As one recruiting class finishes, another continues to heat up.

Coach James Franklin earned some key rewards on both fronts this past weekend at Penn State, both coming at defensive back.He received a verbal commitment from a Pittsburgh-area safety to just about finish this 2015 recruiting class ... then landed a pledge from an even higher-rated Michigan cornerback for his quickly-building 2016 group.Pittsburgh Central Catholic's Johnny Petrishen (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) picked Penn State over Pitt, Virginia, Northwestern and Maryland, according to various internet reports. He's the 24th member of this current class, which should be finalized Wednesday, which is National Signing Day.Only one scholarship spot now remains for the Nittany Lions. In the mix is Kevin Reihner, a Stanford offensive lineman and graduate student transfer. The Scranton Prep grad would be able to use his last year of eligibility right away. He was Stanford's backup center last fall.Petrishen's commitment is important in a couple of different ways, according to recruiting experts.He is a fast, instinctual and versatile player, who figures to develop quickly as a special teams standout before working into the defensive mix. He is the fifth defensive back recruit in this class after Franklin loaded up in the secondary last year, too.But Petrishen also may be a key recruiting tool, as well. He is from Central Catholic, which is near Pitt's campus, and also is stocked with more FBS talent in the next couple of years. In the end, Petrishen and tight end Nick Bowers picked Penn State over Pitt and new head coach Pat Narduzzi."To me, all I've heard about since Narduzzi took over is how the recruiting battle is back for Penn State and Pitt," said Brian Dohn, a national analyst with Scout.com. "But until Pitt gets a couple of these kids, I'm not buying it."Penn State now ranks anywhere from eighth nationally (just ahead of Ohio State for the Big Ten lead) to just inside the Top 15 (a few spots behind the national champs)."If you look at the class across the board, Penn State upgraded talent in a big way," Dohn said.Meanwhile, the Lions also pulled yet another impressive recruit for its 2016 class.Lavert Hill is not only the top-rated cornerback prospect in the Midwest, according to Scout.com , he's Penn State's fourth verbal commitment from a high school junior, three of which are coveted four-star prospects.Despite a lack of size (5-9, 160), Hill already boasts scholarship offers from Michigan where his brother, Delano, plays safety and Ohio State, where several of his former high school teammates are headed. He also had early offers from Tennessee, Miami (Fla.) and North Carolina.Hill played at Detroit's Cass Technical High last season but has transferred to Detroit King for his senior season."You don't see Penn State going into Michigan much, and certainly not into Detroit," said Greg Pickel, an analyst with FightOnState.com .The last big Michigan recruiting names for the Lions were receiver Allen Robinson and defensive tackle Anthony Zettel, who will be a senior next season.