Pitt 3-Star LB Target Includes Panthers in Top Five

Markel Dabney was the first recruit in the class of 2026 to schedule a visit to Pittsburgh, so it only makes sense that he’s included Pitt in his top five.

Dabney — a 6-foot-1, 205-pound three-star athlete from Huguenot High in Richmond, Va. — released a top five on Saturday afternoon that includes Michigan, Penn State, Pitt, SMU and Virginia Tech.

He previously announced that he will take an official visit to Pitt from June 5-7, the first official visit weekend of the summer for the Panthers. He’s also announced official visits to SMU (May 2-4) and Virginia Tech (May 30-June 1).

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Dabney holds offers from Arizona, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Duke, ECU, Florida A&M, Florida State, Indiana, JMU, Kentucky, Marshall, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Penn State, Pitt, SMU, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

TOP🖐🏽 **Recruitment Still Open**@ZemaitisTouch_ @CoachHun_SMU @luc_brian @Coach_Adibi @CoachJjLaster pic.twitter.com/94PzNIJJi3

— Markel “Kel” Dabney (@JustKallMeKel) February 22, 2025

Pitt jumped into the fray for Dabney way back in 2021, before he had even started high school, and while he named a top 10 recently that didn’t include the Panthers, a Junior Day visit has them back in the mix.

Pitt was the first school to extend Dabney an offer, and his relationship with Pat Narduzzi and linebackers coach Ryan Manalac is stronger than ever these days.

He’s a two-way star, excelling at wide receiver and safety at Huguenot, but he’s a perfect Star linebacker in the defensive scheme.

He hauled in 45 receptions for 1,001 yards (22.1 yards per reception) and 13 touchdowns as a junior, adding 71 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, two pass breakups, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Rivals rates him as the 18th-ranked recruit from Virginia while On3 rates him as the 62nd-ranked linebacker and 22nd-ranked recruit from Virginia. 247Sports hasn’t rated him yet, but that will change in the coming weeks and months.

Dabney took recent visits to North Carolina and North Carolina State, and there are some big suitors vying for his signature. But the Panthers are clearly in the mix.

Pitt has secured two commitments in the class of 2026, starting the class strong with a commitment from three-star quarterback Angelo Renda (Southlake, Tx.) and adding three-star safety Isaac Patterson (Westerville, Ohio).