PITTSBURGH — While the Pitt Panthers haven’t been able to reel in some of the top local talent in recent recruiting cycles, former WPIAL product and Penn Hills quarterback Julian Dugger believes he can help the program buck that trend.
Dugger, an early enrollee in the Panthers’ class of 2024, expressed confidence in his ability to convince more local recruits to stay home.
“I feel like me coming here, I can definitely get a couple more WPIAL guys to come here,” Dugger said. “I feel like I can be a big influence and the start of a new thing for WPIAL guys to start coming here.”
Dugger, alongside Ty Yuhas and Cameron Lindsey, was one of three signees from the WPIAL in Pitt’s 2024 recruiting class. That number represented a slight uptick from previous years, as Cruce Brookins and Braylan Lovelace were the program’s only high school signees from the area in its 2023 class while Sean FitzSimmons was the lone representative in its class of 2022.
Dugger is doing his part to talk up everything that the Panthers have to offer, stating that he has enjoyed his time with the team so far while also propping up the talent and depth that’s present in the WPIAL.