PITTSBURGH — Pitt head football coach Todd Graham and his staff gathered at Heinz Field to announce their first recruiting class.

Several things stuck out in the 2011 class. First, there are six defensive backs, which speaks to the new defensive strategy of creating defense, turning defense in to points and getting the offense right back on the field.

Also, Pitt received four commitments from running backs. That was clearly an area of concern because the depth chart is thin at that position and offensive coordinator Calvin Magee plans to use multiple backs in his formations.

Among the newsworthy commitments, the most notable is probably Lafayette Pitts from Woodland Hills. Pitts is rated a 4-star recruit by Scout.com and a 3-star recruit by Rivals.com. Most recruiting services would agree that Pitts was one of the most highly touted recruits in Western Pennsylvania.

Here’s a list of Pitt’s entire 2011 class:

Name — Position — Size — Hometown

Isaac Bennett — RB — 5-foot-11, 190 pounds — Tulsa, Okla.
Jeremiah Bryson — RB — 5-foot-10, 180 pounds — Smyrna, Tenn.
Lloyd Carrington — DB — 6-foot, 180 pounds — Dallas, Tex.
Sam Collura — TE — 6-foot-3, 245 pounds — Elkridge, Md.
Devin Cook — LB — 6-foot-4, 230 pounds — Beaver Falls, Pa.
Malcolm Crockett — RB — 5-foot-10, 180 pounds — Washington D.C.
Corey Davis — RB — 5-foot-11, 180 pounds — Gladewater, Tex.
Zenel Demhasaj — OL — 6-foot-7, 320 pounds — Brooklyn, N.Y.
Jason Frimpong — DB — 5-foot-10, 180 pounds — Irving, Tex.
Nicholas Grigsby — LB — 6-foot-1, 210 pounds — Trotwood, Oh.
Justin Jackson — WR — 6-foot-3, 185 pounds — Daphne, Ala.
Ronald Jones — WR — 5-foot-8, 165 pounds — Fort Meade, Fla.
Khaynin Mosely-Smith — DL — 6-foot, 290 pounds — Pittsburgh, Pa.
Darius Patton — WR — 5-foot-10, 170 pounds — Poland, Oh.
Jevonte Pitts — DB — 5-foot-10, 170 pounds — Pittsburgh, Pa.
Lafayette Pitts — DB — 5-foot-11, 180 pounds —Pittsburgh, Pa.
Artie Rowell — OL — 6-foot-2, 275 pounds — Dauphin, Pa.
Roderick Ryles — DB — 6-foot-1, 185 pounds — Orlando, Fla.
LaQuentin Smith — 6-foot-2, 225 pounds — Orlando, Fla.
Steve Williams — DB — 6-foot-2, 200 pounds — Savannah, Ga.

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Chris Gates | Area 4-1-Zoo Blog
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