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Pitt begins welcoming 2026 recruiting class as early signing period commences | TribLIVE.com
Pitt

Pitt begins welcoming 2026 recruiting class as early signing period commences

Justin Guerriero
Justin Guerriero
9096670_web1_gtr-Pitt4-113025
Andrew Palla | For TribLive
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi reacts to a call during a game against Miami on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, at Acrisure Stadium.

Amid the backdrop of bowl preparation, Pitt and programs across the nation placed an eye to the future beginning Wednesday morning, as the early signing period commenced at 7 a.m., allowing for the Panthers’ 2026 recruiting class to start formalizing their collegiate intentions.

Coach Pat Narduzzi and his assistants crafted a 20-strong group of verbal commitments ranked No. 43 nationally by 247Sports that featured two four-star prospects, a pair of quarterbacks and four WPIAL standouts among other building blocks for next season and beyond.

National letters of intent began filtering in early in the morning, with recruits able to do so through Friday and by day’s end, Pitt finished with 21 signees.

The first recruit the Panthers announced as having put pen to paper came at 7:10 a.m. in the form of three-star linebacker Marcus Jennings out of Detroit, Mich. (Cass Tech).

A Panthers verbal commitment since March, Jennings courted offers from Michigan, West Virginia, Iowa, Purdue, Illinois and others.

247Sports lists him as the No. 56 linebacker nationally and 12th-ranked prospect in Michigan.

Next came hometown defensive lineman Lincoln Hoke, a 6-foot-2, 260-pound prospect from North Allegheny and son of former Steeler Chris Hoke.

The younger Hoke is a three-star recruit and the No. 40 overall prospect in Pennsylvania who had been committed to Pitt since early June.

Three-star wideout Demetrice MrCray followed Jennings and Hoke.

McCray, a 6-foot, 180-pound recruit from Orlando, Fla. (First Academy), chose the Panthers over Power Four offers such as Illinois, Iowa State, N.C. State, UNC, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and more.

Ranked No. 126 among Sunshine State recruits within his class, McCray gave position coach J.J. Laster and the Panthers a verbal commitment in May.

The second of Pitt’s five linebacker commits, Isaiah Simmons, signed next.

Simmons, a three-star recruit from Norfolk, Va. (Maury), ranked as the No. 33 linebacker nationally and the No. 11 prospect in his home state.

Virginia, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Michigan and Georgia Tech were notable programs also on his offer sheet.

Just before 7:30, Reston Lehman of Peters Township became prospect No. 5 to formalize his commitment to Pitt.

Lehman, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound linebacker, is ranked as the No. 19 recruit in Pennsylvania.

Rutgers, Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, UNC, Oklahoma and UCLA were among the plethora of Power Four offers for the WPIAL standout.

Another Sunshine State recruit of Pitt’s, Dylan Wester, was the next whose signing was announced.

A three-star athlete out of Sarasota, Fla. (Booker), Wester projects as a wide receiver but is listed as an athlete.

Per 247Sports, he is the No. 108 overall recruit in Florida.

After Wester, another WPIAL commit of Pitt’s locked in with the Panthers.

John Curran, an interior offensive lineman out of Pine-Richland, turned in his letter of intent, having committed originally in June.

Curran’s offer sheet reached 25, with several Ivy League institutions, Central Michigan, Coastal Carolina and others after the 6-3, 300-pounder.

Joshua Pittman, a three-star linebacker from Suffolk, Va. (King’s Fork) officially joined Pitt at 7:45.

A 6-3, 210-pound recruit, Pittman climbed to No. 23 in 247Sports’ Virginia prospects rankings.

Duke, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Michigan State, Syracuse and UNC were among his Power Four offers.

Offensive tackle Michael Van Der Oord came next at 7:50.

A 6-7, 280-pound recruit from Cleveland, Ohio (St. Ignatius), Van Der Oord had been committed since June.

Pitt beat out Wake Forest, WVU and a handful of others for his services.

