Pat Signal: Tamarion Crumpley commits to Pitt

Pitt added a 23rd recruit to its 2021 class on Tuesday morning, but the identity of the prospect was unknown until a full list Pitt's signing day recruits was revealed by the school and showed that Tamarion Crumpley had committed to the program. The cornerback out of Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati was committed to Minnesota but backed off that pledge in June amid interest from Pitt.

The 6’2”, 180-pound cornerback holds three-star ratings from 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. All the recruiting websites count Crumpley among the top 50 prospects in Ohio, and 247Sports and Rivals rank him as one of the top 70 cornerbacks overall in the 2021 class.

Crumpley reeled in 19 scholarship offers over the course of his recruitment, with 11 coming from Power Five programs and one from his hometown school, Cincinnati, which has been more dominant in recent years than any of the Power Five teams on his offer sheet. But with that said, Pitt has much to offer defensive recruits, as it has molded Paris Ford, Patrick Jones II, Jaylen Twyman and Rashad Weaver into likely early-round NFL draft picks, so its allure to Crumpley is in no way mysterious.

As for what Crumpley brings to the table for Pitt, the Buckeye State prospect had a breakout year at Winton Woods in 2019, as he had four interceptions, 23 tackles, and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a defensive touchdown. And this season, he earned all-district honors as a key member of a team that improved from 6-3 to 9-1.

The Cincinnati native will arrive at Pitt at an opportune time, as longtime Panthers cornerback Jason Pinnock declared for the draft over the weekend, leaving a spot open opposite Damarri Mathis in the Pitt secondary. And while Crumpley is no lock to secure playing time early in his college career, he could see the field if he makes a name for himself in training camp, just like Jordan Addison did at wide receiver in 2020.