WPIAL Champ & Steelers Legacy Talks Pitt Commitment

On Friday, after attending a recent spring camp practice, Valdez Stuvaints announced his commitment to the Pitt Panthers 2025 class.

“It's a great day today,” Stuvaints said.

He’s a two-time WPIAL champion out of McKeesport High School, the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Russell Stuvaints.

Valdez Stuvaints is set to compete at the safety position, too. He'll enroll at Pitt in June. Inside the Panthers caught up with the soon-to-be Pitt freshman on Friday.

Can you start by telling me a little bit about background? I imagine it's pretty cool growing up with a dad who was a pro.

“I started playing football when I was four, started off flag football, just waiting to get into equipment. So, first two years, flag, just getting the feel for the game."

“My dad, I was too young to watch him play, but I hear 1,000 stories, watch some films, always getting real hype just hearing about it, was always waiting for it to be my turn, and now it seems like my turn is right around the corner.”

Pitt Panthers Safety Valdez Stuvaints — IG: ballout_dez

With your dad being a former pro, I would imagine that naturally, you were looking to follow in his footsteps. Is that about right?

“That's exactly how it was. Someone like him, that's the best coach you could have in your corner. He did it, and he knows what it takes, and understands how it goes. So, him giving me tips and advice, that's like the original recipe right there. It's good to follow that.”

With growing up in the Pittsburgh area and your dad playing for the Steelers, have you been around Pitt a fair amount in your life?

“Definitely been down there. I don't know if you've heard of Dee Brown. All the time, working out with 2Tenths. That's at Pitt right there. That's just more motivation, always down there at the UPMC facility. Just dreaming."

“Finally, Pitt came through. They told me they believed in me, and now it's time to make something happen.”

You were at Pitt for a visit recently. Can you tell me about that?

“So, it was the opening spring practice. Coach Adam Caltury got me down there for a visit. Pitt, I always looked at it as a potential home, but that visit, that just confirmed everything. It was great. Everything just seemed electric."

“Everything was hyped, players flying around, coaches hyped up. It's just something I wanted to be a part of.”

You have a background at safety. Pitt has had a lot of success at that position, Damar Hamlin included. Pitt’s associate head coach is the safeties coach, many successful players at that position over the last decade. Can you talk about that factor?

“I'm a strong safety. Been playing strong safety for years. Like I was saying before, I got the best coach out of my dad. He was a professional strong safety, so that's the best I can learn from.

“Coach Corey Sanders for Pitt...since my ninth grade year, had me down there a couple times, just seeing how they run things, how their safeties play. It was something great to be around. So, I was able to prepare for that."

“Now I just got a feeling they're going to give me a shot. They expect me to do this and I'm going to show them what I can do.”

Are there any members of the 2025 class that you’ve crossed paths with over the years?

“Just this past year, 2024 WPIAL championship, we played against Thomas Jefferson. We came up a little short, but they have a pretty good player named Shep Turk."

“He committed the Pitt (in the 2025 class). He's definitely a good player, somebody I look forward to playing with.”

What was it like to tell your family and your dad that you got the opportunity at Pitt?

“It was pretty emotional. You know, we've been waiting on this for some time. I had some other opportunities, but everybody in my family knewI wanted to stay home. I wanted to be able to play for Pitt. They're my hometown team. It was great to tell everybody.”

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