Pat Signal: Branson Taylor commits to Pitt

Pitt battled West Virginia for a coveted recruit and emerged victorious, as Branson Taylor, an offensive lineman out of Elyria Catholic High School in Ohio announced his commitment to the program following a team scrimmage on Friday night.

The 6’7”, 285-pound tackle holds a four-star rating from 247Sports, which also ranks him as the No. 23 recruit in the nation at his position in the 2020 class. Based on the recruiting website’s ranking, Clemson and Boston College are the only ACC teams that have landed higher-rated linemen in the 2020 cycle.

With that said, ESPN and Rivals both consider Taylor a three-star recruit despite an impressive list of 20 offers that included 15 from Power Five schools. Aside from West Virginia, Pitt notably beat out Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue and Tennessee for his services.

Taylor is the second offensive lineman Pitt has landed in the 2020 cycle, as Michael Statham, a 6’7”, 340-pound tackle out of Baltimore, committed on April 13. Last year, Pitt added Liam Dick, Matt Goncalves and Michigan transfer Nathan Ulizio to its offensive line.

With Taylor on board, Pitt has commitments from 17 recruits in its 2020 class. In 2019, Pitt's class consisted of 19 recruits and three transfers. The previous year, Pat Narduzzi brought in 22 recruits. So Taylor could be one of the last few recruits added in this cycle.