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The Pitt coaching staff had a productive weekend on the recruiting trail, as two Ohio recruits placed the program in their respective top 10s. One was four-star running back Gi’Bran Payne out of La Salle High School in Cincinnati, and the other was Mitchell Evans, a tight end out of Wadsworth High School, which is located 15 miles to the west of Akron.
Thank you to the coaches and schools that have given me this great opportunity at the next level, here is my top 10 ‼️‼️@GoBearcatsFB @IndianaFootball @CycloneFB @MSU_Football @UofLFootball @GeorgiaTechFB @NDFootball @Pitt_FB @FSUFootball @UVAFootball pic.twitter.com/Dp18Fo4eBE
— Mitchell (@mitch14football) July 4, 2020
Evans’ top 10 also includes Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Virginia, meaning there is a 40 percent chance Evans ends up with an opposing program in the ACC and an equally strong chance he ends up on a team Pitt is currently scheduled to face during Evans’ collegiate career.
The 6’7”, 240-pound tight end is considered a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports and Rivals. The former ranks him as the No. 19 tight end in the 2021 class and the No. 18 recruit in Ohio. The latter ranks him as the No. 28 tight end and the No. 25 Ohio recruit.
Over the course of his recruitment, Evans drew a total of 24 offers, with major finalists like Florida State and Notre Dame only getting involved within the last month. Evans’ 14 cuts include hometown program Akron as well as Army, Boston College, Duke, Harvard, Kansas, Purdue, Syracuse, UCF and West Virginia and three other football programs in Ohio.
Last season at Wadsworth, Evans dealt with injuries but still managed to contribute 306 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 19 catches for a Grizzlies team that went 9-3 overall and 6-1 in conference. Wadsworth has been a strong team during Evans’ high school career, as the team went 12-1 in his sophomore season and 11-1-1 the year before that.
At Pitt, Evans could bolster a tight end position group that has been thin for the past two seasons. The program’s most recent addition to its 2021 class was Trey Anderson, a tight end out of Utah, and this season, it will have Florida transfer Lucas Krull. However, Krull will only be with the Panthers for one year, so if Evans chooses Pitt, he should have a strong shot at seeing some early playing time.