SIGNED: Erick Hallett is in

Texas cornerback Erick Hallett is in, as he has signed his Letter of Intent with Pitt.

The backstory: Hallett was a late addition to Pitt's recruiting board. He had known new defensive coordinator Randy Bates from when Bates was recruiting at Northwestern, and when Bates got to Pitt, head coach Pat Narduzzi told him that the Panthers needed another cornerback in the 2018 recruiting class.

Bates brought up Hallett and things moved quickly from there. Narduzzi and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson visited Hallett a week later; a few days after that, Hallett was on campus for an official visit, and a week after the visit, he was committed.

The commitment: Hallett came out of his official visit impressed with Pitt, but he wasn't 100% sold on the Panthers until a midweek visit with Bates. That visit at Hallett's home convinced him to commit to Pitt, which he did a few days later.

The impact: Hallett is Pitt's fourth defensive back in the 2018 class, and while could play either spot in the secondary, he'll probably be a corner for the Panthers. Along with Marquis Williams, Judson Tallandier and V'Lique Carter, Hallett represents the continued restocking and depth-building on the back end of the defense.

Interestingly, Hallett is the first recruit from Texas to go on scholarship at Pitt since the 2015 recruiting class, when Pitt signed receiver Gentry Ivery. The Panthers also have walk-on receiver Kellen McAlone from the Lone Star State on the current roster.