Pitt

Central Catholic DE and German OL among 1st to officially commit on Pitt’s signing day

Jerry DiPaola
By Jerry DiPaola
6 Min Read • Dec. 20, 2023 | 2 years Ago
Go Ad-Free today
Slide 1
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
Central Catholic’s Ty Yuhas works out during practice on Aug. 27 2023, in Oakland.

Moritz Schmoranzer kick-started Pitt’s signing day at 7:08 a.m. Wednesday when coach Pat Narduzzi received a signed national letter of intent from the German-born offensive lineman.

Schmoranzer sent his letter from Germany where he is spending the holidays before enrolling next month.

By mid-morning, Pitt received LOIs from all 19 of the prospects who previously had given non-binding, verbal commitments. That includes four players rated four stars by Rivals.com — the most since Narduzzi signed five in 2016. In that elite quartet, defensive tackle Francis Brewu of Worthington, Ohio, remained committed to Pitt after visiting Michigan State over the past weekend.

The other four stars who made their commitments official Wednesday are Aliquippa linebacker Cameron Lindsey, defensive end Sincere Edwards and defensive tackle Jahsear Whittington.

Brewu staying true to the verbal pledge he made to Narduzzi in March was perhaps the most significant development of the day. Brewu (6-2, 270 pounds) is ranked by Rivals the No. 11 overall prospect in Ohio and the No. 20 defensive tackle in the nation.

Schmoranzer (6-foot-4, 275), a former wide receiver, came to the U.S. two years ago to play high school football and became a three-star prospect at North Cross High School in Roanoke, Va., where his team won back-to-back state championships. He told Rivals.com on Wednesday morning that Pitt coaches also believe he can play the defensive line.

Julian Dugger, the only quarterback in the class, officially joined the Panthers with his signed LOI at 8:30 a.m. Dugger (6-3, 195) led Penn Hills into the WPIAL semifinals this season with a 9-3 record. Pitt received an LOI from Lindsey shortly after Dugger became official.

After Schmoranzer, next to electronically deliver his LOI was defensive end Ty Yuhas of Central Catholic, one of three WPIAL players to commit to the Panthers in this cycle. The three local prospects represent the most for Narduzzi since 2021.

Yuhas (6-3, 260) has been committed since February.

Narduzzi received seven verbal commitments from 2024 Pennsylvania players, and offensive lineman Jiavani Cooley (6-6, 265) of Erie’s Cathedral Prep quickly joined Yuhas in signing with the Panthers. The seven prospects represent the most Pennsylvanians to sign with Pitt in one year since Narduzzi took seven in 2015 and 2016.

Letters of intent from defensive end Zachary Crothers and offensive lineman Mason Lindsay arrived within a half-hour of the official 7 a.m. start to signing day. Crothers (6-4, 235) is from Chaminade Madonna High School in Hollywood, Fla., and Lindsay (6-5, 300) played at Dematha in Hyattsville, Md.

Pitt likes to recruit Georgia, and Caleb Holmes (6-3, 287) of Creekside High School in Fairburn, Ga., delivered his letter 45 minutes into the process.

Before the end of the first hour, four more letters arrived within 15 minutes of each other from Davin Brewton, Allen Bryant, Juetz Goff and Edwards, the first of four four-star prospects to sign.

Brewton (6-1, 205) played on both sides of the ball at Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic. Bryant (6-1, 170) is a defensive back from Florida power St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.

Goff (5-10, 190) of Central York is the only running back in Pitt’s class. Edwards (6-3, 240) offers promise as a pass rusher.

Next in line was defensive back Davion Pritchard (6-1, 165) of Austintown Fitch High School in Youngstown, Ohio. He was followed by offensive tackle Adham Abouraya (6-5, 285) of Downington East.

Whittington (6-2, 280) was the first to verbally commit to Pitt in April 2022. He was followed by two-way player Cameron Monteiro (6-3, 180) of Brockton, Mass., and defensive back Nigel Maynard (6-0, 165) of Stewarts Creek High School in Smyrna, Tenn.

The last to deliver his LOI was Jeremiah Marcelin (6-3, 230), an outside linebacker from Miami Norland High School.

Pitt recruits

Name, Previous school, Pos., Ht./Wt., Stars (Rivals)

Adham Abouraya, Downingtown East, OL, 6-5/280, 3 stars

Davin Brewton, Red Bank Catholic (N.J.), LB, 6-0/240, 3 stars

Francis Brewu, Thomas Worthington (Ohio), DL, 6-0/275, 4 stars

Allen Bryant, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.), DB, 6-0/170, 3 stars

Jiavani Cooley, Cathedral Prep, OL, 6-4/305, 3 stars

Zach Crothers, Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Fla.), DL, 6-4/245, 3 stars

Julian Dugger, Penn Hills, QB, 6-3/195, 3 stars

Sincere Edwards, Wekiva (Fla.), DL, 6-1/265, 4 stars

Juelz Goff, Central York, RB, 5-9/190, 3 stars

Caleb Holmes, Creekside (Ga.), OL, 6-3/285, 3 stars

Mason Lindsay, DeMatha Catholic (Md.), OL, 6-6/305, 3 stars

Cameron Lindsey, Aliquippa, LB, 6-0/200, 4 stars

Jeremiah Marcelin, Miami Norland Senior (Fla.), LB, 6-0/225, 3 stars

Nigel Maynard, Stewarts Creek (Tenn.), DB, 5-11/170, 3 stars

Cameron Monteiro, Brockton (Mass.), WR, 6-1/170, 3 stars

Davion Pritchard, Austintown Fitch (Ohio), DB, 6-0/170, 3 stars

Moritz Schmoranzer, North Cross (Va.), OL, 6-4/285, 3 stars

Jahsear Whittington, Imhotep Charter, DL, 6-0/275, 4 stars

Ty Yuhas, Central Catholic, DL, 6-3/265, 3 stars

Share

Categories:

Tags:

About the Writers

Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.

More Pitt Stories

Pitt volleyball swept by Texas A&M as Panthers fall in Final 4 for 5th straight year

5 Min Read | 4 days Ago

Pitt blows out Binghamton, snapping 3-game skid

4 Min Read | 5 days Ago

What you need to know about college volleyball to follow Pitt in the NCAA semifinalsVideo

6 Min Read | 5 days Ago

‘Another hack at it’: For 5th straight year, Pitt volleyball is a win away from playing for a national title

4 Min Read | 6 days Ago

Pitt volleyball faithful send off Panthers to Final 4 confident of team’s national title chancesVideo

4 Min Read | 7 days Ago

Pitt announces 2026 football opponents, including 9 ACC games

1 Min Read | 7 days Ago

Sports and Partner News

Push Notifications

Get news alerts first, right in your browser.

Enable Notifications

Content you may have missed

Enjoy TribLIVE, Uninterrupted.

Support our journalism and get an ad-free experience on all your devices.

  • TribLIVE AdFree Monthly

    • Unlimited ad-free articles
    • Pay just $4.99 for your first month

  • TribLIVE AdFree Annually BEST VALUE

    • Unlimited ad-free articles
    • Billed annually, $49.99 for the first year
    • Save 50% on your first year
Get Ad-Free Access Now View other subscription options