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Pitt loses recruit
Kevin Gorman can be reached via e-mail or 412-320-7812.
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Dominic Jones, a 5-foot-8, 177-pound cornerback from Columbus (Ohio) Brookhaven High School, made a verbal commitment to Minnesota on Wednesday night.
"It's official," Jones said. "I'm a Gopher now."
Jones chose the Panthers this past summer, but withdrew his commitment -- which is non-binding -- after Harris accepted the Stanford job on Sunday. Jones said his brother, Keith Massey, also will play at Minnesota.
"What made my change my mind was, the nucleus of my decision was to play for coach Harris," Jones said. "I liked his demeanor and liked his attitude."
Jones, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds and has a 37-inch vertical leap, was Pitt's top cornerback target. He intercepted nine passes this season and led Brookhaven to a state title. He had a school-record 28 career interceptions.
Jones said he became frustrated after Pitt coaches didn't contact him until yesterday, when defensive coordinator/secondary coach Paul Rhoads called and recruiting coordinator Bryan Deal visited his school.
"I felt like if I was supposed to be a special recruit like they told me I was, it was important for them to call me at their earliest convenience," Jones said. "The rest of the Panther family was told on Sunday. I felt like I should have been told on Sunday. I felt left out."
