advertisement

St. Viator's Pittman chooses Iowa

It takes a lot to wear out St. Viator two-way lineman Jeremiah Pittman.

“He just doesn't get tired,” St. Viator football coach Dave Archibald said Tuesday. “Since his sophomore year he has started both ways for us so he rarely leaves the field. He's a very special athlete.”

The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Pittman will ply those indefatigable skills collegiately at Iowa, he announced on Twitter Monday.

Already a three-year starter heading into his senior season, Pittman chose coach Kirk Ferentz's Hawkeyes over co-finalist Northwestern. He also seriously considered Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa State among 17 Division I offers.

Pittman said he found the old-school style of Ferentz and defensive line coach Kelvin Bell appealing.

“I was real comfortable with the way they do things,” he said. “They see not only the sport aspect of it; they're going to try to mentor you in the best way they can. I met several staff members in my time there and I was comfortable with all of them.

“And we like Iowa city. We have friends who have moved to Iowa. Nobody we've talked to has anything bad to say about Iowa. It's a very nice foundation and has an especially nice alumni association too for life after college. It was a good fit.”

Pittman possesses the athleticism to play multiple positions. Not only did he bench 225 pounds 16 times a couple of months ago, on multiple occasions he has been clocked at 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He has sprinted for the St. Viator track team and qualified for the state meet in shot put as a sophomore.

Pittman started 10 games as a freshman center for a playoff team. He switched to offensive tackle his sophomore season. He was recruited by Iowa to play defensive line.

“They project him on the d-line for sure, between the three and five technique,” Archibald said “He kind of bounces all over for us. He can play the edge but he can also play inside. It'll be similar and I'm sure they'll look for the best fit given their personnel and how he climbs.”

A student with a 3.9 grade-point average through five high school semesters, Pittman said he intends to study business.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.