Pitt Football Recruiting: Panthers land 2016 WR Paul Graham

The Pat Signal went up in the middle of last night as Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi apparently has snared another commitment for the class of 2016.

Pitt picked up a commit from wide receiver Paul Graham early this morning as Graham chose the Panthers. He didn't yet have any other offers and was even rumored as a D-II guy (yikes). At 5'1" and 140 pounds, he's not the biggest guy in the world, so there's good reason for the light offer sheet. But his speed and versatility (he's also a kicker) made him attractive enough to land an early Pitt offer.

Yeah, so it's mostly his speed. Graham reportedly ran a ridiculous 4.05 40-yard dash at a recent workout, so that helps make up for the size factor a bit.

Then there's the name, of course. Graham doesn't have any relationship to former Pitt coach Todd Graham, but ironically, the ex-coach had something to do with how he ended up here.

"I was just starting high school when Graham came to Pitt. He talked about speed and how it was so crucial to his system. I didn't have an offer at that time but he came to my high school and liked what I had to offer. I honestly thought I'd be playing for him in a few years."

Graham says while he ultimately settled on Pitt fairly early in the process, he definitely considered other schools.

"I had good looks from Cal (PA), Shippensburg, and IUP with some interest from Marshall. The Thundering Herd was an intriguing option as were the others, but after weighing everything, Pitt was it for me."

Graham's obscene speed could also open up other doors at the school, too. He already had an offer to join the track and field program in the 100 meter dash and while Joe Jordano and the baseball program haven't offered him, there's a chance he ends up on the team as a walk-on pinch runner. He also could suit up as a walk-on for the soccer, wrestling, and swimming and diving teams.

Before you get too down on Pitt adding a lowly-ranked recruit this early, keep in mind that he can and probably will pick up more offers. That type of speed doesn't grow on trees so I can't imagine he won't get any additional looks.

Oh yeah, and check your calendar.