June has been a banner recruiting month for the University of Pittsburgh football program. One of the top recruits to commit to the Panthers was Melbourne (FL) Palm Bay running back Sekai Lindsay (5-foot-10 inches, 205 pounds).
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. He is generally considered one of the top ten running backs in the state of Florida.
To gain better perspective on Pitt’s newest running back, DreamBackfield.com spoke with Melbourne High School Head Football Coach Dan Burke. Coach Burke was recently inducted into the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame. He team has reached the playoffs for 17 consecutive seasons, won 13 district titles and 2 state titles (2000 and 2002).
“Sekai, first and foremost, is a highly intelligent young man. He scored a 28 on the ACT. Qualifying will not be an issue,” said Burke. “He’s a leader and role model for our younger players. His best years are ahead of him. He’s just scratching the surface of his talent.”
“Pitt is a great academic school. I fully expect him to excel there a s student.”
“Sekia is a role model. Our younger players look up to him. He’s a standout in the classroom, the first player on the field and in the workout room. He never, ever, takes time off. Sekai has a stellar work ethic.”
Burke considers himself ‘old school’ when it comes to his football philosophy. “I guess I’m a dinosaur but I prefer to pound the ball with strong running game. You won’t see us run the spread. We’re much more play option,” he said. “I like the offense that Paul Chryst is running back Pitt. I believe a gifted running back like Sekai fits perfectly into what they are doing.”
“Sekai doesn’t know his own strength. He’s very, very strong young man. He can bench press 315 pounds, clean 280 pounds and squat around 500 pounds,” he said. “He’s a physical back that can break a lot of tackles. If you try to arm tackle him, he’s gone. You’re never going to get him down. When he comes to the realization of how strong he is, he’s going to be even better.”
“Sekai has great vision. When he sees the hole, he hits it quickly. He’s fast as well. I haven’t seen too many players catch up him once he breaks open a run. We run a downhill power-I scheme similar to Pitt’s offense. It shouldn’t take him too long to pick up their scheme.”
Burke is usually hesitant to have one of his players commit to a school prior to visiting, but he felt differently with Lindsay. “Sekai really did his homework. He learned a lot about the University of Pittsburgh. He had built up a great relationship with the Pitt coaches as well,” he said. “Once I learned more about their offense, it made complete sense for Sekai. Pitt basically runs the same offensive scheme we do. I had no problem with him committing.”
“The Pitt football program added a great player and student. I look forward watching him flourish there in the future.”
Sekai Lindsay can be found on Twitter at @sekaiA21
Harry G. Psaros can be found on Twitter at @PittGuru