Inside The Panthers

Intriguing Tackle Lual Aleu Discusses Upcoming Pitt Visit

A 6-foot-5, 295-pound tackle from Cincinnati, Lual Aleu discusses his unique athletic background and his interest in the Pitt Panthers, a team he’ll visit next month.

Kevin Sinclair

Lual Aleu on X: @LualAleu2027
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Lual Aleu has a unique athletic background that makes up an ideal profile at the offensive tackle position. Of course, being 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds with an 82-inch wingspan as a sophomore helps, too. 

On Friday, Aleu took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce that he’ll visit Pitt on March 22.

Out of Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, the 2027 tackle prospect competes in a highly competitive schedule with opponents who collectively carry a large number of Division-I recruits.

A solid student with a 3.42 GPA, Aleu so far boasts scholarship offers from Power Four programs in Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia alongside Bowling Green, Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Marshall, Miami of Ohio, Toledo, and Western Kentucky. 

Following his social media announcement today, Inside the Panthers connected with Aleu to discuss details on his background, his recruitment, and why he booked a trip to Pittsburgh.

Tell me about your background, your family, sports you have played over the years, anything notable about you.

“I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, but my parents, they're from Africa. South Sudan. They migrated over here and then I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“I was a basketball player. A hooper all my life from, I’ll say, kindergarten to a little bit now, but I don't take that as seriously as I used to. But I was a hooper all my life. I started playing football at seventh grade, fell in love with the sport.

“With my family, I’ve got four brothers. One of them is three years old. I got another one in the first grade, and I’ve got two older brothers. One is about 6-foot-4 and the other one is 6-6. They both play basketball, a senior in high school, the other one’s graduated. He goes to school at University of Cincinnati, but he doesn't hoop anymore, unfortunately. I have a pretty athletic background (in my family).”

Basketball is an ideal sport for offensive tackles given the footwork and other perks. Do you find that part of your background has played a role in your development and skill set at the tackle position?

I forgot to add that back when I was younger, probably in kindergarten or first grade, I actually used to play soccer. I used to play soccer and basketball, so I say the fact that I played those two sports definitely helped my football ability right now.

College offensive line coaches often talk about basketball backgrounds as a very positive selling point when it comes to tackle recruits. Has that been obvious to you?

"Yes, sir. I hear that a lot."

I’m familiar with your high school program, Winton Woods. I know that you have a very competitive schedule. You faced Springfield in the season opener, state champions not long ago. You wrapped up your season versus St. Xavier, historically one of the best programs in Ohio. Do you feel that level of competition has made a big impact on your development as a college tackle prospect?

“Yes, sir, (there’s) a lot of great teams down here. I'll say the region we're in down here in Cincinnati is probably one of the best regions in the country based off of the fact (that) MaxPreps, last year around this time…ranked (my area) in the Top 10 hardest playoff regions in the country.”

“I feel like that's 100 percent true. It's a lot of good competition down here in Cincinnati, you know, Midwest Ohio.”

Tell me about Pitt within your recruitment and why you’ve booked a trip to Pitt despite not carrying a scholarship offer so far from the Panthers. What is it about Pitt that has your attention?

“Pitt hasn't been (involved) much, for real. But I spoke with some coaches that came down here back in the recruitment period. They came up to the school to see me. But other than me getting shot out of text and being attracted to Pitt, there has been nothing lately, but I look forward to building a relationship with Pittsburgh.”

“I feel like Pitt is a very underrated college, competes in the ACC, produces good linemen, both offense and defense. Just a heck of a college…There was a recruit not too long ago that came from (my high school) that had went to Pitt. His name is Tamarion Crumpley who was a defensive back for Pitt. So, I feel like it's just overall great school.”

What do your plans look like as it relates to your recruitment over the rest of the off-season? What schools are you planning to visit or attend camps?

"To be honest, these two upcoming months, March and April, they are big months for me. I’m gonna be down at Missouri on the 15th of March. I was supposed to be up at Penn State in February, but I rescheduled that visit. I don't know when, but I'm definitely going to be down at Penn State, too.

"So, right now on my list for upcoming visits I got are Pitt, Penn State, and Mizzou, but I'm looking forward to add some schools on there."

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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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