Inside The Panthers

Pitt Football Loses WPIAL Target to Penn State

Pitt Panthers football lost out on a WPIAL Star to rival Penn State.

Dominic Campbell

Fort Cherry quarterback Matt Sieg calls for the snap against Rochester during the Nov. 11 WPIAL Class 1A quarterfinal matchup at South Fayette High School. Img 6784
Fort Cherry quarterback Matt Sieg calls for the snap against Rochester during the Nov. 11 WPIAL Class 1A quarterfinal matchup at South Fayette High School. Img 6784 / Rachael Kriger / For BCT / USA TODAY NETWORK
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers work hard to recruit the WPIAL, but they sometimes miss out on the best talent to their rival Penn State.

Matt Sieg, a star quarterback/safety for Fort Cherry High School in McDonald, Pa., more than 25 miles southwest of Pitt's campus, announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions.

Sieg visited Pitt twice this season, first for their win over West Virginia on Sept. 14 and then for their most recent victory over Syracuse on Oct. 24, which saw them force five interceptions and return three for touchdowns.

He also visited last season for their win over then ranked No. 14 Louisville in Week 7, for Spring Practice in March and in July for Fall Camp.

He chose Penn State over a number of other offers, including ACC schools in Syracuse and Virginia Big Ten schools in Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers, USC and Wisconsin SEC schools in Missouri and Vanderbilt, as well as West Virginia, Temple, Marshall, Buffalo and Robert Morris.

Sieg had an incredible sophomore season, rushing for 2,389 yards and 43 touchdowns and he passed for 1,670 yards and 20 touchdowns as well.

His play led Fort Cherry to their first ever WPIAL Title, with a 42-28 victory over South Side in the Class 1A Championship Game. He also got Fort Cherry to the PIAA 1A Championship, but they would lose to Steelton-Highspire.

He has helped Fort Cherry maintain a top status in the WPIAL, with an 11-0 record and heading into the 1A Quarterfinals next weekend.

Sieg will play safety for the Nittany Lions, standing at 6-foot and 180 pounds right now in his junior season.

247Sports and Rivals both have him as a four-star, top three in Pennsyvlania and top 200 in the country in the Class of 2026.

Pitt has missed out on some great WPIAL talent to Penn State in upcoming recruiting classes. This includes four-star linebacker DayShaun Burnett from Imani Christian Academy, three-stars in North Catholic tight end Brady O'Hara, Latrobe linebacker Alex Tatsch, Aliquippa running back Tiqwai Hayes and Pittsburgh Central Catholic cornerback Xxavier Thomas in the Class of 2025.

They also lost out on McKeesport star running back Kemon Spell in the Class of 2027, who committed to the Nittany Lions back in August.

The Panthers have just one WPIAL recruit in the Class of 2025, in offensive lineman Shep Turk from Thomas Jefferson.

Pitt still has some great WPIAL talent on their roster heading into this season, with three local recruits in Penn Hills quarterback Julian Dugger, Pittsburgh Central Catholic defensive lineman Ty Yuhas and Aliquippa linebacker Cam Lindsey.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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