Pitt football lands top offensive line recruit Dorian Johnson
By Matt Shetler
You always remember your first…big time recruit, that is.
Pitt football head coach Paul Chryst landed his first notable recruit in Belle Vernon offensive tackle Dorian Johnson on Sunday.
October 27, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Paul Chryst on the field before playing the Temple Owls at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Panthers won 47-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE
Johnson, an ESPN Top 150 prospect and the No. 2 offensive tackle nationally, committed to Pitt while on his official visit this weekend, Belle Vernon coach Aaron Krepps told ESPN in a text message.
Johnson had committed to Penn State before the NCAA sanctions, officially visited Pitt with other ESPN Top 300 prospects Tyler Boyd (Clairton) and Robert Foster (Central Valley).
It was always rumored that Pitt was Johnson’s leader since decommitting from Penn State in August. ESPN’s No. 22-ranked player overall had the Panthers slightly ahead of Ohio State, with Virginia Tech also a distant possibility.
Johnson had an official visit to Ohio State planned for Dec. 7 and was slated to visit unofficially Nov. 24 for the Michigan game (Via ESPN).
Johnson is a big haul for Chryst after a tough first season as a head coach. Many feel that as Chryst recruits his type of players, the Panthers fortunes will turn around.
The first step in that process is building up the type of offensive line that he had at Wisconsin. That’s especially true given that Chryst can lean on the run with Rushel Shell, who will be in a Pitt uniform for at least two more years.
Chryst needs to start landing the WPIAL’s top talent and took a big step in doing so with the commitment of Johnson.