Pitt flips 4-star RB from Ohio who was committed to Ohio State

Pittsburgh’s recruiting class grew while Ohio State’s shrank Wednesday when four-star running back Todd Sibley announced he intends to be a Panther in 2017.

Sibley, a top 20 running back nationally and the 12th-best prospect in Ohio according to 247Sports.com Composite rankings, shared the news on Twitter.

The Akron Hoban High standout was an early Ohio State commit, but in May he told 247Sports he was considering more than half a dozen schools after being asked to delay his enrollment if he wished to remain a future Buckeye.

After an unofficial visit to Pitt, he said the chance to regularly rub shoulders with NFL players was a draw to him.

“It was a one day visit,” Sibley said. “A lot of things stood out. One thing that really got my attention was all the NFL access they have. They share the field with the Steelers and eat with the players and stuff.”

With eight members, Pitt’s class checks in at No. 41 after adding Sibley, who joins Homestead, Pa., safety Paris Ford to give coach Pat Narduzzi a pair of four-star commits so far.

Last year, Narduzzi signed the No. 30 class in the country, a group that included five prospects from Ohio and seven from Pennsylvania.

Despite losing Sibley, Ohio State’s class is No. 1 in the country midway through June.

Its 13 members include four-star running back J.K. Dobbins of La Grange, Texas.

In his announcement Wednesday, Sibley did not express any ill will toward Ohio State coach Urban Meyer or his staff but rather thanked them for “ultimately just giving me a shot.”