Pitt makes top eight of small forward Ryan Dunn

Jeff Capel and the Pitt coaching staff made progress in the recruitment of a coveted prospect on Wednesday night, as Ryan Dunn, a small forward out of the Perkiomen School in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, unveiled his top eight and placed Pitt in his group of finalists.

Boston College, Georgetown, Maryland, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, South Carolina and Virginia rounded out Dunn’s top eight, and that list was derived from an offer sheet with 24 programs represented. Some of Dunn’s most notable cuts included California, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Iona, Marquette, TCU, Texas A&M, UMass and Virginia Tech.

The 6’6”, 190-pound small forward holds three-star ratings from both 247Sports and Rivals. Rivals does not have Dunn ranked, but 247Sports considers him the No. 49 small forward in the 2022 class and the No. 5 prospect in his home state of New York.

Dunn announced in May that he would be attending the Perkiomen School for a post-graduate year, but before that, the native of Freeport, New York, played for Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, New York. And during his time at LuHi, he was known for his three-point shooting, as he made 44 percent of his three-point shots as a sophomore in the 2019-20 season.

With that said, Dunn’s recruitment did not heat up until this spring, when he put on a series of solid performances with his AAU team. That saw him earn his first Division I offer from Stony Brook on May 6, and by July 11 Pitt had joined the mix as well. From that point on, the race to land Dunn only intensified, as 10 more teams extended scholarship offers after Pitt and prior to the release of his top eight.

Pitt is believed to be a serious contender for Dunn, as the recruit has described the program as a potential good fit and spoken highly of Coach Capel. In addition, Rob Cassidy of Rivals said in July, “Pitt seems like a decent bet to be involved until the end.”

However, at this point, it is unclear when further cuts or a decision from Dunn can be expected, as he has yet to set a decision date.