Kyle Fugedi requests release from letter of intent

One of the most notable aspects of Pitt’s 2021 recruiting class was the progress made by Pitt secondary coach Archie Collins in Detroit, as he landed three offensive lineman from the Rust Belt city and its surrounding area. But much of that progress was recently lost, as Brandon Honorable flipped to Western Michigan and, on Thursday, Kyle Fugedi requested a release from his letter of intent.

In addition to requesting a release from the letter of intent he signed in December, Fugedi did not show up on Pitt’s reporting day for incoming freshmen on June 13 and does not plan to join the team for the 2021 season, according to Chris Peak of Panther-Lair.

The move follows a recruitment that saw most interactions between the native of Livonia, Michigan, and the Pitt staff take place via Zoom calls due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Fugedi was unable to take an official visit to Pitt’s campus and only set foot in Pittsburgh twice over the last few months: once to tour the campus in the fall, and once for the Blue-Gold Game this spring.

Prior to his commitment to Pitt, the 6'6", 263-pound lineman held offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, Kent State and Kentucky. The three-star recruit was also previously committed to Miami (Ohio) but was one of several MAC recruits to flip to Pitt. Now, it is unclear where Fugedi might end up, but there may well be opportunities at lower-tier programs closer to home as that proved to be the case for Honorable.

As for Pitt, the program is not short on talent, as it is projected to enter the 2021 season with 96 players on its roster. That figure exceeds the 85-player limit, but 12 of those 96 players are super seniors who were granted additional eligibility by the NCAA and will not count against the limit. So Pitt has one open spot in its 2021 class it can fill, and Pat Narduzzi and his staff may utilize it, as they used Honorable’s spot to add Cole Mitchell last week.

With Fugedi and Honorable no longer planning to take the field for Pitt, Terrence Enos is the program’s last remaining 2021 recruit from the Detroit area. Enos is also one of just two players on the Pitt roster from Michigan, with the other being 2020 walk-on Will King IV. Prior to adding King in 2020, Pitt had not landed any Michigan recruits since adding Alex Kessman of Clarkston in December 2015.