Pitt makes top eight of wide receiver Peter Kikwata

Pitt has left little doubt that it is a rising power on the recruiting trail during the 2021 recruiting cycle, as it landed pledges from Elliot Donald, Dorien Ford and Nahki Johnson before flipping Naquan Brown from LSU. On Saturday, the program’s promising show of form continued, as Pitt made the top eight of Peter Kiwata, a receiver in the 2022 class out of Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland.

Pitt is joined in Kikwata’s top eight by Auburn, Boston College, Florida State, Kentucky, Maryland, Penn State, and West Virginia. That list was trimmed from a total of 23 scholarship offers, and some of Kikwata’s most notable cuts included Arkansas, Cincinnati, Miami, Rutgers, Tennessee, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

The 6’1”, 180-pound receiver holds a four-star rating from ESPN, which ranks him at No. 217 in the ESPN 300. Rivals and 247Sports both consider Kikwata a high-three-star prospect, with Rivals ranking him as the No. 50 wide receiver in the 2022 class and 247Sports placing him at No. 80 at his position.

During the 2019 season, Kikwata accrued 423 yards and scored eight touchdowns on 18 receptions at Watkins Mill High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The recruit then transferred to Northwest High School in Germantown, Maryland, which happens to be the alma mater of Pitt cornerback A.J. Woods. But Northwest’s school district, Montgomery County Public Schools, then canceled fall sports in July in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result, Kikwata did not record any stats during the 2020 season.

Pitt has seen improved play from its receivers in 2020, particularly from Jordan Addison, a freshman out of Frederick, Maryland, and D.J. Turner, a transfer from Maryland out of Glenarden, Maryland. The two pass-catchers from the Old Line State were brought in by Pitt receivers coach Chris Beatty and have revolutionized the Pitt passing game along with Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett and Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, and should Kikwata choose Pitt, the hope is that he can build on their achievements.

Kikwata has yet to set a commitment date, and given his status as a 2022 recruit, it could be some time before an announcement is made. But for now, it appears that Beatty and the Pitt staff have the program well positioned with yet another coveted DMV-area recruit.