Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt 2026 Targets: Pair of WPIAL Options, Other Top Edge Rushers
Last week, we looked at which 2026 prospects that Pitt are targeting position-by-position. This week, we’re switching to the defensive side of the ball.
Pitt has four total commitments with two coming on defense. Outside linebacker Marcus Jennings and safety Isaac Patterson committed earlier this spring, and Pittsburgh Sports Now had an opportunity to check in with them at the Under Armour Next Camp on Sunday.
The Panthers are looking to add their first commitments to the defensive line and that’s where we will focus the next two days starting with defensive end.
There are several edge rushers taking official visits and a few that are showing high interest in the Panthers, including one in the WPIAL.
Here are the names PSN are monitoring on the edge.
Reston Lehman — Four-star out of Peters Township High School in McMurray, Pa.
Lehman is arguably the biggest target for Pitt in the entire 2026 class. He’s a WPIAL product, a highly-recruited prospect and has the tools to back it up. More importantly, he has high interest in Pitt. Lehman has visited the Pitt program more than just about any other recruit since the start of the 2024 season.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound ESPN300 talent was in attendance for the home opener, Backyard Brawl, Syracuse and Virginia games. Since then, he visited at least three times during spring camp. He’ll return for his official visit from June 5-7.
It would be a tough loss if Pitt can’t bring in Lehman as the Panthers are contending with a handful of other programs. He has an official visit set with Rutgers (May 30-June 1) and has other top offers from Oklahoma, North Carolina, Missouri, Penn State, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Boston College, Nebraska, Cincinnati, Indiana, UCLA, Syracuse, Iowa, Michigan State and others.
Logan Nagle — Three-star out of DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J.
Nagle was in town in January for a junior day visit where he picked up an offer and then made it back for a spring visit. He’ll next return to Pitt for an official visit from June 5-7.
Pitt will face some stiff competition for the 6-foot-5, 270-pounder as he has additional officials set with Indiana (May 1), nearby Rutgers (May 30), N.C. State (June 13) and Michigan State (June 30). He also holds offers from West Virginia, UCF, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Boston College and Tulane.
On3 has Nagle as a three-star recruit, the 66th edge rusher in the class and seventh-best player out of New Jersey in the cycle.
Evan Harvey — Three-star out of Sandy Creek High School in Georgia
Harvey recently trimmed his recruitment down to six finalists, which includes Pitt, Miami, Louisville, Mississippi State, USF and Memphis. He cut out some pretty intriguing offers from Notre Dame, Penn State, Tennessee, Kentucky, Duke, UCF, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Oregon State, Kansas, Wisconsin, Maryland and Indiana.
The 6-3, 230-pound talent was at Pitt for a spring visit on March 27 and was impressed with the experience as he continued to build on relationships with corners coach Archie Collins and defensive line coach Tim Daoust. Now, it’s a matter of getting Harvey back on campus for an official visit.
Rivals rates him as a three-star recruit and the No. 37 edge rusher in the 2026 class.
Obinna Umeh — Edge rusher out of St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas
Umeh is another prospect that has praised the Pitt program after defensive coordinator Randy Bates visited him and his family at home in January. Umeh then took a trip to Pittsburgh on March 11 for a spring visit. He has since locked in an official visit for June 12-14.
The lengthy 6-foot-4, 225-pound talent appears to be very interested in the Panthers and they’ll have to contend with a few other top offers from Michigan State, Northwestern, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State, along with official visits set with Duke (June 6-8) and Stanford (June 20).
Ashton Blatt — Three-star out of Central Catholic in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Another local talent is on Pitt’s radar and Blatt has also shown interest in the Panthers. He recently placed Pitt as a top school, along with Penn State, Duke, West Virginia, Indiana, Wisconsin, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Blatt visited Pitt a handful of times in the spring to get a closer look at the defense. He has a strong connection with Daoust and the development for the next level has been standing out for the nearby prospect. However, Pitt still seems to be an outside candidate to land Blatt.
Pitt is still working on scheduling an official visit, but for now, he’ll go to Wisconsin (May 30-June 1), Penn State (June 6-8) and Duke (June 20-22).
Cullen Thompson — Three-star out of Grand Oaks High School in Texas
Pitt and Bates became Thompson’s first Power Four offer back in January while visiting Texas. Thompson then visited Pitt early on in spring camp and labeled Pitt as a school at the top of his list.
The 6-4, 215-pounder cited the aggressive defense, coaching relationships and development alongside the Steelers as top reasons for his interest in Pitt.
Thompson has not locked in an official visit with Pitt, however. He has done so with Baylor (June 6-8), UNLV (June 13-15) and Oklahoma State (June 19-21).
