Berks Catholic grad drops jaws with standout performance at Pro Day
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Brandon George isn’t listed among the top linebacker prospects for the upcoming NFL Draft.
The former Berks Catholic star was never named all-conference during six years at the University of Pittsburgh.
He didn’t crack the Panthers’ starting defensive lineup until last season.
A huge performance Wednesday by the 6-2, 246-pound George at Pitt’s Pro Day could open the door for a pro career.
George dropped jaws with an outstanding performance that saw him put up 28 reps on the 225-pound bench press and record a 42.5-inch vertical jump, numbers that would have received top marks at the NFL Combine amongst linebackers.
“Some guys made some money today,” Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi told Pittsburghnowsports.com, referring to George.
Eleven Panthers participated in drills at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in front of representatives from all 32 NFL teams. None impressed more than George.
George was not one of the four Panthers invited to the NFL Combine, which was completed earlier this month, so he had to do something eye-catching at his Pro Day. He did, running a 4.62-second 40-yard dash.
“I feel like I showed my athleticism,” George told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I feel like I showed that, even though I’m 246 pounds, I can still move well at that weight,”
George measured at 6-1 5/8 and 246 pounds; he recorded a 6.94 three-cone drill and a 4.09 shuttle drill.
“He’s explosive,” Narduzzi told Pittsburghnowsports.com. “You saw him jump 42 inches and he can run still. That’s kind of what we do. That’s part of the development of what we do with our players.”
George spent the last three months in Florida training for the event in Florida with Pitt defensive end Nate Matlack.
“I knew exactly what was going to happen today,” Matlack told Pittsburghnowsports.com. “I think he didn’t even do as good as he thought he would’ve, so that tells you something. I knew he was going to perform well. I knew he was probably going to have the best day out here.”
George set the program record at Pittsburgh for games played with 65. He made 197 tackles, 16.5 for a loss, with four sacks. He took advantage of his first and only season as a full-time starter in 2024, setting career highs in tackles (80), tackles for loss (six), sacks (two) and forced fumbles (three).
“This place has done a lot for me,” George told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It’s somewhere that I’ve grown up. I’ve become a man here at this university. I’ve gained a sold degree from this university. I credit them and the coaching staff here with helping me out a lot. All the support staff here phenomenal. You can’t really put into words how thankful I am that I came here.
“Obviously I’m not the top linebacker off the board,” he said. “I’m not delusional to that. I feel like the ability that I have to play special teams definitely helps my case because some teams think I’m a guy. I might not be drafted high, but I’m a guy that’ll stick because I’m a willing participant in special teams, all four phases.”
George, a stalwart on special teams since his freshman season in 2019, began to emerge as a team leader at Pittsburgh before the 2022 season. His hopes of creating a foothold at linebacker were dashed when he suffered torn ligaments in his ankle on the first day of contact drills. That required surgery and a month of rehab.
He returned at midseason only to reaggravate the injury his third game back and was sidelined for the remainder of the regular season. (He received a medical redshirt. That, plus the Covid year granted to all NCAA student-athletes, allowed him to compete for six seasons.)
George was all-everything at Berks Catholic, where he was Berks Player of the Year as a senior, a two-time All-State pick, and scored 41 touchdowns.
He helped the Saints become the first Berks team to win three straight District 3 football championships and helped them set Berks records for scoring (45.3 points) and margin of victory (41.3 in the regular season, 34.3 over the full season).
He also played on the basketball team and won a PIAA silver medal in the discus.
