Enrolling early easy choice for Pitt's Marquan Pope, Sean FitzSimmons, 5 others

Time was running out for freshmen to enroll for Pitt’s winter semester, but Marquan Pope wasn’t worried.

He had organized the first and final term of his senior year at Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, so he could graduate in December, spend the winter training for Pitt’s 2022 season and enroll in time for the summer session.

Then, Pat Narduzzi and his linebackers coach, Ryan Manalac, showed up for a scheduled home visit on a Monday night in January.

Six days later, Pope was staring at the Cathedral of Learning, registering for classes and preparing with teammates for the start of spring drills Feb. 28.

A safety at Guyer, he will start his Pitt career at the star (outside) linebacker position vacated when Cam Bright transferred and John Petrishen exhausted his eligibility.

Pope is one of seven players in Pitt’s 12-man class of 2022 who enrolled early to get a jump on college life and football.

After Narduzzi and Manalac left the house, Pope and his family immediately began discussing a major change in plans.

“Ultimately, I didn’t make a decision until Thursday, three days before I left, because I really wanted to get my whole family’s opinion on it,” he said. “It just didn’t affect me. It affects everyone I love.”

Pope admits Narduzzi “nudged” him during his visit.

“But he really didn’t have to do too much. I love this place,” Pope said. “That’s why I committed. I’ve always wanted to be here. Feels like my home away from home. (Narduzzi) putting it in my head, I ran with it a little bit.”

Pope said his parents quickly jumped on board.

“They knew it was a great opportunity for me to come here and get used to things,” he said.

The biggest adjustment: “First time, I’ve seen snow in a very long time,” he said.

Pope (6-foot-1, 206 pounds) will begin his Pitt career at a position lacking experience. Among returning players at linebacker, only SirVocea Dennis was a starter last season after Pitt lost Bright, Petrishen, Phillip Campbell III, Chase Pine and Wendell Davis.

“That dude is a dog,” Pope said of Dennis. “To talk to him and pick his brain about certain things is awesome. He’s been a big mentor to me. Anytime I call him or text him, he’ll answer right away.”

Among those joining Pope as an early enrollee are Central Valley defensive tackle Sean FitzSimmons, cornerback Ryan Gandy and defensive end Samuel Akunlola. All four met with reporters Wednesday.

FitzSimmons

College life suits FitzSimmons.

“I’m lovin’ it,” said the third Central Valley graduate to join the Panthers in recent years. He follows two safeties: Jordan Whitehead, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and sophomore Stephon Hall.

FitzSimmons, a Pitt season-ticket holder, liked the idea of attending a school that not only won the ACC championship, but is located within driving distance of his home in Monaca.

“How do you pass that up when it’s right there for you?” he said.

FitzSimmons (6-3, 270) is the only local player in Pitt’s 2022 class, but he’s one of seven from the region in assistant coach Charlie Partridge’s defensive line room.

He joins Central Catholic’s David Green and Elliot Donald, West Mifflin’s Nahki Johnson, Westinghouse’s Dayon Hayes, Thomas Jefferson’s Devin Danielson and Baldwin’s Dorien Ford.

Gandy

Rated the No. 66 cornerback in the nation by Rivals.com last season, Gandy (6-0, 170) noticed how important little details become in college.

“There is a lot of attention to detail to everything you do, from the way you dress, to the drills, to being behind the white line when you’re lining up,” he said.

He made two other observations about college life – one when he was being recruited and one after he arrived.

When coaches took him to dinner during his recruiting visit, they were joined by a professor who explained academic life at Pitt.

“To me, that was special,” Gandy said. “They didn’t have to think about doing that. It showed that school here comes first before football.”

He also noticed that coaches can be more demanding than they appear during the recruitment process.

“When they’re recruiting, they’re nice. Once you’re here, it’s definitely different,” he said.

A 400-meter track athlete at Buford (Ga.) High School, he will participate in spring football for the first time. Track consumed much of his time in previous springs. But he also believes running track helped improve his speed.

“I feel like I can compete with a lot of people, do a lot of things and be great here,” he said.

Gandy will get the chance to watch and learn behind several cornerbacks, including returning regulars Marquis Williams. A.J. Woods and M.J. Devonshire.

Okunlola

A defensive end from Brockton, Mass., Okunlola joins offensive lineman Ryan Baer as the only four-star prospects in Pitt’s class, according to Rivals.com’s rating system.

He immediately will be behind veteran ends Habukkuk Baldonado, Deslin Alexandre, John Morgan and Hayes, among others.

“Everywhere you go, there’s competition,” he said. “In life, there’s competition, even for a normal job, a normal person. Competition is normal.”

Okunlola (6-4, 220) said he won’t miss much leaving high school early. Even his basketball coach understood it was in his best interests.

“I’m definitely grateful to be here. This is another step to where I want to get,” he said.