Pitt 'Felt Like Home' to Texas Speedster

Blake Hamilton’s schedule was loaded, competing in a track meet on Wednesday and Thursday, flying from Houston to Pittsburgh on Friday, spending two days with the Pitt Panthers before returning Sunday to attend an Under Armour Camp back in Houston. 

Back in February, Pitt became Hamilton’s first scholarship offer, a speedy and versatile playmaker out of Sugar Land (Tx.) Fort Bend Christian Academy. 

Three-phase football is all in a day’s work for Hamilton who clocked very impressive track times just a few weeks ago - a 10.65 (100 m) and a 20.96 (200m). But it’s the receiver position Pitt has him pegged to play.

Hamilton and his dad arrived at Pitt a little before noon on Friday, a much different atmosphere than he’s accustomed to.

“I remember when I first got there, I saw the trees, I saw the weather,” Hamilton said. “I was like, ‘This is great,’ ‘cause I'm down here from Texas, you know, it's always hot, doesn’t really (have) like those nice mountain trees that they’ve got over there. It was just something new, right?" 

“We got there, we went straight to the facility, talked to Coach (Justice) Rawlins and he toured the facility with me and another guy. Beautiful facility. Great coaches, great staff. They showed me around and we got to talk to Coach JJ Laster for a long time, and Coach (Kade) Bell. It was a great time on Friday.”

At the spring game, a few playmakers on offense stood out to Hamilton.

“Number 84 [early-entry freshman receiver Cameron Sapp], he caught my eye. It was a young guy with his route, with his ball-handling skills. He made a good play after he scored a touchdown,” Hamilton said. 

“Another guy was number 81 [Cataurus Hicks], if I'm not mistaken. He had a long breakaway touchdown on the slant route, so I think it was a slant route or out route for like 40, 50 yards. He stood out, and then a quarterback that stood out was number 10 [Eli Holstein]." 

“I think he did a really good job stepping up in the pocket, getting out of that pressure, keeping his eyes on the field, reading the field really nicely, and making plays just getting the receiver the chance to make the plays he needed to.”