Inside The Panthers

Pitt Football Recruiting Decision Dates Coming Soon

The Pitt Panthers have a number of Class of 2025 football recruits that have upcoming decision dates in the near future.

Dominic Campbell

Oct 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Panthers helmet on the sidelines against the Louisville Cardinals during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Panthers helmet on the sidelines against the Louisville Cardinals during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have a few football Class of 2025 recruits that they will watch out for, as they await their impending decisions.

These recruits all made official visits to Pitt/or have placed them in their finalists ahead of their commitment. Linebacker Denim Cook, defensive back Cole Woodson and athlete Joshua Guerrier have their decision date for Monday, July 1, while offensive lineman Jordan Fields rescheduled will announce on July 13.

Denim Cook

Cook plays for Bishop Hartley High School in Columbus, Ohio. He made 116 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, one interception, three passes defended and two fumble recoveries as a junior in 2023. For his efforts, he earned First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Metro honors.

He made two official visits in Virginia on June 7 and Pitt on June 20. He made previous visits to Pitt in January 2023, for the Florida State game on November 4 and then the Spring Game back in April. 

247Sports ranks him as a three-star, the No. 32 recruit in Ohio and No. 84 linebacker in the Class of 2025, respectively. Rivals rates him as a three-star.

He placed four other schools in his final six, including Louisville, Indiana, Purdue and Toledo.

All three recruiting sites predict that he will choose Virginia. Jacquie Franciulli of Wahoos247 put out a "Crystal Ball" for Cook to choose Virginia, with medium confidence.

Pitt has one true linebacker in the Class of 2025 in Justin Thompson, who plays for Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney, Md. Athlete Emmanuel Taylor, who is another Pitt Class of 2025 commit, will most likely play linebacker for the program as well.

Cole Woodson

Woodson plays safety for Battlefield High School in Hayfield, Va., standing at around 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. He had a good junior season in 2023, making seven pass breakups, four interceptions, returning three for touchdowns, while also making 13 catches for 127 yards and four touchdowns at wide receiver.

He never released an official list of finalists, so any school that offered him still, technically, has a shot. Woodson did make four official visits to in-state schools in Virginia and Virginia Tech, Duke and Pitt. He also holds offers from UConn, James Madison, Minnesota, Syracuse, Temple, Wake Forest and West Virginia.

Woodson is a unanimous three-star, with 247Sports rating him the No. 56 safety and No. 21 in Virginia and Rivals ranking him as the No. 37 recruit in his state.

Pitt has two defensive back commitment so far, in four-stars Mason Alexander and Elijah Dotson, plus three-star athlete Shawn Lee Jr., who will come in as a defensive back as well. All three of them are cornerback commitments, so landing Woodson would serve as the first safety of this recruiting class.

Joshua Guerrier

Guerrier plays a variety of positions for Ocoee High School in Ocoee, Fla., close to Orlando. He completed 8-of-13 passes for 53 yards, ran 30 times for 218 yards and two touchdowns, caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown, had 307 kick return yards and 140 punt return yards for 744 all-purpose yards. He also made 38 tackles (29 solo), two tackles for loss and one interception on defense.

Standing at 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds, Guerrier will likely play at defensive back for the Panthers, but his versatility gives him the opportunity to play many positions.

He is a unanimous three-star, with 247Sports ranking him at No. 63 athlete and No. 81 in Florida, On3 placing him at No. 62 athlete and No. 122 in the state and Rivals putting him at No. 23 athlete and No. 73 in Florida.

Guerrier took an official visit to Pitt on June 13 and went on an unofficial visit on March 22 for a spring practice. He also took official visits to Iowa, Iowa State and nearby USF. New running backs coach Lindsey Lamar offered Guerrier back in January.

247Sports writers Alec Busse, Iowa State insider, and Tom Loy, a national recruiting analyst, both gave "Crystal Ball" predictions with medium confidence for the Panthers to land Guerrier.

He also holds offers from ACC schools Boston College, Louisville and Wake Forest, Big Ten schools in Illinois and Wisconsin, SEC schools in Kentucky and Tennessee, plus Cincinnati, FAU, Liberty, Marshall, Temple and Western Kentucky.

Jordan Fields

Fields plays for North Shore High School in Houston and placed Pitt in his final six schools, along with Kansas, Memphis, Houston, Toledo and Maryland. He originally set his commitment date for July 1, but changed it to July 6 and now July 13.

He made an official visit to Pitt on June 13, while also taking official visits to Toledo on June 7, Kansas on June 19 and Houston on June 21. Defensive coordinator Randy Bates offered Fields back in February, while recruiting in Texas.

He cut out other schools who offered him in American schools in Memphis, Tulane and Tulsa, Sun Belt schools in Arkansas State, Louisiana and Marshall, and Conference USA schools in Louisiana Tech, North Texas and UTSA.

Fields stands at 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds and is an imposing force on the offensive line. He plays normally at right tackle and uses his strength to demolish opposing defensive players, while also standing strong against defensive ends.

His work in run protection creates holes for his running backs to exploit, while he uses his hands to stop defensive ends consistently in pass-protection to give time for his quarterback to work. 

On3,Rivals and 247Sports rate Fields as a three-star, with On3 placing him at the No. 31 offensive tackle and No. 53 recruit in Texas, while 247Sports has him at the No. 56 offensive tackle and No. 114 in the state in the Class of 2025, respectively.

Pitt has three offensive line commitments in interior offensive linemen Shep Turk from nearby Thomas Jefferson High School in Jefferson Hills, Pa. and Torian Chester from Westover High School in Albany, Ga., plus an offensive tackle from Akram Elnagmi of the NFL Academy in Loughbrough, United Kingdom.

They likely want one more offensive tackle for the Class of 2025 and Fields definitely fits that role.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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