Signed: Nahki Johnson

The first commitment in Pitt’s 2021 recruiting class came from arguably the Panthers’ best prospect in the class: Nahki Johnson, a four-star defensive end from western Pennsylvania who committed to Pitt during the summer after his sophomore year of high school.

Since then, Johnson’s status has only risen. He finished the 2021 cycle as the No. 7 overall prospect in Pennsylvania and the No. 1 defensive end in the state. Rivals.com ranked him at No. 7 among weak-side defensive end prospects in the nation, and he is the No. 169 overall recruit in the class.

And that’s just what Johnson has done on the field. Off the field, he has been leading the charge to build Pitt’s 2021 recruiting class into the top-25 collection of talent that it is. Johnson leapt at the chance to be the first commitment in the class because he wanted to be a leader, and he has done just that.

Now Johnson is looking forward to his Pitt career. He’ll enroll in January and participate in spring camp.