Darrin Hall commits to Pitt

News started swirling yesterday about Darrin Hall having Pitt in his final list of schools, and that he was actually favoring the Panthers. He was set to announce his college decision today at 5:00 and with a Michigan State hat, Kentucky hat, and a Pitt hat on the table, Hall indeed picked the Panthers.

It's Pitt for Darrin Hall. #Panthers pic.twitter.com/sjlciBNtdp

— Bill Greene (@BillBankGreene) August 19, 2014

Truth be told, this was a bit of a shocker in every sense. Hall's recruitment was not noticed much on the Pitt front, and with a running back like Sekai Lindsay in the fold, many thought Pitt was done with the running back position for this recruiting class. Still, this is pretty big news.....OK, this is really big news. Hall becomes Pitt's first four star recruit for the 2015 recruiting class.  Darrin Hall is rated as a four-star back by all of the major recruiting services, and he is listed anywhere between 5'11" and 6'1" and 195 and 215 pounds, however it shakes out, he is a big back that runs North and South that is perfect for this offense.

Hall's listed size varies, but his rankings do not. He is a legitimate four-star across the board with a very good offer sheet. ESPN says Hall is the 9th best recruit in the state of Ohio, and the 32nd best back in the country. Rivals has him as a member of their top 250 rankings (168) and is rated as the 7th best player in Ohio. The 24/7 composite rankings put him as 11th in Ohio, and 22nd at running back. Scout has Hall in their top 300 rankings at 228, and the 29th running back.

Hall's finalists were Michigan State and Kentucky, but he is also credited with offers from West Virginia, Northwestern, Nebraska, Illinois, and Vanderbilt. The running back from Austintown Fitch High School fits into the Paul Chryst mold of offense. He is a bruising back that attacks the hole, and typically breaks multiple tackles per play. It is easy to see why he is so coveted.

Darrin Hall becomes Pitt's 13th recruit for the 2015 recruiting class. He joins DaVon Hamilton and Kraig Howe as the third player from Ohio to commit to the Panthers. Hall joins Sekai Lindsay as the second running back in this recruiting class, and that can cause a chain reaction. Pitt is only slated to bring in 15-16 kids in the class, and Lindsay was probably under the assumption he would be the only back to be brought in this year.  Pitt has three true freshmen on the active roster, along with two true sophomores, so things can become interesting with the Hall commitment.