Pitt makes top 10 of blue-chip recruit Adama Sanogo

Jeff Capel and the Pitt coaching staff have been looking to bolster their frontcourt by landing elite talent, and they made progress in that endeavor on Monday, as Adama Sanogo out of the Patrick School in Hillside, New Jersey, placed Pitt in his top 10. The other nine finalists in Sanogo’s list were Auburn, Illinois, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Seton Hall and UConn.

The 6’9”, 230-pound center is a consensus four-star recruit. Rivals considers him the No. 9 center in the country and the No. 49 recruit overall in the 2021 class. ESPN places him at No. 9 at his position and No. 30 overall, while 247Sports has him at No. 11 at center and No. 66 overall. With that said, he could reclassify to 2020, which would alter those rankings.

Sanogo made several notable cuts in his drop down to a top 10, as Arizona State, Creighton, Marquette, Oregon, Rutgers, TCU and Xavier all offered but are no longer in the running. Pitt is said to be in good standing with the Mali native, as he mentioned the program as one that was prioritizing him in an interview with Evan Daniels of 247Sports in February. With that said, Auburn, Nebraska, UConn and Xavier were mentioned in the same breath, and three of them are still in the mix.

Last month, Sanogo was establishing plans to visit Nebraska, Seton Hall and UConn and had been in close contact with each program’s coaching staff. And prior to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issuing a stay-at-home order amid the spread of the coronavirus, Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg and UConn coach Danny Hurley were both able to attend Sanogo's games. Sanogo also attended a Seton Hall game. So the three schools have been prominent in his recruitment over the last couple of months.

At Pitt, Sanogo could team up with fellow blue-chip recruit John Hugley to form a new-look frontcourt and address the Panthers’ most glaring issue. And if Sanogo reclassifies, that could all happen in one fell swoop. However, at this point, it is unclear how coronavirus-related travel restrictions will impact Sanogo’s process and when he will announce his decision.