Pitt gets commitment from IMG tight end Jake Renda
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi continued to build his class of 2021 on Monday night when tight end Jake Renda flipped from his commitment to Michigan State and announced on Twitter his plan to enroll at Pitt.
The Panthers have 19 players in next year’s recruiting class, which is ranked 26th in the nation and sixth in the ACC by Rivals.com. Renda, ranked a three-star prospect by Rivals, is the second tight end in Pitt’s class, joining Trey Anderson, who had committed to Brigham Young.
This is an important recruiting class for Narduzzi, who has 18 scholarship seniors on the roster entering the 2020 season, including tight end Lucas Krull, a transfer from Florida. Also among Pitt’s tight ends are junior Daniel Moraga, sophomore Kaymar Mimes and redshirt freshman Kyi Wright.
Committed. ?? #H2P pic.twitter.com/VRIRcP3MAM
— Jake Renda (@Jake_Renda) August 11, 2020
Renda, 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, grew up in New Jersey where he played quarterback at Notre Dame High School. He is transferring from Notre Dame to play his senior season as a tight end at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
Renda started as a freshman quarterback on the varsity at Princeton (N.J.) High School and spent the past two seasons at Notre Dame playing defensive end and quarterback.
He said his skill set fits the tight end position, “But I think of myself as a football player.”
Renda has family members living in the vicinity of Pitt and Michigan State, but Pittsburgh is the stronger attraction. He also knows about the city’s history. While announcing his commitment to Pitt on Monday, he wrote on Twitter, “In the words of Andrew Carnegie, Pittsburgh entered the core of my heart when I was a boy and cannot be torn out.”
Renda said his father and three uncles went to Central Catholic, and his grandparents live nearby. He pointed to “grandma’s cooking” as one of the highlights of his many visits to Pittsburgh.
“I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the city ever since I was younger,” he said.
Renda also has Power 5 scholarship offers from Arizona, Boston College and N.C. State. He had committed to Michigan State on July 4.
Under current NCAA rules, 2021 pledges can’t sign binding letters of intent until December.
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Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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