Inside The Panthers

Pitt Edge Prospect Climbs Rankings

One of the more talented edge prospects considering the Pitt Panthers recently received a jump in the national rankings.
Kevin Sinclair|
XL @_Cullenthompson

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Back on March 8, On SI reported that 6-foot-4, 215-pound edge rusher Cullen Thompson out ofSpring (Tx.) Grand Oaks would be visiting the Pitt Panthers on March 13.

At the time, Thompson carried offers from Baylor, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Pitt, and others. He's an intriguing pass rusher recruit, despite only having one full year of varsity ball under his belt.

“...(My coach) told me that they were going to offer me. The next day, I got on the phone with the DC, Coach Randy Bates…At the time, I had an offer from a small HBCU, and then all of a sudden, I had a really big ACC offer,” Thompson said on March 8.

Prior to his rise as a Power Four prospect, Thompson competed in the junior olympics and has since clocked 40-yard dash times in the 4.4 and 4.3 range. It's part of why he's since picked up additional offers from Syracuse and others.

Last week, Thompson received a significant ranking adjustment.

Formerly unranked per 247Sports, the Texas product rose to high-three-star status, now ranked No. 599 overall nationally.

“(When) you walk up to the building, half of it’s Pittsburgh Steelers, half of it’s Pitt Panthers football,” Thompson said following his March visit. “The contrast of being able to play in front of NFL scouts every day in practice and stuff, that's something to look forward to.”

“The other thing that stood out was they re-did the whole building..It just looks super-duper nice inside,” Thompson added. “They changed the locker room. They made a new breakfast facility, a new everything. It's just everything is brand new in there.”

Currently, Thompson has official visits set for UNLV and Oklahoma State next month. It's unclear if he'll take an official visit to Pittsburgh given that he's already visited the Panthers this off-season. But Thompson is most definitely strongly considering the ACC squad.

Current Pitt 2026 Verbal Commitments

  • QB Angelo Renda (Southlake [Tx.] Southlake Carroll)
  • WR Dylan Wester (Sarasota [Fla.] Booker)
  • WR Demetrice McCray (Orlando [Fla.] The First Academy)
  • S Marcus Jennings (Detroit [Mich.] Cass Tech)
  • S Isaac Patterson (Westerville [Ohio] Westerville South)

Current Pitt 2027 Verbal Commitments

  • WR Jacob Thomas (Pembroke Pines [Fla.] Flanagan)
  • RB Tyler Reid (Miramar [Fla.] High School)

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Kevin Sinclair
KEVIN SINCLAIR

Kevin Sinclair writes coverage of the Pitt Panthers along with the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans for On SI. Previously, he was a recruiting reporter and managing editor at Irish Illustrated, the privately-owned Notre Dame site within the 247Sports Network, for over seven-and-a-half years. Kevin studied multimedia journalism and has been a sports writer for nearly a decade.

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