Kani Walker puts Pitt in top 10

Pitt made the cut for a sought after defensive back over the weekend, as Kani Walker placed the program in his top 10 on Sunday afternoon. Walker is a cornerback out of Douglas County High School in Douglasville, Georgia, and his announcement came after a busy period in his recruitment that saw him gather more than a dozen scholarship offers.

In addition to Pitt, Walker also placed Boston College, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, Illinois, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Minnesota and Syracuse on his list of finalists. That list was derived from an offer sheet with 17 schools, and the most notable program to fall out of the running for Walker was Indiana.

The 6’2”, 194-pound cornerback holds three-star ratings from 247Sports and Rivals, both of which consider him to be a top-75 player at his position in the 2021 class. Specifically, 247Sports ranks him 72nd in the nation at corner, and Rivals, which lists Walker as a safety, places him 38th at his position.

In February, Christian Fowler of 247Sports described Walker as a “prototypical modern-day corner” and said that his stock could rise in the coming year as coaches are likely to “fall in love with his size and athletic ability.” And given how his height could benefit him at corner, it’s not hard to understand why.

Pitt will have some notable holes to fill in its defensive backfield in 2021, as safety Damar Hamlin will be on his way out after his sixth year of eligibility. In addition, Paris Ford mulled going pro after a breakout season in 2019 and could find himself in an even better position after next season. The team will also likely have to adjust to the losses of Damarri Mathis and Jason Pinnock at corner in 2021.