2 tight ends announce plans to transfer to Pitt

Pitt received a double dose of good news Monday for one of its biggest roster deficiencies when junior college tight end Daniel Moraga said he plans to enroll next year. He joins Florida graduate transfer tight end Lucas Krull, who made a verbal commitment to Pitt earlier in the day.

Always be loyal to those who are real with you! I’m ready to put on for the city of Pittsburgh! I’m proud to say that I’ll be committing to the University of Pittsburgh. All money in #tmc#H2P pic.twitter.com/K4SbuZld7X

— Danny (@danielmoraga07) December 17, 2019

Seniors Will Gragg and Nakia Griffin-Stewart were the only Pitt tight ends to record receptions this season, catching 18 and 17 passes, respectively. They will exhaust their eligibility after the Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 26.

Moraga, who played at Ventura (Calif.) Community College this season, will have two years of eligibility after initially enrolling at Fresno State.

“Daniel can help right away,” Ventura coach Steve Mooshagian said. “He is definitely a receiving threat from the tight end position. He can flex out and run routes like an outside receiver or he can run them (after lining up inside).

“He’s very capable of making big plays and catching the ball over the middle. He’s a crafty route runner. You can be creative with him.”

Moraga is the second Ventura player to join Pitt’s team in the past two years. Quarterback Ricky Town, who is no longer on the team, transferred to Pitt two years ago.

Mooshagian’s ties to Pitt and Pittsburgh go back to the days of Pitt Stadium, when he was Walt Harris’ offensive coordinator in 1997 and ‘98. Mooshagian also was wide receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1999-2002.

With the Bengals, he competed against Pitt’s current offensive coordinator, Mark Whipple, when Whipple was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also has been friends with Pitt tight ends coach Tim Salem and his family for many years.

Mooshagian said Salem called him looking for a tight end. When Mooshagian suggested Moraga, Salem kept up regular conversations with both men throughout the season.

Moraga, 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, missed three games with a leg injury and finished Ventura’s season with 17 receptions for 205 yards and two touchdowns.

He was especially productive in Ventura’s 42-39 loss to Cerritos (Calif.) College in the Beach Bowl. In that game, he caught eight passes for 120 yards and a touchdown.

Moraga was a four-year starter at Pacifica (Calif.) High School, catching 145 passes for more than 3,200 yards and even intercepting 12 passes. As a senior, he recorded 60 catches for 1,087 yards and 11 touchdowns.

He did not play during his two seasons at Fresno, but Mooshagian said the coaches told him Moraga would have been part of the mix this season.

“They didn’t want him to leave,” he said.

Aside from Moraga and Krull, Pitt has 15 players in its 2020 class. The first of two signing periods begins Wednesday.

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