No, five-star center Efton Reid did not commit to Pitt at noon on Friday. But several notable reporters and major outlets were convinced that he did, thanks to a fake Twitter account.
Reid was expected to announce his college commitment at noon on Friday, but that announcement didn't come on time from his Twitter account, @efton15.
What did come at noon was a since-deleted Tweet from a since-deleted account, @efton15_, faking a commitment to Pittsburgh with an admittedly extremely convincing commitment graphic.
Fake Twitter accounts attempting to dupe people certainly aren't a new phenomenon, but the success of this one is relatively unprecedented, fooling several notable reporters from major outlets, including Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and Adam Finkelstein of ESPN. It even led to a Bleacher Report push notification.
This is maybe my all-time favorite tweet by anybody who fell for a fake account. Just brutal to call people crybabies and then have to delete the tweet.
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) May 7, 2021
(Also, if you're an Ohio State fan waiting on an Efton commitment, no use paying attention) pic.twitter.com/A8G4sqdMQw
All the honorable mentions who fell for it as well. pic.twitter.com/K3LAXraN2k
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) May 7, 2021
Im in awe of the success of this fake account. This is an all-timer. pic.twitter.com/WMfMmZOW8n
— Colin Hass-Hill (@chasshill) May 7, 2021
Reid did not commit to Pitt, or anywhere else on Friday afternoon, even after promising his commitment date and time was "fr this time." But apparently, a commitment is still coming.
patience yall
— Efton (@efton15) May 7, 2021
Buckeye fans, don't hold your breath.
