The young crop of talent in Western Pennsylvania is very strong and already drawing interest from Power Five programs.
Kyshawn Robinson from Westinghouse High School in the Pittsburgh City League is seeing his recruitment blowup even faster than he could have imagined. The 2026 defensive back is on a pace to become the highest recruited player from the City League since former Westinghouse 4-star defensive end Dayon Hayes, who’s currently starting at Pitt.
Robinson received his first Power Five offer from Nebraska, and then from Pitt, West Virginia, Texas A&M and Florida. Those are obviously huge offers for a freshman but last night, Robinson received an offer that could be a game-changer as he got a call from Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith.
“Penn State is actually my dream school,” Robinson said. “Getting this offer meant the world to me and it brought tears to my eyes. Growing up, I watched Penn State a lot because that’s my uncle’s favorite team. Plus, I play defensive back and Penn State always produces great defensive backs, so I enjoyed watching them play. As I got into middle school and high school, I always said that if I got an offer from Penn State it would be a blessing from God. When I got it, like I said, it brought real tears to my eyes.”
“I got the news when I was at my school because I was there for a ribbon-cutting ceremony because we got a new weight room. The day before, one of my 7-on-7 coaches told me, ‘I think Penn State is going to offer you.’ Although he said that, I didn’t think they were actually going to offer me. During the ceremony, I left early to go downstairs because my phone was able to die, and I got a message. I called my 7-on-7 coach and he called Coach Terry on the other phone and that’s how we talked.”
It was a good thing Robinson’s phone didn’t completely die because during his conversation with Smith, as Penn State’s chief Western Pennsylvania recruiter gave him the good news.
“Coach Smith kind of got right to the point,” Robinson said. “He was telling me about the strong connection between Penn State and Western Pennsylvania athletes. He said the blood flowing between Western Pennsylvania players and Penn State is really strong right now and I could be part of that.”
This obviously won’t be the last offer Robinson receives and being that he’s so young, he’s a long way away from National Signing Day in 2026. All the early attention that he’s getting is something that Robinson wasn’t expecting, but he’s not complaining about it.
“This is way more than I expected. During my freshman year, I thought I had a decent season for a freshman, but I certainly wasn’t expecting my recruitment to skyrocket like this. I’d say that after my third offer from Pitt, it’s gone crazy.”
As far as any upcoming recruiting trips, Robinson says that he’s working on one to Maryland but that’s all at this point. He’s going to put recruiting on the backburner as he prepares for something more important.
“I’m not really worried about visits right now, I’m focused on preparing for another run for a state championship. We lost last year so this year it’s all about redemption.”
