Standout WPIAL trio Pitt’s signature pieces
Recruits called best group of Narduzzi era
Elliot Donald, Nahki Johnson and Dorien Ford sat beneath banners of Dan Marino and Tony Dorsett on Wednesday afternoon when they put pen to paper. At Cupka’s Cafe II on the South Side, Donald, Johnson and Ford — three of the WPIAL’s premier talents — ceremonially signed with Pitt.
Less than a mile away, Pitt’s coaches were smiling hours earlier. Donald, Johnson and Ford’s signatures, as well as 18 other letters of intent, were received at the Panthers team facility in rapid succession. Every letter was in by 9:30 a.m., allowing Pat Narduzzi and his staff to bask in a potentially program-altering recruiting class.
“I do feel like I won the Powerball. The only difference is, if I won the Powerball, I may or may not be standing at this podium right now,” Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge said with a laugh. “But it was a good day.”
“This whole entire process has been really crazy for this entire class, for our coaches and for everyone involved,” Narduzzi added. “And the resilience and the adversity of what they had to go through will make this class strong.”
Rankings-wise, it already is.
Narduzzi and his staff inked a top-25 recruiting class for their first time. The group ranks 21st and 25th in the country according to Rivals and 247 Sports, respectively. On both services, the Panthers class sits fourth in the ACC behind only Clemson, Miami and North Carolina. Pitt’s class features 21 signees, including three fourstar recruits and six Pennsylvania products.
Donald — the nephew of Pitt alumnus and Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald — is the crown jewel of the class. The Central Catholic defensive tackle was the No. 93 overall prospect in the 2021 cycle, according to Rivals. Donald compiled 55 tackles — 13 for a loss — 11 sacks and two forced fumbles as a junior before sitting out the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.
Donald is the 13th highestrated prospect to sign with Pitt, according to 247 Sports, and the highest since Steel Valley safety Paris Ford in 2017. Donald — who held offers from LSU, Ohio State, Notre Dame and other powerhouses — verbally committed to Pitt in July and saw through that agreement, much to the delight of Pitt’s staff.
Partridge, in particular, was pleased to see Donald’s DocuSign come through. None of Wednesday’s signees sent over their letters of intent via fax, ending a longstanding signing day tradition. But with Donald joining Pitt, familiarity still reigned supreme.
“He loves his uncle and is proud of his uncle. But Elliot has a unique nature about him in that he wants to be his own story. That was a challenge we had to get through at times, to be honest,” Partridge said. “Elliot is going to come in and play his game and do things his way. I think he’s got a really bright future ahead of him as long as he continues to work the way he does.
“How can we not be happy to have another Donald in this program? Are you kidding me? It’s awesome.”
Partridge also will get to work with Johnson, a fourstar pass rusher from West Mifflin, and Ford, a three-star defensive tackle from Baldwin.
Johnson, the first player to commit to Pitt’s 2021 class in June 2019, “led the charge in this class,” Narduzzi said. The head coach thanked him for not only sticking with the program despite offers from Penn State, Michigan and others, but also recruiting more players to join him. Though Narduzzi insisted that every signee made their individual decisions, having Johnson onboard helped Pitt land Donald and Ford — who drew offers from Penn State, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech among others.
All told, Pitt nabbed five of Pennsylvania’s top-25 prospects. Donald, Johnson and Ford ranked fifth, seventh and 12th, respectively. Meanwhile, Imhotep Institute safety Javon McIntyre and Central Valley defensive back Stephon Hall, both three-star recruits, came in at 22nd and 25th in the state.
“I think we had a lot of kids who took pride in playing here,” Pitt safeties coach and local recruiter Cory Sanders said, a year after the Panthers took only one Pennsylvania player ( Westinghouse’s Dayon Hayes). “I felt like the state had some really good talent this year, and we went full force. It was a team effort from everyone on staff to go out here and recruit the heck out of these guys to keep them home.”
The Panthers didn’t just stay in the Keystone State, though. In fact, one could argue that the key to Pitt’s heralded class was Virginia.
Chris Beatty, the Panthers wide receiver coach, made headway in Virginia last year but kicked his recruitment into high gear this time around. The Virginia native landed four of the state’s top20 prospects — as many as Virginia and Virginia Tech combined.
It was a major recruiting win for Pitt to beat the Cavaliers and Hokies to the signatures of three-star wide receiver Myles Alston and three-star running backs Malik Newton and Rodney Hammond. Beatty was also key in securing four- star edge rusher Naquan Brown, who decommitted from LSU earlier this month and picked Pitt.
Though he’s listed on recruiting services as a linebacker, Partridge sees Brown — the No. 185 overall prospect in the country — as a defensive end. Brown, combined with Donald, Johnson and Ford, could make for a forceful four up front.
“From the beginning of the 2021 recruiting board, it was kind of understood that all decisions regarding Dlinemen that we were going to recruit worked through those three local players [ Donald, Johnson and Ford]. They were all compared to those three,” Partridge said. “Naquan’s a great player and we’re excited about the late addition of him. ... I’m excited about the future of the D-line.”
As Narduzzi noted, too, it wasn’t just Partridge’s unit that received a boost.
Nate Yarnell, a three-star passer from Baker Mayfield’s alma mater in Texas, is Pitt’s quarterback this cycle. Hammond and Newton will compete in a crowded running back room. Alston and DeMatha Catholic of Maryland wideout Jaden Bradley could emerge as targets for Kenny Pickett. Tight ends Jake Renda and Gavin Bartholomew will provide depth at a position that needs it. And four offensive linemen — threestar tackles Terrence Rankl, Terrence Enos, Kyle Fugedi and Trey Andersen — signed, as well.
Johnson, Donald, Brown and Ford headline the defense. But Sanders expects a lot out of McIntyre, Hall and Noah Biglow. The Panthers also signed three-star linebacker Preston Lavant, added three-star defensive back Tamarion Crumpley late and held on to Khalil Anderson — a highly coveted cornerback from Atlanta with offers from Miami, Penn State and South Carolina.
There’s a reason why Pitt’s class rates higher than Penn State and nine ACC opponents in Rivals’ team rankings. The Panthers have both quality and quantity, and they secured it in a cycle of uncertainty. Narduzzi gave his staff extra credit for its work using Zoom and FaceTime to assemble this class — one that, according to Rivals, will go down as the highestranked group since 2006.