SI All-American Watch List: 12 Pittsburgh commits and 9 Key Pitt targets named

Top 10 position rankings start this week; preseason SI99 out in August

Defensive end Nahki Johnson of West Mifflin Area High in West Mifflin, Pa., headlines a group of 12 Pitt verbal commits, along with 9 of the Panthers' key targets in the 2021 recruiting cycle, who are candidates for the 2020 Sports Illustrated All-America team of high school senior football players.

Johnson, a 6-3, 225 pound DE, verbally committed to Pitt in June. He has a nose for the ball and takes efficient routes to meet ball carriers. His quick release, speed, and ability to wrap up and halt opponents in their tracks will make him a force to be reckoned with on the Panthers' Front Seven. Johnson received a late scholarship offer from LSU shortly after his verbal commitment to Pitt.

Listed below is the full breakdown of NC State verbals and prime targets on the SI All-American watch list.

VERBAL COMMITS:

DE Nahki Johnson/6-3, 225/West Mifflin, Pa.

OG Marco Fugar/6-4, 270/Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

CB Noah Biglow/6-0, 180/Seffner, Fla.

OLB Preston Lavant/6-2, 200/Cordele, Ga.

OT Terrence Enos/6-5, 317/Detroit, Mich.

OT Brandon Honorable/6-7, 280/Detroit, Mich.

S Javon McIntyre/6-1, 187/Philadelphia, Pa.

QB Nate Yarnell/6-6, 191/Austin, Texas

ATH Rodney Hammond/5-10, 170/Norfolk, Va.

RB Malik Newton/6-0, 225/Norfolk, Va.

ATH Myles Alston/6-2, 175/Virginia Beach, Va.

DE Trevion Stevenson/6-4, 217/Hampton, Va.

TOP TARGETS:

OLB Naquan Brown/6-3, 205/Virginia Beach, Va.

DE Elliot Donald/6-2, 250/Reading, Pa.

DT Dorien Ford/6-4, 290/Pittsburgh, Pa.

S Winsome Frazier/6-3, 180/West Palm Beach, Fla.

OLB Zemarion Harrell/6-2, 220/Virginia Beach, Va.

RB Eric McDaniels/6-0, 225/Hopewell, Va.

ATH Chase Smith/6-4, 195/Palm Bay, Fla.

DE Shawn Williams/6-4, 260/Philadelphia, Pa.

DE George Rooks III/6-4, 260/Jersey City, N.J.

More than 1,000 student-athletes, representing every state in the country, are SI All-American candidates. Video highlights, scouting analyses and a list of each player’s college verbal commitment and/or top college contenders can be found on their bio pages, broken down by state, at SIAllAmerican.com.

Over the coming weeks, SI will unveil its preseason top 10 for each of 14 position groups (kicking off with quarterbacks this week). SI will unveil its initial top 99 ranking, the SI99, on August 24.

The evaluation process will continue throughout the season “until the list of 1,000 contenders coalesces around just 25 young men who can say proudly they are the best of the best -- they are Sports Illustrated All-Americans,” said SI Director of Football Recruiting John Garcia, Jr.

The candidates will be narrowed to 250 in October and 99 in November, and will culminate with 25 first-team Sports Illustrated All-Americans saluted at SI’s annual Sportsperson of the Year banquet in New York in December.

Listed below is the full breakdown of Pitt verbals and prime targets on the SI All-American watch list.