2021 early signing period

Recruiting for college football’s class of 2021 lacked many of the staples of a typical cycle because, well, 2020 was anything but typical due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Skills camps. Game day trips to packed stadiums. Cozy in-home visits with coaches. All of it was disrupted in part or in whole while high school seniors considered where to spend the next four years of their lives.

Despite it all, Pitt and Penn State both managed to compile solid groups that can begin signing their letters of intent Wednesday morning.

The Panthers have actually attracted their best class in 15 years in the eyes of recruiting services. They entered Wednesday ranked 21st in Rivals’ team rankings. That’s the highest they’ve been since 2006. This time around, the headliners are local standouts like West Mifflin’s Nahki Johnson and Central Catholic’s Elliot Donald.

The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, are slotted a bit lower than they’ve been traditionally under coach James Franklin at No. 26 nationally. That’s partly because their group is smaller than normal at just 15 players. Still, they’ll welcome six four-star rated prospects this year.

Not a bad year’s worth of Zoom calls.

- Adam Bittner

Player ratings, Pitt and Penn State photos by Rivals.com