Pitt head coach Paul Chryst has add 50 players in the last two recruiting classes. Despite a pair of sizeable classes, the Panthers remain thin at quarterback and defensive end. The Panthers have extended an early scholarship offer to an intriguing prospect from the state of Connecticut.
“Pitt was the first school to offer me a scholarship. I have always dreamed of getting a scholarship to play college football and the Panthers got the ball rolling,” stated New Canaan (CT) defensive end Zach Allen (6-foot-5 inches, 245 pounds).
Allen is a long defensive end with deceptive speed. He registered 81 tackles, 11 ½ sacks, 2 forced interceptions, 13 pass deflections and 2 defensive touchdowns as a junior. Zach has received scholarship offers from Pitt, Boston College, Connecticut, Virginia, Bowling Green, Syracuse, Massachusetts, Harvard, Yale, Fordham and Princeton. He has an outstanding 4.0 grade point average.
“I have a great relationship with Pitt’s defensive ends coach (John) Palermo. My family likes him as well,” he said. “He’s an impressive guy. His resume is awesome. He’s coached a lot of All-Americans and championship teams. Coach Palermo has been great throughout the process.”
Allen has visited Boston College, Harvard, Yale and Virginia. He will visit Pitt on March 27th. Zach has visits to Rutgers and Northwestern planned shortly after. Vanderbilt, Penn State and Wake Forest want him to visit as well.
When asked about his strengths as a defensive end, he stated, “I’m a high energy player. I go to the ball. I stay in my gap. I’m a quick learner and I’ll do what the coaches say. We play a 3-4 defense. I can stand up in coverage and I have speed coming off the edge.”
“I’m very open at the moment. I want to take some visits and make a decision prior to the season,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to visiting Pitt. Coach Palermo has told me so much about the school and the football program. I have done my research and it seems like a great school academically.”
“Pitt was the first school to offer me and every time I’m asked to list my top schools, Pitt has always been right up there.”
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