3-Star LB Commits to Pitt

The Pitt Panthers gain the commitment of another three-star player.

Nov 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi on the sideline against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Three-star linebacker Zion Paul has committed to the University of Pittsburgh, according to his social media. Paul, who plays for Houston County, Georgia, joins Pitt's impressive freshman class of 2027.

Paul turned down other Power 4 conference teams such as Cincinnati, Kansas and Duke to join the Panthers.

I’m home!! @Pitt_FB @CoachDuzzPittFB @Coach_JoeBowen @BearDownHOCO @benjaminwolk @CoachEdwards10 pic.twitter.com/5VVBuAkkIi

— Zion Paul (@ZionPaul_4) June 26, 2026

Paul stands at six-foot-one and 200 pounds. He has been a multi-sport athlete in high school, playing basketball and running sprinting events in track alongside his football career.

In his junior season, Paul put up 69 tackles, 19 tackles-for-loss, four sacks and one forced fumble. He clearly has the size, speed and athleticism to be an effective linebacker on the field.

With the NCAA's recent rule change, Paul will have five years of eligibility in college and won't have to worry about being redshirted. The recent rule change allows for freshman players to get more opportunities on the field, as coaches won't have to debate if they should keep a redshirt restriction on them.

Pitt clearly has a state it's targetting, as Paul is the eight player recruited from Georgia by Pitt in his class. He joins Max Patterseon, Jeremiah Proctor, Omarion Wallace, Ronald Moore, Carter Mathis, Noah Nixon and Kayden Battle from the Peach State.

Pitt's Linebacker Room

Pitt's current linebacker room isn't as dominate as last year's, as the 'Shark' duo of Rasheem Biles and Kyle Louis left the program for different reasons. Pitt's best returning linebacker is Braylan Lovelace, but it's not a given he'll still be on the team when 2027 comes around.

Paul joins Jeremiah Proctor and Walter Hudson as the linebackers of Pitt's 2027 freshman class. All three are three-star players, but so was Kyle Louis, who was Pitt's best player for two seasons.

Pitt's current 2027 freshman class is all three-stars. They had a four-star in quarterback Kevin Verpaele, but he decommitted and has since joined South Florida. The Panthers have still been making moves, such as flipping quarterback James Perrone soon after.

Hopefully Pitt can pick up some four-stars eventually, but they have definitely been making use of their position and resources to get players up and down the East Coast. With the new H2PNIL initiative recently launched, Pitt will likely have new ways to offer NIL deals to prospects as well.

There's still a whole season of football before the likes of Paul step on the field for the Panthers, but until then Pitt will keep building their class of 2027.

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