Inside The Panthers

Pitt Football Offers 2028 WPIAL Star

The Pitt Panthers have officially offered their third 2028 WPIAL recruit.
Mitchell Corcoran|
Nov 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi looks on from the sidelines against the Clemson Tigers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Nov 16, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi looks on from the sidelines against the Clemson Tigers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh Panthers

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers signed their 2026 recruiting class last week and are now preparing to build their 2028 class by offering emerging WPIAL star athlete Jaden Jones.

Jones had a breakout sophomore season, helping Avonworth to a 15-0 record and a PIAA 3A state championship victory.

At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Jones brings speed and length on both sides of the ball as a wideout and defensive back, and can also play quarterback.

In the state championship victory, Jones blew past the defense for a 53-yard touchdown on Avonworth's first offensive play of the game and made several impressive catches for a PIAA championship-record 187 yards.

Jones on Paper

Jones concluded his impressive 2025 season with a stunning stat line of 33 catches for 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns, according to his X profile, which means that he averaged 31.0 yards per reception and a third of his catches went for a touchdown.

On defense, Jones had five interceptions, one for a touchdown, six pass breakups and 25 total tackles.

Jones does not have a star rating or any player rankings on any of the main recruiting websites yet. But with his numbers and size, it would be hard not to see Jones as one of the top players in Pennsylvania in the near future.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jones has already visited Ohio State, Florida State, Kentucky, Syracuse, West Virginia and NC State. He holds offers from West Virginia, NC State and now Pitt.

Central Valley tight end Lukas Gerovac (11) lunges forward after being brought down by Avonworth defensive back Jaden Jones
Central Valley tight end Lukas Gerovac (11) lunges forward after being brought down by Avonworth defensive back Jaden Jones (6) during the WPIAL Class 3A Western Hills Conference game between Central Valley and Avonworth at Sarge Alberts Stadium Friday, Sept. 26, 2025 in Center Township, Pa. | Ethan Morrison / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jones also comes from a West Virginia family. Both of his parents attended WVU and his father, Vertus Jones, was a three-time All-American wrestler with 95 career wins and is now a member of the Mountaineers' Sports Hall of Fame.

Pitt's 2028 Class

Pitt still has a 2027 recruiting class to build up first, but it doesn't hurt to get an early start on the 2028 class.

Jones is the third Class of 2028 WPIAL recruit the Panthers have offered. Pitt has also targeted 6-foot-3, 220-pound Hopewell quarterback James "BooBoo" Armstrong, and 6-foot-0, 175-pound Clairton athlete/defensive back Brandon Murphy.

Pitt has yet to land a recruit as part of its 2028 class, but not many schools around the country have so far. According to 247Sports and Rivals, the Panthers have already sent out over 80 offers to 2028 recruits.

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Mitchell Corcoran
MITCHELL CORCORAN

Mitch is a passionate storyteller and college sports fanatic. Growing up 70 miles away in Johnstown, Pa., Mitch has followed Pittsburgh sports all his life. Mitch started his sports journalism career as an undergraduate at Penn State, covering several programs for the student-run blog, Onward State. He previously worked for NBC Sports, The Tribune-Democrat and the Altoona Mirror as a freelancer. Give him a follow on X @MitchCorc18.

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