DeMarr Langford comments on Pitt recruitment

Pitt head coach Jeff Capel has yet to land his first recruit of the 2019 cycle, but there have been a number of developments on that front over the past few days. One of the most surprising bits of news to emerge is the fact that Pitt is being seriously considered by 2020 guard DeMarr Langford, a four-star recruit out of Putnam Science Academy in Putnam, Connecticut, who may reclassify to 2019. He is a teammate of fellow Pitt target Akok Akok, a five-star power forward.

Langford spoke with Corey Evans of Rivals on Friday and revealed that the four schools that stand out to him most are Pitt, Texas Tech, UConn and Virginia Tech. In his conversation with Evans, he discussed the recruiting process with Pitt and his impression of Capel thus far.

”[Capel] has been asking me a lot of questions about what my recruitment is like and what it feels like having all of these schools coming at me,” Langford said. “He has been asking about if I care about being far from home or not, which I do not, as long as I feel like it is a family there, then I am straight.”

”He has been asking me what type of coach that I like and want, and I told him coach Vin [Pastore],” Langford added. “He will tell you if you suck and what you can and need to work on. You got to do whatever you can to make your team win.”

While Langford’s responses do more to pull back the curtain on Capel’s recruiting methods than they do to reveal the recruit’s level of interest in Pitt, Langford was also asked if he thought Capel fit the mold of his ideal coach, to which he replied, “I do.”

What makes all this particularly interesting is that Pitt’s 2019 class is expected to be primarily composed of frontcourt additions, as Capel added three guards and a small forward in 2018. So if Langford reclassifies to 2019, the composition of the next Pitt recruiting class could defy expectations and lean into Capel’s unabashedly guard-oriented approach to the game.

Of course, the frontcourt remains an area of need for the Panthers, but one or two additions would go a long way toward improving that position group. Capel has a few irons in the fire on that front, and one of Pitt’s targets, four-star power forward Tyrese Samuel, is set to announce his decision this weekend. Georgetown, Seton Hall and Wake Forest are his other finalists.

As for Putnam teammates Langford and Akok, no decision dates have been set, and no major announcements are expected to be made in the near future.