Football: Best friends Poteat and Chestnut bring their talent to Pitt

“Hey bro, I’m ready,” Jameel Poteat said to his best friend, Terrell… “Hey bro, I’m ready,” Jameel Poteat said to his best friend, Terrell Chestnut in a phone call last week.

“Ready for what?” Chestnut said.

“To commit to Pitt,” Poteat replied.

“Okay bro, I’m going with you,” Chestnut said.

Poteat and Chestnut are both four-star recruits, according to Rivals.com. Chestnut announced his verbal commitment to Pitt Thursday, just one day after Poteat made his announcement.

Poteat is a running back from Harrisburg, and last year during his sophomore season at Bishop McDevitt High School he rushed for 1,664 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, he says his inspiration was former Panther running back LeSean “Shady” McCoy, who also went to Bishop McDevitt.

“[McCoy]’s like my big brother,” Poteat said.

But McCoy’s influence wasn’t as big of a factor in his decision to come to Pitt as much as Pitt’s recent success.

“The tradition and their success was a big reason,” Poteat said.

Chestnut was also an influence. He plays quarterback at Pottstown’s Pottsgrove High School. Throughout the past two seasons at Pottsgrove, he ran 2,248 yards and scored 40 touchdowns. He also passed 1,438 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Poteat said he and Chestnut are best friends.

“Since my freshman year, we’ve been saying we are going to go to the same school,” Poteat said.

He said that Pitt recruiters have had their eye on him since his freshman year when they were at Bishop McDevitt recruiting seniors. But due to NCAA regulations, Pitt personnel were not allowed to talk to him.

But Pitt was the first school to make Poteat an offer, and he chose the Panthers over USC, Florida, Notre Dame and Rutgers. Chestnut chose Pitt over Penn State, Rutgers, West Virginia, Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College, Maryland, South Carolina, Syracuse and Virginia.

Poteat plans to represent Harrisburg, which is in the 717 area code, well. Just like the player he considers his big brother. McCoy would always write “717” in his eye-black on game days. And those three numbers became a rallying-cry of sorts from fans in the student section.

“I’m definitely going to bring that tradition back,” Poteat said.