“I had been thinking about it for a while. I knew I wanted to go to Pitt for a long time. I kept seeing myself in a Pitt uniform. I had to commit,” stated Melbourne (FL) Palm Bay running back Sekai Lindsay (5-foot-10 inches, 205 pounds). “I was going to visit first, but I decided I didn’t need to wait.”
Lindsay chose the Panthers over scholarship offers from Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, Cincinnati, Indiana, Florida International, South Florida, Temple, Idaho, Massachusetts and Georgia Southern.
“(Pitt running backs coach) John Settle came to my school and spent the entire day there. It showed me that I was a priority recruit,” he said. “I know their recruiting class will be smaller and they were only taking one running back. Even though Pitt was willing to wait for me, I knew I couldn’t take too much longer. Pitt is where I wanted to be. I had to commit.”
“I can’t wait to work with Coach Settle. He’s a great guy and a big part of why I chose Pitt. He told me they were all excited about my commitment.”
Lindsay is known as a bullish, physical runner. When asked about his strengths as a running back, he stated, “I like to think of myself as a complete all-purpose back. I have great vision and explosiveness. If you need me to be a physical north-south runner, I can do that. If I have to go east-west and break open a long run, I can do that as well. I’m versatile.”
“I chose Pitt because it was a great school and I really like their offense,” he said. “Pitt’s offense is very similar to what we run in high school. (Pitt head coach) Paul Chryst and Coach Settle want a power running game. They want to wear out defenses with a downhill running attack. That fits right into my strengths as a running back.”
The Panthers are starting to build a talented and formidable stable of running backs. Sophomore running back James Connor has already considered one of the top young running backs in the nation. Henderson joins class of 2014 recruits Chris James, Qadree Ollison and Dennis Briggs.
Linday is the second Floridian to join the Panthers 2015 recruiting class. He joins Hallandale Beach (FL) Hallandale cornerback Malik Henderson.
Sekai’s verbal commitment gives the Panthers nine recruits for the class of 2015. He joins Kettering (OH) Archbishop Alter defensive tackle Kraig Howe, Apollo-Ridge wide receiver Tre Tipton, Canon-McMillan offensive lineman Alex Paulina, Altoona linebacker Kevin Givens, Kittanning tight end Nick Bowers, Malvern Prep quarterback Alex Hornibrook and Wilmington (DE) Alexis I Dupont receiver Quadree Henderson.
Sekai Lindsay can be found on Twitter at @sekaiA21
Harry G. Psaros can be found on Twitter at @PittGuru