Three Candidates From Pitt's Recruiting Class to Make Instant Impact
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers signed 22 players to their 2023 recruiting class - 19 high school players and three transfers. It's an important class that will help usher in the next generation of Pitt football after so many foundational players the past two teams move on. Not many of them will be good enough to contribute right away, but there are some standouts in strong position to break through sooner rather than later.
For this exercise, we stick with just the high school players the Panthers recruited. Phil Jurkovec would be too easy a choice, so we venture into the unsure things - here
Lamar Seymore, Wide Receiver
This has as much to do with Seymore's ability as it does with the state of the Panthers' receiving corps. Bub Means and Konata Mumpfield will be back for another year in blue and gold - that much is certain - but the rest of the room is one giant question mark. Jared Wayne is expected to call it a career and pursue the NFL and two of the reserve pass-catchers expected to step up in his place hit the transfer portal in the middle of the season.
Seymore is not the highest-rated receiver in Pitt's class but he has size at 6'2 and 185-pounds, measurements that will only get better as he begins a real college weight-training program, and speed that shows up on tape. He's played both in the slot and on the outside, adding some depth of experience to his outstanding physical traits, which will all combine to give him a better shot at seeing the field immediately.
T.J. Harvison, Running Back
When he introduced the 2023 class to local media on Signing Day, Pat Narduzzi said running back is a position he feels is easier than others for freshmen to jump in right away and contribute and he has two backs capable of doing just that.
Fresh off a 200-yard, two-touchdown performance for Bowdon High School in the Georgia state championship game, Harvison will arrive at Pitt as an early enrollee in January riding a hot streak. At 6'1 and 200-pounds he also has college-ready size and his ability to catch passes out of the backfield makes him ready to take up the
Shadarian Harrison, Cornerback
Pitt thinks they have one of the best players in the class of 2023 in Harrison. He was not just a "diamond in the rough" or a good player for his area - they believed Harrison was the best defensive back available. His high school team at Lakeland High in Florida housed Rivals' top defensive back in the 2023 cycle, five-star Cormani McClane.
"This kid is the best DB on their football team," Pat Narduzzi said. "There's another DB on their team that might even be ranked the No. 1 DB in the country and we got the No. 1 DB in Shadarian Harrison."
Harrison picked off five passes and scored three defensive touchdowns for a Lakeland team that allowed 7.9 points per game last year. Miami, Florida State and Oregon tried to pry Harrison away from Pitt late in the process but he stood by a verbal he gave in June.
With the top three corners on the team - Marquis Williams, M.J. Devonshire and A.J. Woods set to return next year - breaking in a corner will be a tall task for Harrison but given the high praise already gotten, it would be no surprise to see him mix in as a reserve next year.
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