Pitt adds long-snapper James Fineran to 2021 class

The specialist out of Baltimore is ranked as the No. 1 long-snapper in Maryland

Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt coaching staff landed a highly rated specialist on Monday, as James Fineran, a long-snapper out of Calvert Hall College High School in Baltimore committed to the program as a preferred walk-on.

Fineran, a National Honor Society member with a 4.0 GPA, chose Pitt over offers from Lafayette and Pennsylvania. The recruit earned earned those offers after completing 108 successful snaps on 108 snap attempts in 14 games over the last two seasons and will join Pitt as a late addition to its 2021 class.

The 6’5”, 230-pound recruit is one of the best long-snappers in the nation, according to Kohl’s football camps, which evaluates and ranks specialists. Fineran ranks No. 37 in the nation and No. 1 in Maryland at his position. He also holds a four-and-a-half-star rating from Kohl’s.

Kohl’s also provided a rundown of what the recruit brings to the table at Pitt.

“[Fineran] snaps with power and consistency,” Fineran’s profile reads. “He has great size and all the room to put on quality weight. Fineran has one of the highest ceilings in the country and can play at a very high level.”

At Pitt, Fineran will provide depth as a backup to entrenched starting long-snapper Cal Adomitis, who recently declined an invitation to the 2021 Senior Bowl and announced he would return to Pitt for an additional season. Adomitis became Pitt’s starting long-snapper as a true freshman in 2017 and has since appeared in 50 consecutive games.

Given the performance of Adomitis, which saw him become a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award in 2020, Fineran has a tough act to follow. However, given Fineran’s reputation, the long-snapper role at Pitt should be in good hands once Adomitis moves on.