Pitt standing out for four-star recruit Dani Dennis-Sutton

With Pitt gaining national recognition for the defense Pat Narduzzi has constructed over the last five years, the program continues to find itself in the mix for high-profile defensive recruits. The latest is 2022 defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton out of McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland, near Baltimore.

The 6’6”, 240-pound sophomore discussed his recruitment with Adam Friedman of Rivals on Wednesday and noted that the Pitt coaching staff has been in contact with him regularly. In addition, he took an online tour of the Pitt facilities and was impressed by what he saw.

“I’ve been talking to the Pitt coaches a lot,” Dennis-Sutton told Friedman. “They’re really cool coaches. I’ve been talking to Coach Partridge, and I saw their online tour. Their facilities are right next to the Steelers. That’s pretty cool to get that exposure every day. They have a really nice facility. They took me through the campus, and I saw the campus. It was really nice. The Pitt coaches have been talking about their defensive linemen, and they have a pretty tough class.”

Dennis-Sutton is a consensus four-star recruit, and he is considered a top-100 prospect in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports and ESPN. In addition, 247Sports and ESPN both place him among the top 10 strong-side defensive ends in the nation and the top five recruits in Maryland. As such, Dennis-Sutton has received 27 scholarship offers, 23 of which came from Power Five programs.

With that said, while Pitt has caught Dennis-Sutton’s attention, the program is not alone. Alabama, Maryland, Oklahoma, Penn State and Rutgers have all been in contact with the recruit as well, with Alabama, Maryland and Penn State all getting positive reviews from Dennis-Sutton. However, Penn State, in particular, seems to be a team to watch in the defensive end’s recruitment, as he officially visited Happy Valley last October and has spoken highly of the program since then.

Last season at McDonogh, Dennis-Sutton enjoyed modest success, as he had 29 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery in 10 games with an 11-1 team that ranked 66th in the nation. Given his immense size and versatility, many schools are expected to step up their efforts to land Dennis-Sutton in the coming months. But for now, Pitt is heavily involved and is standing out from the pack.