Ex-Pitt pledge Jalen Hood-Schifino commits to Indiana

Former Pitt recruit Jalen Hood-Schifino, who was committed to Pitt from Dec. 30, 2019, to July 27, 2020, announced on Tuesday that he had committed to Indiana. Pitt was no longer involved in Hood-Schifino’s recruitment, as Jeff Capel and his staff ended their pursuit of the Pittsburgh native shortly before landing four-star prospect Judah Mintz in June.

Hood-Schifino announced his decision on CBS Sports on Tuesday afternoon, choosing from a final two of Indiana and Tennessee. The four-star point guard had previously announced a top five that included Florida, Memphis and Texas as well as Indiana and Tennessee.

While Hood-Schifino is considered a top talent in the 2022 class, with 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals all ranking him among the top 32 prospects in the nation, Capel and the Pitt staff seemed unwilling to wait on a decision from the recruit on a continual basis as offers from blueblood programs piled up and rumors of his interest in other schools swirled. As a result, they moved on from him 11 months after his decommitment, despite his alleged interest.

Mintz, Pitt’s apparent replacement for Hood-Schifino, committed to the program as a slightly less heralded recruit than his predecessor. However, he stirred up some excitement for his arrival over the summer, as he averaged more than 22 points per game at Nike EYBL’s Peach Jam event. He also faced Hood-Schifino at Peach Jam and led Team Durant to a 71-61 win over Team Thad.

In Bloomington, Hood-Schifino will be the likely successor to former Pitt point guard Xavier Johnson, who transferred to Indiana in April and will finish his collegiate career as a Hoosier. Hood-Schifino and Johnson will play under recently hired Indiana head coach Mike Woodson, who will attempt to right the ship after Pittsburgh-area native Archie Miller led the Hoosiers to their first losing record in a decade last season and was fired.