ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -– Team Nitro and Team Highlight took to the fields at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports on Monday for Day 1 of practice for Friday’s Under Armour All-America Game (5 p.m. ET, ESPN). Two powerhouse programs in the Southeastern Conference look to battle it out for one of the standout running backs, and one of the top uncommitted offensive linemen is out with an injury.

Tide and Dawgs at top for RB Kamara

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ACC
Maryland
Demetri McGill DT Virginia Beach, VA, Ocean Lakes
HT: 6-0 WT: 290
Position Rank: #93 DT

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ESPN 150 offensive tackle Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) has stated that he wanted to stay close to home and Pitt was able to capitalize on that. A one-time Penn State verbal, the No. 2-rated O-Tackle in the 2013 class, is a big pick-up for Paul Chryst as he works to put together his first full class as the Panthers head coach.

With Johnson, Pitt gets an athletic looking tackle prospect with a tall, lean frame and with some time in the Panthers weight program he should be able to pack on some needed but good mass. If pressed into action quickly, he could experience some growing pains as he develops his game, but this is a kid with very promising upside. He not only looks athletic, but displays the athleticism to be a good college tackle and that athleticism should help him to adapt and be productive if needed early on in his career which he may be. Johnson displays good flexibility as well as balance and agility. He may not be the biggest kid in terms of mass, but is an explosive and powerful kid who can deliver a pop on contact and drive defenders off the ball. He is not only capable of opening up running lanes at the line of scrimmage, but also blocks well on his feet in space and can deal with second-level defenders with similar type crushing results.

You not only like his athleticism, but also that he displays nastiness as a blocker. He looks to need a little more development in his pass pro, but he flashes the tools to develop into a strong pass blocker. He will need to continue to develop and strive for more consistency in his technique, but this is a player with the tools to develop into a very good O-Lineman at the college level.

Pitt recently lost a big commitment when ESPN 300 running back Corey Clement (Glassboro, N.J.) switched his verbal to Chryst’s old employer Wisconsin, but the Panthers rebounded well with an arguably even more impactful addition with the verbal from Johnson.

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Paul Chryst landed his biggest commitment since becoming the coach at Pittsburgh.

Belle Vernon (Pa.) Area's Dorian Johnson, an ESPN 150 prospect and the No. 2 offensive tackle nationally, committed to Pitt while on his official visit this weekend, his coach, Aaron Krepps, told ESPN.com in a text message.

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Paul Chryst's tenure at Pittsburgh will be defined this weekend. Hyperbole? Probably. But that isn't to say Nov. 17 could be looked back on as the date the Pitt program was turned around.

The top two players in Pennsylvania -- Dorian Johnson and Robert Foster -- will both take their official visits to Pitt this weekend. Clairton (Pa.) athlete Tyler Boyd, No. 7 in Pennsylvania, is also officially visiting.

All are four-star prospects and among the best players in the country, let alone the Keystone State. Johnson is No. 22 in the ESPN 150 and Foster is right behind at No. 28. Boyd sits just outside the ESPN 150 at No. 161.

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One of the top remaining targets for Ohio State and Pittsburgh has set official visits to both schools.

ESPN 150 offensive tackle Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) will officially visit Pitt the weekend of Nov. 16. His official visit to Ohio State will take place the weekend of Dec. 7, he told ESPN.com in a text message.

Johnson has Pitt as his top school with Ohio State close behind.

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The way Ohio State coaches see it, Dorian Johnson is still sitting out there.

Ditto for Vonn Bell, Mike Mitchell, David Dawson and Corn Elder.

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The season ended prematurely for Dorian Johnson, as Belle Vernon (Pa.) Area suffered a heartbreaking loss to Central Valley in the playoffs on a wobbly field goal with seven seconds left in the game.

Although Johnson was hoping to register his first playoff win in four tries, he was pleased to make the playoffs after Belle Vernon started 1-4.

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Ohio State will get a second chance to wow the No. 2 offensive tackle in the nation.

And if that impression is anything like the first, Buckeyes fans can expect Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) to be floored. Johnson confirmed he will be visiting Ohio State for the Michigan game on Nov. 24.

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Offensive tackle Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) liked his experience at Ohio State so much, the ESPN 150 recruit would like to make another trip to The Horseshoe in a few weeks.

In town Saturday for the Buckeyes’ 63-38 win over Nebraska, Johnson -- who is ranked second in the nation at his position and No. 27 overall -- has already started talking about coming back on Nov. 24 for the Michigan game. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Johnson isn’t sure whether or not it will be an official visit, but he knows he wants to see the campus again.

“I actually talked to the coaches the other day about coming up for it,” Johnson said. “Me and my family are going to try and come up for that game.”

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Saturday’s home game against Nebraska isn’t just a chance to impress the pollsters as much as it is an opportunity to grab the attention of some of the biggest recruits for Ohio State.

The list for the primetime game against the Cornhuskers reads like a who’s who of candidates for the Buckeyes starting with former Penn State commit Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon). No. 27 in the ESPN 150, the second-ranked offensive tackle leads the list of headliners planning to attend and is followed by James Quick (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) at wide receiver.

Both have Ohio State in their top three. Johnson rounds out his list with Pitt and Virginia Tech, while Quick (No. 57) comes in with Louisville and Oregon.

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Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) had a top three after giving his decommitment to Penn State a month ago.

Now, the 27th-ranked player in the ESPN 150 has a temporary order for those top three.

“Pitt is No. 1, Ohio State is No. 2 and Virginia Tech is No. 3,” said Johnson before his American Family Insurance Selection Tour presentation for the Under Armour All-America Game on Friday.

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Call the Ohio State-Cal game the weekend of the wide receivers in term of unofficial visits.

Thaddeus Snodgrass (Springfield, Ohio/Springfield) is hoping the third time is the charm as he was derailed the two previous weeks in terms of unofficial visits.

He has got company, however, as Dominique Booth (Indianapolis/Pike) and Zach Yousey (Columbus, Ohio/Harvest Preparatory) have plans to find their way to The Horseshoe.

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ESPN 150 offensive tackle Dorian Johnson (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) has a final three, and two of those will play this weekend.

Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech will meet at Heinz Field on Saturday, and Johnson lives less than an hour from Pittsburgh.

Johnson, a Penn State decommit and No. 27 in the ESPN 150, wrote in a text he "might go but we have film and lifting early [Saturday] morning so i might not be able to."

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