Pitt lands Reynolds

Pitt added another defensive recruit to the 2016 class Saturday when Brooklyn (NY) Poly Prep linebacker Elias Reynolds announced his commitment to the Panthers.

Reynolds picked Pitt over offers from Illinois, Maryland, Rutgers, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Buffalo, Connecticut and UMass. He committed to Rutgers over the summer but was the first recruit to decommit in the wake of Kyle Flood's firing.

Before that coaching change, though, Reynolds visited Pitt during the summer - after his commitment - and again for the Panthers' regular-season finale against Miami at Heinz Field.

Reynolds took an official visit to Illinois in December and visited Pitt last weekend, and his final decision came down to the Panthers and the Illini.

Pitt linebackers coach Rob Harley had an in-home visit with Reynolds this week.

"Coach Harley’s the man," Reynolds said after the official visit. "I had some time to meet with him about how life as a Pitt [linebacker] would be like and some of the things he values as well as teaches.

"He said that I can play any of the three [linebacker] spots but wherever I make the most plays is most likely where I’ll play."

With Reynolds on board, Pitt now has commitments from 20 recruits in the class of 2016. He is the third linebacker to join the class, along with Aliquippa's Kaezon Pugh and Williamsburg (Va.) Lafayette's Chase Pine.

In addition to the three linebackers, Pitt also has commitments from three cornerbacks (Therran Coleman, Henry Miller and George Hill), two safeties (Phil Campbell and Bricen Garner) and four defensive linemen (Zack Gilbert, Patrick Jones, Rashad Wheeler and Bryce Hargrove) for a total of 12 defensive recruits in the current class - and a few top targets still on the board.