Pitt FB Recruiting
Big Recruiting Weekend for Pitt: 2026 3-Star WR Oliver Bender
Back in February, Tennessee junior Oliver Bender received his first Power Four offer, and it came from the Pitt Panthers and that’s something that he’s never forgotten.
This weekend, Bender will make the drive from Nolensville, Tennessee to Pittsburgh for a GameDay visit for Pitt’s big contest against No. 20 Clemson.
The 6’4″, 180-pound 3-star wide receiver also holds offers from Syracuse, Eastern Kentucky and Miami of Ohio.
Over the next few days, PSN will be letting you know of the recruits who plan on attending on Saturday. We anticipate it being a mix of current 2025 Pitt commitments, 2026 recruits with offers but also players that could be receiving an offer from Pitt in the near future.
Next up is this talented wideout from Tennessee.
“I love Pitt”, Bender tells Pittsburgh Sports Now. “They were my first Power 4 offer, so the connection has always been there, and the coaches never stop showing me love so I feel a good connection with them.”
“I spoke to Coach Laster when he offered me and then I spoke to Coach Narduzzi at camp which means a lot. At camp, I also spoke to Coach Laster, and we mostly spoke about the importance of details of being a receiver and how I can get better and improve. So, I’ve been working on the things he suggested, and he said he loved my build and all my attributes and said I had great routes, breaks and hands. I am still fairly new to football since I only started in 7th grade. I use my length, size and athleticism to go up and get the ball. I am used as a reliable 3rd down guy right now. I think that shows coaches’ confidence in me. I’m also very reliable in the run game and blocking on the perimeter and making space for my teammates to run.”
First 3 games of junior season!@Rbcoachdgraham @NHSRECRUITINGDC @wcsNHSpd @d1highlights @wcsNHSpc @615Preps @SeanW_Rivals https://t.co/XacMH9PIrR
— Oliver Bender (@OliverBender26) September 10, 2024
As Bender referenced, this isn’t his first visit to Pittsburgh, but it will be the first time he’s attended a Pitt home game and that coupled with the importance of the game makes this trip special.
“This isn’t my first time to Pitt. I went to the camp this summer but I’m excited to see the game day atmosphere!” says Bender. “I know Pittsburgh cares about their sports and especially their football, so I’m excited to see the tradition and experience it.
With his junior season just about wrapped up, Bender tells me at this point, he doesn’t have any timeline in mind to make a decision on his college choice but did say this visit to Pitt could be a factor.
“I think this visit is important because it’s getting close to the end of my junior season, and this is when I will start to make serious decisions on where I want to go and what I want out of it,” said Bender. “My friend Nigel Maynard (freshman 3-star defensive back) enrolled at Pitt this past January. I stay in contact with him, and he has good things to say about the program. We both train with the same coach so I know my work ethic is just like his and I’m sure Pitt would be a great fit.”
Maynard was a 3-star cornerback in Pitt’s Class of 2024 from Smyrna, Tennessee and committed to Archie Collins and the Panthers over other Power Four offers from Duke, Louisville, Michigan, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
3 Star let’s coach him up
This why Pitt can’t win and not in Top 20 every year