Less than an hour in, Pitt had inked half of its class, as Westerville, Ohio, safety Isaac Patterson became the 10th recruit the Panthers welcomed.

A three-star recruit who’s 6-foot, 185 pounds, Patterson ranked as the No. 47 prospect in Ohio.

Clearwater, Fla., cornerback Kentrail Mccrae Jr. was the next new Panther to be announced, having considered offers from Cincinnati, Iowa State, Louisville, Michigan State, Rutgers and others.

Mccrae, a 6-2, 160-pound defensive back, ranked No. 97 nationally at his position at committed to Pitt in June.

The 12th recruit Pitt welcomed Wednesday was three-star wideout Jaydon Dunbar out of Thomasville, Ga. (Thomas County Central).

Dunbar, a lengthy 6-5 receiver, is a three-star prospect ranked No. 59 nationally at his position.

Committed to Pitt since June, he considered offers from Duke, Arkansas, Auburn, Cal, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss and many other Power Four programs.

At 8:20, the first of Pitt’s blue chip prospects, four-star tailback Damon Ferguson, turned in a letter of intent.

Ferguson, Pitt’s highest-ranked recruit this cycle, is listed at No. 9 nationally and No. 5 in his home state of Maryland (Gwynn Oak/Milford Mill Academy).

The 5-11, 190-pounder committed in June, having attracted 42 offers from across the Power Four.

Another four-star recruit, Texas (Pearland) offensive tackle Nicholas Howard, followed Ferguson.

A 6-5, 285-pound lineman, Howard checked in as the No. 33 tackle nationally and Texas’ No. 55 overall recruit.

Air Force, Arizona, Houston and Tulane were among his 19 scholarship offers.

The 15th letter of intent for Pitt Wednesday came via Miami, Fla. (Northwestern) linebacker Desmond Johnson, a 6-1, 195-pound player.

At 8:45, the Panthers sealed the deal on their fourth and final WPIAL commitment in Steel Valley’s Da’Ron Barksdale.

Barksdale, a 5-10, 175-pound corner, picked up offers from Duquesne, Memphis, Syracuse, Temple, UConn and others.

247Sports ranked him as Pennsylvania’s No. 23 overall prospect and the No. 60 cornerback nationally within his class.

The first of Pitt’s two signal callers committed for the 2026 class, Angelo Renda, followed Barksdale.

Renda, out of Southlake Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas, is a three-star prospect who was Pitt’s first verbal commitment this cycle back in January.

A 6-foot, 180-pound quarterback, he underwent a lighter recruitment despite playing for a nationally prominent high school program.

SMU was his lone other Power Four offer, with Jacksonville State, Tulsa and UTSA also offering.

A surprise letter of intent for Pitt came in shortly after 9, as Marietta, Ga. (Kell) safety Tony Forney signed with the Panthers.

Forney, a three-star prospect, had been committed to Missouri since July.

But the Panthers, who were one of Forney’s finalists leading into his summer decision day, swooped in to pull off a flip, beating out the Tigers as well as 33 other programs listed by 247Sports.

Pitt locked down its second and final quarterback in the 2026 class after Forney committed in Corey Dailey out of Seguin, Texas.

Dailey, a 6-6, 190-pound signal caller, was the Panthers’ second-highest-rated verbal commit behind Ferguson.

247Sports listed him as the No. 13 quarterback in the nation.

Wyatt Villarreal, listed as a wide receiver but recruited to Pitt as a tight end, put pen to paper next.

A 6-5, 226-pound three-star prospect from Celina, Texas, Villarreal attracted 23 offers.

Following a lull in the morning, the Panthers received their final letter of intent from their 21-strong 2026 class in Tampa., Fla., receiver Bryan Hamilton.

The 5-11, three-star prospect received some post-commitment attention from Colorado and James Franklin at Virginia Tech, with the Hokies offering Nov. 26.

But Hamilton went through and made things official with Pitt.

Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.

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