Marcus Jennings had Pitt near the top of his recruitment for some time now. Jennings, a 6-3 and 190-pound linebacker prospect out of Cass Tech High School in Detroit, had already planned an official visit to come to Pittsburgh in June.
On Saturday, Jennings made a trip to Pittsburgh to come see one of Pitt’s spring practices. He sort of knew right then and there that he could make his decision here in March. Jennings became the fourth member of Pitt’s recruiting class with Saturday afternoon commitment.
“It feels like home,” Jennings told Panther-Lair.com about his decision. “I’ve got a good relationship with the head coach and that’s important, and especially my position coach, and that’s really important to me. I wasn’t waiting one anything else, so I figured I might as well lock this in with my favorites, they showed me lots of love.”
Jennings actually plays for of a defensive back role for Cass Tech, where he recorded 120 tackles, five sacks, and two interceptions as a junior while guiding his team to a state championship. Pitt likes Jennings at linebacker, and Ryan Manalac has been a driving force in this commitment.
“I think me and Coach Manalac are pretty close,” Jennings said of the Pitt coach. “We can talk about almost anything, whether that’s football, or we talk about life a lot, so that’s a big thing.”
Another big reason that Jennings even had interest in Pitt was because of defensive backs coach, Archie Collins. The Panthers’ assistant attended Cass Tech back in the day and the Detroit connection was key here.
“Coach Collins was really important, just bring from Detroit and going to the same school as me,” Jennings said of the Panthers’ assistant. “He just recognized my talent and stayed in touch with me ever since and we just built that bond up until ready and now it’s just going to get started.”
Jennings likes his role in Pitt’s defense, which will be the star linebacker spot. That position allows player to play freely on the edge, a spot that Kyle Louis is currently thriving in for Pitt.
“I like how fast they play, how aggressive they are, and the turnovers they create,” said Jennings.
The Cass Tech star held additional offers from Illinois, West Virginia, Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Marshall, Miami (OH), Toledo, UMass, and Western Michigan.
The highlight of Saturday was of course his commitment, but seeing the Panthers on the field was another important part of the day.
“The experience yesterday was pretty cool,” Jennings said of his unofficial visit. “The defense actually got after it. The practice was nice and we had a nice after it, so it was fire.”
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