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Two days after securing a top-25 class for the 2021 cycle on national signing day, Pitt landed in the top 10 of a promising 2022 recruit, as Marcus Allen, a cornerback at Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia, trimmed down his list of potential destinations and kept Pitt among the schools in the running.
Thankful to all of the coaches that have given me an opportunity to play at their school. TOP10‼️ pic.twitter.com/JZlP3IMtEg
— Marcus X Allen (@MarcusXAllen7) February 5, 2021
Aside from Pitt, Allen’s top 10 includes Auburn, Boston College, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina and Vanderbilt. That list was made by cutting 16 teams programs on his offer sheet from contention. Some of the notable cuts included Cincinnati, Florida State, Iowa, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
The 6’2”, 170-pound defensive back holds a four-star rating from Rivals and is not rated by ESPN or 247Sports. Rivals also ranks Allen as the No. 26 cornerback in the 2022 class and the No. 33 recruit in the state of Georgia.
Last season at Walton, Allen amassed 48 tackles, including three tackles for losses. He also came up with two interceptions, seven pass breakups, two blocked punts and two fumble recoveries. However, his breakout season came in 2019, when he had 58 tackles, including one for a loss, as well as one interception and nine pass breakups.
At the moment, the odds seem to favor Allen staying in state, as he has only visited Georgia and Georgia Tech and has a sibling at each of the schools. In fact, Allen’s brother Derrik Allen is a defensive back at Georgia Tech. However, Pitt secondary coach Archie Collins has kept in contact with Allen during his recruitment and has apparently made a good impression.
“I really like Coach Collins of Pittsburgh, and coaches from all these staffs,” Allen told Chad Simmons of Rivals in an interview in January. “That is a big part of it for me. We aren’t able to take visits now, so communicating a lot with these schools is important.”
It is currently unclear when Allen will come to a decision. The recruit previously noted that he would prefer to announce his commitment before the start of his senior season. However, he has also expressed a desire to visit more of the schools in his top 10 before committing, which could push back his decision date but also potentially benefit Pitt.