Central Catholic linebacker/safety Gusty Sunseri will attend Pitt and join the football team as a preferred walk-on, he announced Thursday morning on his Twitter account.
Sunseri, 6-foot, 200 pounds, was a first-team selection last season on the Pennsylvania Football News 6A all-state team.
COMMITTED #H2P @coachcsanders @Pitt_FB @CoachDuzzPittFB pic.twitter.com/nk7Fo45Md6
— Gusty Sunseri (@G_Moneyy12) January 9, 2020
Central Catholic defensive coordinator Dave Fleming, who also used Sunseri as a hybrid safety, said Sunseri could make an early impact on Pitt’s special teams.
“He’s a great tackler and likes to D-up close to the line and be physical,” Fleming said. “Real instinctive, student of the game, well-schooled as you would expect from that family.”
“He’s a hitter,” Central Catholic coach Terry Totten said.
Extremely Blessed to receive a PWO from the University of Pittsburgh!!! @coachcsanders @Pitt_FB pic.twitter.com/NPlF9SzhxG
— Gusty Sunseri (@G_Moneyy12) December 8, 2019
Sunseri is cousin to former Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri and former Alabama safety Vinnie Sunseri, who are both graduate assistants for the Crimson Tide. Gusty is nephew to Sal Sunseri, who was a Pitt All-American linebacker in 1981 and presently a linebackers coach at Alabama.
Gusty, who had scholarship offers from Patriot League and Ivy League schools, injured his knee and missed the second half of the 2019 season as Central Catholic won a WPIAL championship. Over his career, however, he played in more than 40 games for Central.
He chose Pitt, a popular choice among Central Catholic players. There were seven Central graduates on Pitt’s roster last season.
“We like their staff and they like us and trust us,” Totten said. ”We love seeing them stay local, if they can. I have a lot of trust in Pitt.”
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