Restrictions on in-person recruiting remain in place as the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. But Pitt coach Jeff Capel and his staff have been as active as ever on the recruiting trail, and late last week, they hosted Charles Bediako, a center out of Andrews Osborne Academy in Willoughby, Ohio, for a virtual visit. Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers was first to report the visit.
Source: Pittsburgh staff hosted five-star junior Charles Bediako for a virtual visit last night. Duke’s full staff hosted him for one on Tuesday as well.
— Jake (@jakeweingarten) May 16, 2020
The coach involved his whole staff in the Zoom call with Bediako, who has also been pursued by Alabama, Duke, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas and others. The recruit had similar virtual visits with Duke last Tuesday and Michigan on last month. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had his whole staff in tow for the call, and Michigan coach Juwan Howard offered Bediako a scholarship during their teleconference.
The 6’10”, 220-pound center is a consensus four-star recruit, and he is ranked among the top 25 recruits overall in the 2021 class as well as the top five centers by both 247Sports and Rivals. The only outlet with a dissenting opinion is ESPN, which places him outside the overall top 25 at No. 29 and outside the top five at his position at No. 6 among centers.
“Charles is the ideal 5 in the modern-day game because of his length and athleticism and his continually improving ability to stretch the floor,” Dave Briski, one of Bediako's coaches, told Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog. “His speed is what sets him apart from other guys at his position. Once he consistently uses it in transition and in two-man actions on the perimeter, he will be in a class of his own.”
During the pandemic, Capel and the Pitt staff have connected with a number of recruits through virtual visits, including Jordan Hawkins, Franck Kepnang, Karim Mane, Aminu Mohammed, Bretner Mutombo, Efton Reid and Gabe Wiznitzer, among others. At this point, Bediako has yet to lay out a timeline for a college decision, and it is unclear if any frontrunners have emerged in his recruitment.