Recruit To Watch: Hard-Hitting Linebacker To Officially Visit Michigan

About three weeks ago, Perkasie (Pa.) Pennridge linebacker Phil Picciotti put Michigan in his final four alongside Oklahoma, Penn State and Auburn. Now, the 6-3, 225-pounder is gearing up for official visits to his top schools. The trip to Ann Arbor is just two weeks away.

As a Pennsylvania kid, Picciotti is naturally intrigued by the Nittany Lions, but it's actually the Sooners who are believed to be in the lead for him. New Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables is a defensive guy and has a linebacker's mentality. That's going to appeal to a guy like Picciotti, who loves contact and plays a downhill brand of football on both sides of the ball. With official visits coming up, however, there's plenty of time for teams to jockey with one another. It's going to be interesting to see how things play out after his official visit to Norman, which kicks off this weekend.

I want to thank all the schools who have recruited me, I’m extremely blessed to be in this position. I’ve built many great relationships during this process. With that being said, I’ll be focusing on these 4 schools. @UMichFootball @OU_Football @HuskerFBNation @AuburnFootball pic.twitter.com/HuPisfhl5y
— P³³ (@PhilPicciotti) May 13, 2022

Last year, Picciotti did a little bit of everything for his team. The two-way standout rarely came off the field and racked up 144 tackles on defense in the process. On offense, he played running back part of the time and compiled 250 yards on 42 carries and scored four touchdowns.