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Pitt’s 2020 football season may have ended on Dec. 10, but Pat Narduzzi and the Panthers coaching staff have been hard at work on the recruiting trail since then. And the latest development to come of their efforts is Pitt's placement in the top 11 of Samuel Brown, a coveted running back out of La Salle College High School near Philadelphia.
These are my top schools #AG2G pic.twitter.com/gMeDJEFBsG
— Samuel Joseph Brown V (@SjbV5) December 31, 2020
Brown’s top 11 is rounded out by Arizona State, Cincinnati, Duke, Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Virginia and West Virginia. That list was derived from an offer sheet that also included Baylor, Bowling Green, Kent State, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Temple, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.
The 6’1”, 195-pound running back holds a four-star rating from Rivals as well as a three-star rating from 247Sports. Rivals ranks Brown as the No. 21 athlete in the 2022 class and the No. 8 prospect in Pennsylvania. 247Sports places him at No. 28 among running backs and No. 10 overall in the Keystone State.
In 2020, Brown was a key member of a solid La Salle team that went 5-1 and outscored opponents 86-13 in its last three wins of the season. Twice in 2020, Brown topped 100 yards and three scores in a single game, as he had 196 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in a win over Manheim Township as well as 110 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Downingtown East. And as a result of his standout play, Brown earned second-team all-state honors from Max Preps.
Should Brown choose Pitt, he could greatly benefit a team in dire need of running back talent by balancing its pass-heavy offense. And in addition to that, he would extend an impressive run of in-state recruiting by the Pitt staff, which has brought in coveted Keystone State recruits Elliot Donald, Dorien Ford, Dayon Hayes and Nahki Johnson in recent classes.
With that said, Brown has yet to set a decision date, and with 11 schools still in the mix, Pitt likely has a long road ahead in its recruitment of the coveted in-state running back.