Pat Signal: Khalil Anderson commits to Pitt

The Panthers coaching staff netted their second recruit in a 12-hour span on Friday night, as Khalil Anderson, a cornerback out of Riverwood High School in Atlanta, announced his commitment to Pitt.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank God and my lord and savior Jesus Christ," Anderson said in a message posted on Twitter. "I also want to thank my mom and dad for forming me into the young man that I am today and for all of the sacrifices that they made for me throughout my whole entire life so that I can be in the position that I am in today. ... With all of that being said, I have committed to the University of Pittsburgh."

The 5’11”, 175-pound athlete holds a three-star rating from Rivals but has not been rated by 247Sports or ESPN. Pitt offered Anderson a scholarship on April 7, but Panthers secondary coach Archie Collins had been in contact with the recruit since last October. At the time, the only other Power Five programs to offer Anderson were Kansas and Michigan State.

All told, the Atlanta cornerback drew 16 offers over the course of his recruitment, and he chose Pitt over the likes of Duke, Kansas, Kansas State, Michigan State, Syracuse, Wake Forest and a few lower-tier programs.

Anderson enjoyed a breakout season at Riverwood in 2019, as he came up with a total of seven interceptions, five pass breakups and 37 tackles for a Raiders team that went 11-1 overall and 7-0 in conference. During that season, Anderson and the Raiders beat opponents by an average of 17.4 points per game and held them to 10.4 points per game.

Anderson is the fourth defensive back Pitt has added to its 2021 class, as Noah Biglow, Stephon Hall and Javon McIntyre previously committed. Upon their arrival, they will likely compete with 2020 commits Rashad Battle, Buddy Mack, Jahvante Royal and Hunter Sellers for playing time, as the Panthers are set to lose current starters Paris Ford, Damar Hamlin, Damarri Mathis and Jason Pinnock to the NFL or to graduation after 2020.