Pitt to Battle James Franklin/Va Tech for Local Standout
James Franklin and Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi engaged in a few recruiting battles throughout the years but expect a lot more now than Franklin is head coach at Virginia Tech.
It appears as though one of their first will be for a top lineman from the WPIAL.
Jon Sassic is a 2027 3-star offensive lineman from Central Catholic High School.
Last week, the 6’7″, 285-pound guard announced his intentions to make an official visit to Pitt, which will take place June 18-20th.
This morning, Sassic revealed that his second official visit will be to Franklin and the Hokies, from June 5-7th. Virginia Tech officially got involved with Sassic when they extended him an offer on January 23rd.
Sassic is getting pursued by many other programs, so these likely won’t be his only two OVs. At this point in his recruitment, he holds offers from Pitt, Virginia Tech, UConn, Florida State, Boston College, West Virginia, NC State, Kent State, Florida Atlantic and Miami of Ohio.
Sassic is one of three Power 4 offensive line recruits on the 2026 Central Catholic team-2027 4-star James Halter, who’s currently committed to Notre Dame and 2027 4-star offensive tackle Jimmy Kalis.
While Sassic is the first local recruiting battle between Pitt and Virginia Tech, during the Franklin era, considering his successful history recruiting Western Pennsylvania, it certainly won’t be the last.
