Pat Signal: V’Lique Carter commits to Pitt

Pitt’s football staff has been hard at work on the recruiting trail lately, especially in Florida, and that work has paid off in the form of a commitment from defensive back V’Lique Carter out of West Palm Beach’s Oxbridge Academy.

Carter is considered a three-star safety and ranks 101st at his position in the country, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He committed to Iowa State on Nov. 15 but decided to flip his commitment just days before the early signing period for college football recruits. He announced his decision to decommit from Iowa State and join Pitt in a tweet on Monday.

This past season at Oxbridge Academy, the 5’10”, 170-pound safety snagged two interceptions and made 31 tackles on a team that ranked 19th in Florida and 175th in the nation with a 10-2 record, according to MaxPreps.

For his efforts, Carter drew offers from a total of 13 schools, with the most notable among them being Oklahoma, Purdue, Kentucky and Central Florida. The latter was the closest school to West Palm Beach to offer Carter and probably would have been a more attractive option had it not lost head coach Scott Frost to Nebraska on Dec. 2.

Carter should be a nice addition to a position that has taken a few hits recently, as Pitt lost star safety Jordan Whitehead to the NFL draft last week and missed out on four-star Aliquippa safety Kwantel Raines, one of the program’s top targets who committed to rival West Virginia on Oct. 30 after Pitt had been favored to land him for months.

He is expected to officially sign with Pitt in the coming days alongside fellow Class of 2018 defensive backs Judson Tallandier, a three-star cornerback out of DeMatha Catholic in Maryland, and Marquis Williams, a three-star cornerback out of Cardinal Gibbons in Florida.