Pitt OL commit Rob Dowdy talks Pitt

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The University of Pittsburgh football team is currently undefeated at 3-0. A great deal of the teams’ success can be linked to its punishing running game.  The Panthers’ massive offensive line has paved the way for standout sophomore running back James Conner.  He recently set a school record for rushing yards in three opening games.

Pitt continues to stockpile tremendous offensive linemen. Westerville (OH) Westerville South offensive lineman Rob Dowdy (6-foot-5 inches, 295 pounds) is the latest behemoth to commit to Pitt.

“I chose Pitt because of the comfortability factor,” said Dowdy. “There were a lot of coaches during the process that would fuss things up.  The Pitt coaches stood out because they were we straight forward and genuine.  Their honesty stood out over others.”

Dowdy was a massive young man sitting on significant amount of offers. He had received scholarship offers from the likes of Boston College, Miami (FL), Arizona State, Michigan State, Minnesota, N.C. State, West Virginia, Rutgers, Kentucky, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Illinois and Indiana.  A week prior to his final decision, he had tweeted out a likely ‘top five’ list of schools. Pitt was not one of them.

When asked specifically what led him to his decision one week after the tweet, he provided an enlightening answer. “Pitt was always in the mix.  They may have been my 5th or 6th choice for a while.  Once I visited there, things changed,” he said.  “I loved my visit.  I felt very comfortable with everything Pitt offered academically and athletically.  I have a lot of family from Columbus and Youngstown and they can drive down for each game.  I felt like I belonged at Pitt.”

“When I sat down and looked at every school A to Z, Pitt offered me everything I wanted in a school. I really like the way Pitt plays.  They are physical and they run the ball.  Their style of play fits what I do and my body type.”

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Dowdy mentioned two coaches specifically that made a positive impression on him. “(Pitt offensive coordinator) Joe Rudolph and (Pitt recruiting coordinator) Dann Kabala were my primary contacts.  They were great to deal with.  I always knew where I stood.  They were straight forward with everything they told me.”

While Rudolph and Kabala were attempting to sell the Pitt football program to Dowdy, they had an assist from another salesman. A 6-foot-4 inch, 290 pound salesman.  “I have worked out with (2015 Pitt defensive tackle commitment) DaVon Hamilton for at least three years.  We train together at D1 Sports.  He would talk about Pitt to me but his father would do a little more selling.  He was always telling me to keep Pitt in mind.”

Considering Dowdy and Hamilton will spend four years competing against each other in practice, I asked if the two have a friendly rivalry. He quickly responded, “DaVon and I have been talking smack to each other for two to three years, that won’t change!”

Rob was asked to pinpoint his strengths at his position. He stated, “I’m going to give Pitt full effort.  I’m a very hard worker.  I’m good at run blocking and I continue to work on my pass blocking.  My goals is to even the two out before I get to Pitt.  I want to be a complete lineman.”

“I’m very happy with my decision. I can’t wait to be a Pitt Panther.”

DreamBackfield’s Harry G. Psaros can be found on Twitter at @PittGuru