As the 2019 WPIAL football season was coming to a close, Gateway’s Derrick Davis, Central Catholic’s Elliot Donald and West Mifflin’s Nahki Johnson were the three big recruits most recruiting analysts were focused on when talking about the top players in the WPIAL Class of 2021.
While Davis is still Western Pennsylvania’s top recruit as well as one of the best in the nation, a new name is facing up the board and making an argument for the top spot in the WPIAL.
Peters Township safety Donovan McMillon’s recruiting profile has risen has quickly as any WPIAL recruit in recent memory. Back on November 15, Pitt became the first Power 5 program to offer McMillon and since then, the rising star continues to add offer after offer at a torrid pace.
When you receive an offer from the defending national champion, you know that you’re a serious player and that’s what happened on Tuesday as McMillon received an offer from Ed Orgeron and LSU.
Despite previously announcing a Top 15, McMillon will no doubt be making some revisions to that list with today’s news and with the recent offers from both Tennessee and Stanford. To be honest, it would probably be smart for McMillon to rip up that Top 15, because it’s kind of pointless since he’ll likely be receiving more offers from prominent programs like LSU.
You have to wonder how long before schools like Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson and one of the major Florida schools get involved.
The meteoric rise of McMillon is great news for WPIAL football as the area now can boast three national recruits and that would be four if Johnson hadn’t committed to Pitt so soon. Donald holds offers from programs such as Pitt, Ohio State, Notre Dame, LSU and Michigan while Davis has an incredible offer list that includes Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC.
How impressive are these three players and the attention they’re receiving? Although it’s not there YET, we’re getting to the point of that these offers are starting to remind people of the national attention that former Jeannette star Terrelle Pryor received before eventually committing to Ohio State.
With Donald and Davis, that wasn’t a surprise because they were getting attention and the offers last season. In the case of McMillon, to go from zero Power Five offers at the start of November to where he finds himself today is truly remarkable.
As I’ve mentioned before, as talented as McMillon is on the field, he’s equally as impressive and polished off the field, as he’s one of the most polite, articulate and impressive young athletes that I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with.
While it’s great news for McMillon that offers continue to pour in, the only “downside” is that eventually trying to make a final decision is going to be extremely difficult to do.
In the end, McMillon will have to decide between staying close to home and playing for Pitt and being a hometown star or moving away from his family to play for another program on a bigger stage.
This will be the first major, adult decision of McMillon’s life and it won’t be an easy one.
