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Over the weekend, Pitt made progress in the recruitment of a potential star wide receiver, as Cameron Bonner of St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas, placed Pitt in his top six. The other five finalists for Bonner include Arizona, Houston, Illinois, Texas A&M and Utah.
Top 6❗️❕
— Cameron Bonner (@camdamone) August 16, 2020
Blessed to be in this position! Thank you to all the schools that have recruited me to this point. These are my top 6 schools moving forward. (recruitment still open) @STHFootball pic.twitter.com/brsc0s2eGs
Bonner holds three-star ratings from ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports. ESPN ranks him as the No. 81 wide receiver in the 2021 class and the No. 78 prospect out of the state of Texas. The analysts at 247Sports consider Bonner the No. 76 wide receiver and the No. 73 recruit out of the Lone Star State in 2021.
The 5’11”, 175-pound receiver holds a total of 19 offers and notably cut successful in-state programs like Baylor and SMU as well as less-heralded Texas schools like Abilene Christian, North Texas, Texas State and UTSA. Some of Bonner’s other notable cuts included Colorado State, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin.
Last season at St. Thomas, Bonner accrued 1,255 yards and 12 touchdowns on 50 receptions as a key member of an Eagles team that went 9-4 overall and 4-0 in league play. The year before, he played a more limited role on a team that went 11-2 overall and was once again undefeated in league play.
Pitt is in the midst of an offensive rebuild that is off to a decent start. The team hired Mark Whipple as its offensive coordinator in 2019 and has since adopted a pass-heavy approach. Pitt also has several promising candidates to succeed Kenny Pickett in 2021, as former four-star recruits Davis Beville and Nate Yarnell are set to face off with Nick Patti for the starting role after Pickett graduates next year.
All that suggests Pitt would make for a good landing spot for Bonner, as the up-and-coming playmaker would be one of Pitt’s most productive receivers even if his scoring and yardage from last season were cut in half. However, Pitt still has five programs to beat to bring Bonner aboard, and no clear front-runner has emerged in his recruitment. Bonner has also yet to set a decision date.