Four-star recruit Ken Talley places Pitt in top 13

Since Pitt landed the commitment of WPIAL star Elliot Donald, things have been quiet on the recruiting trail. However, the silence was broken on Sunday, as Pitt made the top 13 of Ken Talley, a defensive end out of Northeast High School in Philadelphia and a top-10 recruit in the state of Pennsylvania.

Aside from Pitt, Talley’s top 13 includes Arizona State, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Penn State, Rutgers, Tennessee, Texas A&M and West Virginia. The top 13 was trimmed down from an offer sheet that included 24 schools. Some notable cuts included Baylor, Boston College, Michigan State, Syracuse and Temple.

The 6’2”, 220-pound defensive end is a consensus four-star recruit who is not only ranked among the top 10 Pennsylvania prospects in 2022 but also the top 235 overall by recruiting websites ESPN and 247Sports. ESPN places Talley at No. 103 overall and No. 4 in the state, while 247Sports places him at No. 235 overall and No. 8 in state.

Last season at Northeast, Talley came up with 43 tackles, including five sacks and eight tackles for losses. Talley also forced two fumbles and was credited with three quarterback hurries as a key member of a Vikings team that went 12-2.

At the moment, Penn State is viewed as the team to beat in Talley’s recruitment, and the fact that the prospect donned the blue and white in his top 13 announcement likely doesn’t bode well for Pitt. Talley has made three trips to Happy Valley over the course of his recruitment, and all three came in 2019. He also visited once Pitt last February. Talley noted he will commit on Sept. 8, placing his decision date just over a month away.