Pitt FB Recruiting
Development at Pitt Standing Out for 2026 Central Catholic Edge Ashton Blatt
When 2026 Central Catholic edge rusher Ashton Blatt visited Pitt during the first week of his spring camp, his recruitment was wide open with nearly 20 Division I offers. His return visit to Pitt Thursday came days after he narrowed down his choices to eight schools with Pitt still in the mix.
That’s why when he paid the Panthers another visit for spring practice, it was an important experience for both sides as the hometown program looks the lock in the three-star talent.
“It feels really good knowing my hometown team is heavily recruiting me,” Blatt told Pittsburgh Sports Now. “It’s a dream and I can’t explain how grateful I am.”
Blatt spent a majority of the morning closely watching defensive line coach Tim Daoust coach up his unit inside the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
“I like how my position coach, Coach Daoust, he really gets after it. He’s a coach that’s going to give you the real, which I appreciate. That’s the only way to get you better. I just liked how intense it was,” Blatt said.
Central Catholic edge rusher Ashton Blatt watches Pitt coach Tim Daoust and the defensive line at spring practice. April 10, 2025 / Ed Thompson. PSN.
Daoust will often reach out and call Blatt during the week to check in with the WPIAL prospect and returning on Thursday allowed Blatt to further that bond.
“Coach Daoust, he’s a real genuine dude. He’s one of my favorite coaches that I’ve met so far during this process. It feels like the type of environment I want to be around,” he said.
Pitt is preaching the hometown angle hard to Blatt, along with the ability to develop players on the defensive side of the ball and send them off to the NFL.
“It means a lot,” Blatt on Pitt developing players for the pros. “Knowing Narduzzi’s a defensive head coach, it’s awesome. I know he’s going to bring the intensity every time. He’s going to get me where I need to go. He’s the guy that can develop me.”
Recently, Blatt released a top eight schools that featured Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Duke, Wisconsin, Indiana, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Blatt explained why Pitt continues to leave an impression on him as his recruitment narrows down.
“Especially that it’s my hometown team and I grew up watching them. It’s surreal to think that I have the opportunity to play for them. The overall development — Central Catholic players, a ton of them go to Pitt and they all love it. There’s never any complaints about it. When I go there, I feel the energy and the environment,” Blatt said.
Development on and off the field is a key priority for Blatt when it comes to selecting a final school.
He further tells PSN that there are no true frontrunners amongst his top schools, but will look to take another step to cut his finalists down in about a month.
Blatt took an official visit to West Virginia last week from April 4-6 and has additional OVs scheduled with Wisconsin (May 30-June 1), Penn State (June 6-8) and Duke (June 20-22). He is still considering taking one at Pitt.
An overall decision date for Blatt stands for July 21.
Off-season work with the best in Pittsburgh @theking1 !!@PCC_FOOTBALL @7Twice @210ths @wpialsportsnews @CoachLehmeier pic.twitter.com/ADKhj1r7jS
— Ashton Blatt (@blatt_ashton) April 3, 2025
As a junior, Blatt helped lead a Central Catholic team to a WPIAL Class 6A Championship and a state final appearance. He recorded 32 tackles (23 solo), 13 tackles for loss and a team-high seven sacks.
247Sports rates Blatt as a high three-star recruit, the 37th edge rusher in the class and the 12th overall player in Pennsylvania.
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