Many times when a Pitt fan thinks of Connecticut they think of former Big East rival, the UConn Huskies. However, the 2014 recruiting class received a signee from Connecticut when Connor Dintino pledged to the Panthers. Now, Pitt is up north again perhaps trying to start a small pipeline state. The prospect that Pitt is interested in is 2016 Quarterback Jacob Hallenbeck of Kingswood Oxford. He recently switched schools from Avon Old Farms.
Dreambackfield.com caught up with Hallenbeck (6’2” 214 lbs.) to discuss his recruitment.
“Pitt started recruiting me when I was at my old high school. Coach Palermo, who’s the area recruiter, came up to see Chris Clark (2015 4* TE, committed to Michigan). Things just ended up working out when I went to Youngstown State he told me to swing on through and get a tour of the school.”
On that visit to Pitt, he received a tour of the school and got a chance to talk to Head Coach Paul Chryst. Hallenbeck said, “I like Coach Chryst. He’s a very nice guy and I really like that he’s the Quarterback Coach as well.”
Hallenbeck, who currently has one scholarship offer from North Carolina, is receiving a ton of interest from ACC and SEC schools.
“This summer I’ve camped at Tennessee, Duke, Clemson, East Carolina, NC State and some others. Pitt, Tennessee, NC State and Syracuse are recruiting me the hardest right now.”
He may not have known much about Pitt before his recruitment started, but he does however have some ties to the school. “My grandfather is from the area and he actually graduated from Pitt so that’s cool.” He did know about Pitt some because he is a UConn basketball fan so he’s familiar seeing Pitt on television.
Although Hallenbeck says that he has no early favorites, Pitt is standing out. “I like that I have family in the area and I love how there are so many professional sports teams in the city. I just love sports.”
As much of this summer has been spent at camps and visiting schools, he’s also taking time to better his game. He has lost 7-8 pounds, is working on his speed and overall strength along with working to improve the mental side of the Quarterback position with reading defenders.
National Letter of Intent Day 2016 is a long way away from now but Hallenbeck has an idea of when he’d maybe like to commit. “I’d like to decide before my senior season but if I can’t then I’m not too worried about it.”
He plans to come down for a practice during camp in August and also plans on getting down for a game this fall.
Follow Jacob on Twitter at @Jhalnbk12