Inside The Panthers

Four-Star Prospect CJ Sanna Visiting Pitt's Spring Practice

A closer look at what could be the most talented recruit among a long list of prospects visiting the Pitt Panthers over the weekend.

Kevin Sinclair

IG: cj.sanna07
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The Pitt Panthers get an in-person shot at pushing its recruitment forward with CJ Sanna. 

He may be the most promising and skilled recruit among a long list of prospects set to be in Pittsburgh this weekend for spring camp visits. 

Sanna is a four-star linebacker, according to some networks, and a high-three-star recruit with others. Either way, though, he’s a fantastic linebacker out of a high-quality Ohio program. 

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound rising senior is the latest in a long line of outstanding recruits produced at Olentangy High School. Previous prospects from the school located just north of Columbus include Super Bowl champ Kenny Anunike (now on the coaching staff at Fordham), former NFL cornerback Jarren Williams, former Toledo and seven-year NFL vet Zac Kerin, and former fourth-round pick out of Ohio State, Joshua Perry. 

Last season as a junior, the ultra-productive ‘backer recorded 97 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks, eight hurries, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and he chipped in a rushing touchdown. 

While Sanna’s listing would leave some to believe that an edge role is in his college future, that may not be the case for the Midwest product. He has a compact build at 6-3, 225, and he shows a quick-triggered nature as a Mike linebacker when firing to the football. 

Sanna is a closer who has the speed to beat blocks around the edge and the stopping power to end forward movement upon arrival. 

His exciting combination of physicality and quickness to the football is turning heads among coaching staffs at the top level of college football. 

Along with his Pitt offer, Sanna added Ohio State to his list on January 31. Less than a week later, Oklahoma extended a scholarship followed by Wake Forest in late February, and Miami on March 2. 

Duke, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, NC State, Rutgers, West Virginia make up only some of his additional Power Four offers. 

Can Pitt leverage the success of its linebacker development in recent years with players like Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles, and in turn, become a real player for Sanna’s pledge? 

It’ll be interesting to learn what the outcome will be as it relates to this important recruiting visit at Pitt this weekend.

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Kevin Sinclair
KEVIN SINCLAIR

Kevin Sinclair writes coverage of the Pitt Panthers along with the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans for On SI. Previously, he was a recruiting reporter and managing editor at Irish Illustrated, the privately-owned Notre Dame site within the 247Sports Network, for over seven-and-a-half years. Kevin studied multimedia journalism and has been a sports writer for nearly a decade.

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