Western Pa.’s top 10 football prospects for the Class of 2021

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, February 5, 2020 | 6:43 PM

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If you wanted to spot some of the top college football coaches in the country, there was no need to fly to Clemson, S.C., or Ann Arbor, Mich.

Just go to Gateway High School.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh planned visits on the same day last week along with Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst, all in Monroeville to recruit Gateway junior Derrick Davis. Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly was there the day earlier and Ohio State’s Ryan Day arrived the week before.

With this year’s senior class now signed, college recruiters across the country can turn their full attention to a junior class that’s headlined locally by Davis.

Here’s a look at the top recruits from the WPIAL Class of 2021.

1. Derrick Davis

Gateway

6-1, 190, safety

Davis holds scholarship offers from the top five teams in the final BCS rankings and nine of the top 10 overall. The safety, linebacker and running back had more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 28 touchdowns last season, leading Gateway to the WPIAL Class 5A title. He’s ranked among the top 100 recruits nationally by ESPN (27), Scout (35) and Rivals (84). Scout and ESPN list him as the second-best safety in the country for 2021. He’s a consensus four-star prospect. His offers list includes Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and others, along with Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia regionally. His father, Derrick Sr., was a Michigan State recruit back when current Alabama coach Nick Saban was on the Spartans staff.

Watch Derrick Davis highlights

2. Elliot Donald

Central Catholic

6-3, 235, defensive line

The nephew of NFL superstar Aaron Donald revealed a top eight schools list last summer that included Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas A&M. He added that his recruitment was still open. His most recent offer came from Michigan State. Rivals ranks Donald 78th overall in the 2021 class and seventh among defensive tackles. He’s a Rivals four-star prospect.

Watch Elliot Donald highlights

3. Dorien Ford

Baldwin

6-4, 285, defensive line

Ford’s most recent college offer came last month from Texas A&M, raising his total to nearly 20. He also lists Pitt, Penn State and WVU, along with Michigan, Michigan State, Syracuse, Kentucky and others. Rivals ranks him as a three-star prospect and the 24th-best defensive tackle nationally.

Watch Dorien Ford highlights

4. Nahki Johnson

West Mifflin

6-3, 210, defensive end

Johnson is an edge rusher who could play defensive end or linebacker. He ended his recruitment process very early when he committed to Pitt last June. The four-star Rivals prospect also lists offers from Penn State, Michigan, Mississippi State, Iowa State, Syracuse, Temple and Toledo, but hasn’t shown any uncertainty about his decision. He earned conference defensive MVP honors in the Class 4A Big Eight last season, which included undefeated WPIAL and PIAA champion Thomas Jefferson.

Watch Nahki Johnson highlights

5. Donovan McMillon

Peters Township

6-2, 185, safety

McMillon’s stock has risen steadily since helping Peters Township reach the WPIAL finals last fall. He received a Pitt offer Nov. 15, joining a scholarship list that has around 20 schools. His most recent came Saturday from Vanderbilt, and he also holds Power 5 options from West Virginia, Michigan, Syracuse and Purdue. He’s a Rivals three-star prospect.

Watch Donovan McMillon highlights

6. Khalil Dinkins

North Allegheny

6-4, 205, wide receiver

Dinkins comes from a football family. His father Darnell is a former NFL tight end who played safety at Pitt in the late-1990s. His recruiting stock rose with offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kent State, Toledo, Syracuse and Virginia, but likely took a major jump this week with an offer from Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. Rivals rates Dinkins as a three-star prospect.

Watch Khalil Dinkins highlights

7. Aaron Gunn

Union

6-3, 295, offensive line

Gunn plays at one of the WPIAL’s smallest schools but has built a big reputation. The two-way lineman announced his first Division I offer in July 2018 from Kentucky but has since added a number of others. He lists Power 5 offers from West Virginia, Louisville and Michigan State, along with Cincinnati, Buffalo, Western Michigan and others. He’s a three-star Rivals prospect.

Watch Aaron Gunn highlights

8. Stephon Hall

Central Valley

6-2, 170, safety

Hall drew his first Division I offer from Pitt on the day Central Valley traveled to Hershey for the state finals. He’s since announced Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kent State and Toledo have joined his list. He’s one of three Division I recruits on the Warriors’ roster along with QB Ameer Dudley and WR/DB Myles Walker. Rivals ranks Hall as a two-star prospect.

Watch Stephon Hall highlights

9. Chamor Price

Gateway

6-1, 175, wide receiver

As college coaches watch teammate Derrick Davis, they surely noticed Price as well. He received nine FBS offers in January including his first ACC offer from Syracuse. He also added Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Kent State and Toledo. He averaged 23 yards per catch last season with long touchdowns of 60, 64 and 69 yards among them.

Watch Chamor Price highlights

10. Josh Hough

Beaver Falls

6-2, 240, running back

At his size, Hough could be a big running back in college or shift over to defense, where he plays outside linebacker for Beaver Falls. He announced his first Power 5 offer Saturday from Syracuse. He also lists FBS schools Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State and Toledo. He earned offensive MVP in the Class 3A Tri-County West.

Watch Josh Hough highlights

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway