocker played for Coatesville High School in the Eastern half of Pennsylvania. He helped lead the Red Raiders to a 21-3 record in his final two seasons while finishing fifth on the team in tackles this past season while hauling in a pair of interceptions.  Stocker is graded as a three-star prospect by all four major recruiting outlets. ESPN lists Stocker as the 8th best prospect in Pennsylvania, while Rivals says he is 11th, and 24/7 says 13th.

Jay Stocker picked the Panthers over his other finalist Syracuse, but he also held offers from other notable schools like Wisconsin, West Virginia, Maryland, Georgia Tech, among many others. He is expected to come in and compete for time at safety, and with Ray Vinopal moving on, there are snaps available. Stocker may need to add some size to his 186 pound frame, but as you can see on film, he is not afraid to come up and hit people.

Jay Stocker is an important commitment on many levels. First of all, Stocker gets the new staff its first recruit and could start the ball rolling for the next few weeks before signing day. Secondly, Stocker is a very good safety prospect and is a big piece to this 2015 recruiting class.  Obviously many names are still floating around in the recruiting rumors, but Stocker was an important one to land for Pat Narduzzi and the new staff.