Pitt lands a highly coveted local lineman

Pat Narduzzi tweeted earlier that Pitt received a new commitment. That commitment kept everyone guessing for the past few hours, until recently. Jake Kradel confirmed he was the newest member of Pitt’s 2018 recruiting class with that tweet just moments ago.

Jake Kradel is a 6’4” 290 pound offensive lineman from Butler, PA. He is graded as a three-star recruit by all four of the major recruiting services. ESPN goes as far as to call him the 15th ranked recruit in the state of Pennsylvania. Kradel chose Pitt over offers from Ohio State, UCLA, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin most notably. In all, Kradel had 25 division one offers, with most of them coming from power five schools.

Here is a better look at Kradel’s 2016 season for Butler High School.

Kradel now becomes Pitt’s fourth recruit in the 2018 class. He joins defensive end Noah Palmer as the second prospect from the WPIAL in the class. He is the third offensive recruit, joining quarterback Nick Patti and tight end Jay Symonds.

Pitt’s recruiting efforts typically pick up in late May and June under Pat Narduzzi, and it appears that trend may continue this season. Pitt’s class was off to a very slow start, but things look like they can snowball a bit in the coming weeks with visits and prospect camps on the horizon.

Landing Kradel is a pretty big deal for this staff. Not only is he a quality player, they were able to beat out national power Ohio State for his services. Pitt is always able to land some local prospects, but Notre Dame and Penn State made some serious in-roads last season on Pitt’s home turf. Landing a player of Kradel’s caliber is a strong win for Pat Narduzzi and his staff.