Inside The Panthers

Ascending WPIAL Guard Visiting Pitt Panthers Football

After picking up his 12th scholarship offer, a first team All-State offensive lineman will be on campus with the Pitt Panthers.
Kevin Sinclair|
X: @JCurranIII2026

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The Pitt Panthers continue to host prospects of all stripes across several classes during spring camp. Among those on campus today is a pair of linemen from nearby high schools many Pittsburgh fans are familiar with.

Traditionally, Pine-Richland is a well-coached, disciplined, and balanced squad that often finishes with double-digit wins. The Rams' starting left guard John Curran III is among the cited linemen.

Only beginning to catch on as a prospect, Curran III is certainly built for a transition from the WPIAL to the Division-I stage, a 6-foot-4, 288-pound rising senior. To be clear, there’s a lot more than just a big kid who looks the part. 

Curran III walks the walk. While maintaining a GPA north of 4.0, he was tabbed First Team All-State at the conclusion of his junior season, and listed in his Hudl highlights is a 450-pound max bench and a 550-pound squat. 

Those are substantial numbers. 

For Curran III, the son of Pine-Richland’s defensive line coach (also named John Curran), it won’t be his first time visiting the Panthers. Back in June of 2023, the in-state guard attended a camp at Pitt, a year later (June of 2024), he was on campus again.

On March 22, the Pennsylvania 5A runner-up announced an offer from Ohio during a trip to the Midwest school. 

Akron, Coastal Carolina, Cornell, Brown, Buffalo, Fordham, Lafayette, Marshall, New Hampshire, Old Dominion, and Pennsylvania had offered previously. 

Typical for the Rams, the roster had multiple Division-I prospects last season, including Curran II and 2026 classmates in tackle Braylen Price and defensive back Lawrence Timmons.

The Pitt Panthers extended an offer to Timmons on November 24, wrapping up an excellent season on both sides of the ball for the Rams. Offensively, he was Pine-Richland's leading receiver.

When you consider the fact Timmons is heavily focused on his budding defensive back stardom, his contributions as a pass-catcher are truly admirable.

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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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