Inside The Panthers

Pitt Makes Top 4 for 2025 Michigan LB

The Pitt Panthers landed in the Top 4 For a Talented Linebacker from Michigan

Dominic Campbell

Sep 2, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi reacts on
Sep 2, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi reacts on / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have made progess recently in the Class of 2025 and have a good shot of landing one recruit from the midwest.

Di'Mari Malone, a linebacker from Macomb, Mich., a suburb north of Detroit, placed Pitt in his top four schools, alongside Michigan State, Illinois and Minnesota.

Malone cut his list down to four from a number of offers, including Power 5 schools in rival West Virginia, Kansas, Indiana and Rutgers, MAC schools in Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Toledo and Western Michigan, as well as Marshall, UMass and Morgan State.

Standing at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, he features mostly at outside linebacker, beneficial for the Pitt defense, which likes to have linebackers play as a safety at times.

He made 73 tackles, 41 solo, 8.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, three interceptions, six passes defended, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one blocked field goal as a sophomore in 2023.

Malone is quick off the snap and has the strength to move past offensive lineman and get to the quarterback. He also does well in coverage, recognizing where his receiver is at all times and having a good eye for where the quarterback will throw it.

247Sports ranks him as a three-star, the No. 11 recruit in Michigan and No. 81 at linebacker in the Class of 2025, respectively. A number of writers on the site also predict him to commit to Michigan State, staying closer to home.

Pitt offered Malone back in January, but don't have him scheduled for an official visit. He only has one official visit scheduled, which is to Michigan State on June 7. He planned to make an official visit to Illinois, but had to cancel it.

The Panthers will need to pursue Malone more if they want to pry him away from Michigan State. Expect secondaries coach Archie Collins, who recruits the state heavily, to work dilligently to try and secure his commitment.

Pitt has three commits in the Class of 2025, including three three-stars in quarterback Mason Heintschel from Ohio, athlete Bryce Yates from Virginia and defensive lineman Trevor Sommers from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

Follow Dominic Campbell on Twitter.