By Jerry DiPaola

Published: Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Former Penn Hills defensive back Cullen Christian received a release from his scholarship at Michigan and plans to enroll at Pitt, his father, Carlson Christian, said.

"I'm happy he's coming home," the elder Christian said. "My wife misses him. I miss him."

Michigan officials faxed the release to Pitt officials, who had no comment Monday because Christian hasn't yet applied for admittance.

Christian, 6-foot, 180-pounds, must sit out the upcoming season, according to NCAA transfer rules. He hopes to join former Penn Hills teammate Brandon Ifill, a sophomore safety, in the Panthers' secondary in 2012.

Christian played in 10 games for Michigan last season as a reserve cornerback, recording six tackles.

He participated in spring football drills at Michigan this year but will leave the school at the end of the current semester, his father said. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Pitt recruiting coordinator and cornerbacks coach Tony Gibson recruited Christian to Michigan where he was assistant head coach and defensive backs coach the past three seasons.

"He recruited him hard since November of his junior year (in high school), and they developed a good relationship," the elder Christian said.

Christian was ranked the third-best cornerback in the nation by Scout.com during his senior season at Penn Hills in 2009. He was No. 6 in the Rivals.com rankings.

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