Inside The Panthers

Recap: a Handful of Pitt Official Visits Booked Recently

Reviewing four recent additions to the upcoming official visitors list in the books for the Pitt Panthers.
Kevin Sinclair|
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Below is a review of four recent and particularly important and/or intriguing additions to the Pitt Panthers official visitors list throughout June.

Zachary Taylor

It's fitting that Zachary Taylor coincidentally landed at the top of this list. There may not be a more intriguing, unique, and quickly-emerging prospect in recent Pitt recruiting conversations. A 6-foot-0, 182-pound safety/receiver (most are targeting him for the former), Taylor legitimately clocked a laser-timed, verified 4.39 40-yard dash just over a week ago, among the top three times recorded throughout the Under Armour Camp circuit so far this cycle.

At the Texas 6A level, only six athletes top Taylor's 10.51 100-meter time, and among those half-dozen is Katy High School cornerback Isaiah McMillian (10.34). Coincidentally, now that Taylor has booked his trip, he'll meet McMillian in Pittsburgh as both are scheduled for the June 12-14 official visit.

Talk about freak athleticism, Taylor's highlights are a lot of fun to watch. Check 'em out at the Hudl link here.

Nicholas Howard

Once the Pitt Panthers extended an offer on April 28, the rest happened quickly. Before Nicholas Howard announced the new scholarship, North Texas, Texas State, Tulsa, and UTEP represented his most notable offers. Since Pitt joined the race roughly three weeks ago, he's added Air Force, Arizona, Colorado State, Houston, Kansas State, Southern Miss, Tulane, and UNLV to his college options.

Just over a week after Pitt offered, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound tackle from Pearland, Texas announced June 5-7 official visit plans in Pittsburgh. Without a lot of options at the position at the time, this was a key development for Coach Jeremy Darveau.

DeAnthony Lafayette

At roughly 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, edge rusher DeAnthony Lafayette turned heads in February with a 4.73 40-yard dash at an Under Armour combine. This followed the Orlando product's 73 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 18 tackles for loss, an interception, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a whopping 47 QB hurries.

Oklahoma, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt offered shortly before Pitt joined the battle. Florida, Georgia Tech, Illinois, and Miami offered following Pitt. So, while the competition is significant, Lafayette is set for a June 5-7 official visit in Pittsburgh.

Nathan Zappitelli

While Nathan Zappitelli seems more likely to become a college interior lineman versus sticking to his varsity role at left tackle, don't count out the latter. The Ohio prep school product is a lean, athletic, and intelligent offensive lineman at 6-foot-4, 280 pounds who cites a total of 70 pancake blocks during his 2024 season.

For the Pitt staff, where he trends position fit-wise in the next year or two is much less important than simply winning this recruitment. Zappitelli is a very skilled, highly conditioned, high-upside offensive lineman with toughness and a very bright future. It's that simple.

The remaining official visits set recently: OT Pete Eglitis (June 19-21), Edge Lawrence Brown Jr. (June 19-21), LB Bryson Castile (June 12-14), OL Adrian Hamilton (June 12-14), DE Malachi Ervin (June 19-21).

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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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