Is King Pitts Related to Florida Legend & Falcons TE Kyle Pitts? All You Need to Know About 4-Star Texas Commit

King Pitts is a 6-foot-5, 255-pound four-star from Cardinal Newman in Santa Rosa, California, and the first pledge in Texas’ 2028 class, a clear early signal of mutual belief in his frame, versatility, and upside. On3 ranks him the No. 9 EDGE nationally in 2028 and highlights his multi-position projection across edge, offensive line, or even tight end as his body and technique develop. That blend of size and flexibility makes him a long-horizon building block as Texas layers future depth along the line of scrimmage.

“🚨BREAKING🚨 2028 4-star EDGE King Pitts has committed to Texas, @adamgorney reports🤘.” The Rivals announcement captured a rare early pledge and the jolt it gives to long-term roster planning. The timing underscores Texas’s intent to lock in foundational pieces early while Pitts secures a development runway with frequent staff touchpoints and benchmarks before the signing window. It’s a mutual commitment to process as much as production, years out from 2028.

No, King Pitts is not related to Falcons tight end and former Florida star Kyle Pitts, despite the shared last name and concurrent headlines. Recruiting coverage of King makes no familial link, and Kyle’s publicly reported family background lists parents Kelly and Theresa Pitts from the Philadelphia area, separate from King’s California roots. The clean takeaway is to evaluate King on his own traits, tape, and timeline rather than through an unrelated NFL comparison.

At Cardinal Newman, Pitts has worked as both an edge rusher and an offensive tackle, the two-way usage that fuels his projection and explains Texas’s interest in his positional flexibility. Texas offered early this month and prioritized him through the decision window, a courtship that dovetailed with his family ties in Texas and the game-day atmosphere at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, both cited factors in his choice. He chose the Longhorns over a growing list that included UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, North Carolina, SMU, and Florida State, reflecting broad regional demand for his profile. The staff’s established California pipeline under Steve Sarkisian adds another layer, with multiple current roster pieces and commits from the state reinforcing fit and familiarity.

What comes next is targeted development: lower‑body strength, hand violence, and block deconstruction, plus movement work that preserves bend as he adds mass. For Texas, Pitts becomes an early class tone‑setter who can help recruit peers while the staff sequences the edge room for 2028 and beyond. It’s a long runway by design, and this is the kind of first brick that lets a program stack intelligently over time.

Texas recruiting reset

Texas is in a choppy stretch on the trail, with a cluster of high‑profile misses reviving deja vu narratives from last summer’s mid‑cycle wobble before a strong finish, according to national evaluations of the 2026 board. One report counted nine key losses in a single week, intensifying concerns about momentum and messaging as rivals capitalize on timing and perceived opportunity gaps. Analysts describe the moment as give‑and‑take rather than collapse, but the optics turn harsh when multiple in‑state blue‑chips choose elsewhere during a short window.

Within the program, the staff emphasizes a deliberate NIL philosophy and roster equity as guardrails against overreactions to early setbacks, focusing on sustainability and retention. “Texas will spend what it has to at premium positions, but it’s not going to overextend itself,” an insider explained, framing the approach amid aggressive market moves by competitors. The guiding principle remains locker‑room fairness: “They will not pay high school recruits more than established contributors on their roster”, a stance tied to rare portal continuity after last season’s run, which the staff views as a competitive advantage even during recruiting lulls.

Relationships are the other lever, with the staff betting on cadence, role clarity, and persistence to flip outcomes over a long timeline rather than chasing short‑term headlines. “Sarkisian leans on the relationship‑based aspect of recruiting and the Longhorns staying after guys regardless of whether they’re committed somewhere else or not,” a veteran recruiting reporter noted, adding that a late surge remains plausible as boards reset into the fall. Evidence of volatility cut both ways this summer when five‑star LB Tyler Atkinson’s pledge vaulted Texas into the top 10, a reminder that one anchor commit can reshape perception and trajectory in a hurry.