Could Pitt Come Up Empty-Handed in the WPIAL's 2027 Class?
The WPIAL Class of 2027 has been an impressive one with Imani Christian 4-star safety Gabe Jenkins becoming the latest player to commit to a Power Four school, when he pledged to Colorado earlier this week.
Jenkins became the 10th WPIAL player in the 2027 cycle to commit to a Power Four program.
WPIAL 2027 Power Four Commitments
Gabe Jenkins, 4-star safety, Imani Christian (Colorado)
Kemon Spell, 5-star running back, McKeesport (Georgia)
James Halter, 4-star offensive tackle, Central Catholic (Notre Dame)
Jimmy Kalis, 4-star offensive tackle, Central Catholic (Ohio State)
Ryan Robbins, 3-star offensive tackle, Upper St. Clair (Penn State)
Jon Sassic, 3-star offensive lineman, Central Catholic (Penn State)
Javien Robinson, 4-star wide receiver, McKeesport (South Carolina)
Zachary Gleason, 3-star defensive back, Central Catholic (Penn State)
Carter Bonner, 4-star defensive back, St. Frances Academy (transferred from Penn Hills) (West Virginia)
DaJour Webb, 3-star defensive lineman, Jones High School (transferred from Pine-Richland (West Virginia)
That total of 10 will increase over the coming months, it’s just a matter of by how many.
Pine-Richland 4-star wide receiver Khalil Taylor is one of the top players in the country. Rivals currently ranks Taylor as the No. 81 overall player in the country. Taylor’s top teams right now appear to be Georgia, Alabama, Colorado, Penn State and Nebraska.
Three other WPIAL players that could end up with Power 4 programs include Central Catholic linebacker Roman Thompson, Bishop Canevin 3-star linebacker Minikon Johnson and West Mifflin 3-star running back Armand Hill.
Johnson currently has official visits set with West Virginia, UConn and Wake Forest.
At this point in time, this Class of 2027 is a bit behind last year when the WPIAL produced at least 15 Power Four recruits.
WPIAL 2026 Power Four Commitments
Reston Lehman, Peters Township (Pitt)
John Curran, Pine-Richland (Pitt)
Da’Ron Barksdale, Steel Valley (Pitt)
Lincoln Hoke, North Allegheny (Pitt)
Colsen Gatten, Central Catholic (Duke)
Ashton Blatt, Central Catholic (North Carolina)
Anthony Charles, South Fayette (Minnesota)
Lucas Shanafelt, Peters Township (Stanford)
Jay Timmons, Pine-Richland (Ohio State)
Matt Sieg, Fort Cherry (West Virginia)
David Davis, Imani Christian (North Carolina)
Adam Gehm, Seneca Valley (Vanderbilt)
Zykir Moore, Woodland Hills (NC State)
Jacob Echeverria, Upper St. Clair (Purdue)
Harran Zurriekat, Fox Chapel (Georgia)
One interesting side note is that as things currently stand, it doesn’t look as though Pitt will be getting a commitment from a player from the WPIAL. The Panthers had three WPIAL prospects set for official visits with Jenkins, Robbins and Sassic. With Jenkins’ commitment to Colorado, that visit is likely off, while the latter two have already removed Pitt from their visit list.
Pitt has received a WPIAL scholarship commitment every year since at least 1999 when the Rivals database began covering commitments and signings for high schools prospects.
There are still seven months until early National Signing Day, but things look bleak for Pitt in the WPIAL this year.
