Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt 2026 Targets: Three Defensive Tackle Prospects
As Pitt football hits the recruiting trail visiting high school prospects at school and their homes, the staff will continue to make a serious push for specific players.
The Panthers have four commitments so far in the 2026 class and are looking to secure their first defensive line commit. Tim Daoust is out searching for the program’s next edge rushers and tackles.
Pitt landed just one defensive tackle in the 2025 class in Trevor Sommers, but in the 2024 cycle, Pitt added Jahsear Whittington, Francis Brewu and Ty Yuhas.
It looks as if Pitt will only take on defensive tackle prospect again in the upcoming class, so here’s three options standing out right now at the position.
Lincoln Hoke — Three-star out of North Allegheny High School in Wexford, Pa.
Hoke is a top priority for the Panthers and that has become more apparent than ever over the past few months.
Hoke, the son of former Pittsburgh Steeler Chris Hoke, camped at Pitt last summer and then Daoust visited him in January. Just over a week later, Hoke picked up an official offer from the Panthers. Since then, The 6-2, 260-pounder has scheduled an official visit for June 5-7 and returned for a spring practice in March.
All signs point to Hoke as a Pitt lean and he seems very comfortable with the staff and program. However, he holds additional offers from West Virginia, James Madison, Sacramento State, Harvard, Buffalo, Kent State, Toledo, Princeton, New Mexico, Delaware and others.
Brandon Simmons Jr. — Three-star out of Glassboro High School in New Jersey
Pitt has been involved with Simmons since former defensive line coach Charlie Partridge offered back in January of 2024. The current Pitt staff has continued that relationship with Simmons as he visited in the fall for a game, along with a spring visit on March 15. Area recruiter Jacob Bronowski has also paid him a visit in-person.
The 6-foot-1, 260-pound Simmons holds additional offers from Miami, West Virginia, UConn, Temple, Charlotte, Akron, Liberty and others.
As a junior, he compiled 122 tackles (69 solo), 32 tackles for loss, 20 sacks and two fumble recoveries. ESPN ranks him as the 46th player at his position and eighth-best prospect out of New Jersey.
JaySean Richardson — Three-star out of Varina High School in Richmond, Va/
Richardson is another player that received an offer over a year ago from the old staff. He has since continued to receive interest from Pitt as he was in attendance for Pitt-Clemson. He also recently placed Pitt as a top-five school with Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Maryland.
The 6-foot, 290-pounder has official visits locked in for Virginia Tech (June 20-22) and Virginia (June 5-8) and it appears that it’s mainly a battle between the two in-state schools with Pitt as an outside choice.
