Inside The Panthers

Pitt Offer Report: Texas RB Edward Kelly Jr.

The Pitt Panthers became Offer No. 1 for a running back with big-time speed.
Kevin Sinclair|
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In the modern recruiting era, the Pitt Panthers have a strong track record of finding overlooked talent capable of success at the top end of college football.

In February, Pitt was the first school to extend an offer to receiver/cornerback/return specialist Blake Hamilton who recently clocked a 10.65 and is coming off an unofficial visit. Hamilton is set to return to Pittsburgh for an official visit in June.

On Tuesday night, the Panthers became the first scholarship offer for another speedster out of Texas in Edward Kelly Jr., a running back in the 2026 class.

In this case, the speed component is similarly significant.

From Klein High School in Spring, Texas, the same city Pitt edge prospect Cullen Thompson plays his varsity ball, Kelly Jr. is also a 10.6 sprinter with a 200-meter time of just over 21 seconds.

As a junior in 2024, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound prospect averaged over seven yards per carry as he rushed for 1,677 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also tacked on 24 receptions for 240 yards and three touchdowns alongside 256 yards and a touchdown on just seven returns.

Collectively, those numbers were good enough for 2,173 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns for the 6-4 Bearkats.

In his junior season highlights on Hudl, it's impossible to miss the fact the rising senior is more than capable of converting his track speed into big-chunk plays on the ground, through the air, and as a kick returner.

If he finds a crease or has the football in space, Kelly Jr. is a dangerous weapon in the Klein offense.

On the weekend, Kelly Jr. attended the popular and competitive Under Armour Camp in Houston. Following a strong performance, he was selected to attend the next level of the circuit, as shown below.

Just a few hours after Kelly Jr. announced his initial offer from Pitt on Tuesday, he announced a second offer from UTSA.

Running backs like Kory Amachree (Michigan) and Damon Ferguson (Maryland) are set for official visits in June. It'll be interesting to see if Kelly Jr. also makes it to campus this off-season or in the fall.

Current Pitt 2026 Verbal Commitments

* QB Angelo Renda (Southlake [Tx.] Southlake Carroll)
* WR Dylan Wester (Sarasota [Fla.] Booker)
* 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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