Pitt reached nine verbal commitments for its class of 2021 during a busy day of recruiting Thursday.
After failing to snare a quarterback in the most recent cycle that concluded in February, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi resumed the quest and found one — Nate Yarnell of Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas.
Also, Marco Fugar, an offensive lineman from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., chose Pitt over four other offers, including one from Maryland. Fugar, 6-3, 275, is a 2-star recruit, according to Rivals.com.
The two commitments helped lift Pitt’s class of 2021 ranking to 26th in the nation, fifth in the ACC.
I am very excited to announce I am committed to Pitt! Thank you to all the family and coaches that have helped get me to where I am today! #H2P @CoachDuzzPittFB @CoachWhipPitt pic.twitter.com/3ZSAsMbhGC
— Nate Yarnell (@NateYarnell) April 30, 2020
First of all I would like to thank Coach Harriot,Coach Wilson,& Coach Saint for helping me become the player I am today.I would also like to thank my family as well for making the sacrifices they made for me and my future.With that being said I have decided to commit to Pitt ?? pic.twitter.com/vemLjIEzWc
— 56 Nightmares??? (@FugarMarco) May 1, 2020
Yarnell, 6-6, 200, chose Pitt over scholarship offers from seven other schools, including Utah and Houston. He completed 67.7% of his passes (107 for 158) for 1,489 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.
Yarnell, a three-star prospect, became the Lake Travis starter last season when Hudson Card, a Texas recruit, was out with an injury.
“He got the ball out of his hand and was delivering the football,” coach Hank Carter said after Yarnell led Lake Travis’ 54-21 victory. “(He) made some on-the-line checks in some crucial situations early. (There were a) couple of plays that he’ll learn from, just like all the guys out there. But I think there’s a lot of positive things that he did.”
After Kenny Pickett’s eligibility expires after the 2020 season, Pitt will have four quarterbacks on its roster in ’21, including Nick Patti, who has been Pickett’s No. 1 backup, Davis Beville, Joey Yellen, who transferred this year from Arizona State, and Yarnell.
Yarnell and Fugar are the eighth and ninth players on Pitt’s 2021 prospect list. There are six on offense and three on defense.
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