Pat Signal: Kyi Wright commits to Pitt

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi picked up his third in-state recruit of the 2019 cycle and his first recruit from western Pennsylvania on Thursday, as linebacker Kyi Wright of Farrell High School announced his commitment to the program in a message posted on Twitter.

“To all of my teammates, I want to thank you for your support and always pushing me to be a better player and leader on the field,” Wright said in the message. “With that being said, I’d like to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Pittsburgh.”

Wright is currently considered a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports and Rivals, and both recruiting websites rank him among the top 25 players in the state. During his recruitment, he received scholarship offers from a total of 13 schools, including Cincinnati, Maryland, North Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, UCLA, Wake Forest, Wisconsin and Youngstown State.

Pitt’s ability to fend off three ACC rivals and three other Power Five heavyweights for Wright’s services largely came down to the fact that Pitt was the first to offer him.

“With [Pitt] being the first school to offer me, they showed that they were the first school to believe in me,” Wright said on Wednesday, according to Mike Vukovcan of Pittsburgh Sports Now. “Also, I’ve built a great relationship with their coaching staff. And as far as education, they have a great program in the field that I want to major in.”

During the first two years of his high school career, the 6’3”, 245-pound linebacker accounted for 247 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks, over 29 games. However, Wright was sidelined with a knee injury for the entirety of his junior season in 2017.

With his announcement Thursday, Wright joins an incoming class primarily composed of defensive talent, and his ability to contribute at such a prolific rate thus far in his career bodes well for his chances of taking the field for the Panthers sooner rather than later.