Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt 2026 Targets: Which DBs are on the Panthers’ Radar?
In the final edition of our “Pitt 2026 Targets” series, we’re taking a look at which defensive backs are still available for Pitt in the upcoming class.
The Panthers secured a commitment from three-star safety Isaac Patterson in February and now the coaching staff will look to add an additional safety, while working on the cornerback room.
Pitt’s defensive back targets are often interchangeable and typically play a variety of spots within the secondary. Here are the defensive backs that Pittsburgh Sports Now are monitoring.
Davis Kinney — Three-star out of Travis High School in Richmond, Texas
Kinney is an emerging top prospect for Pitt and has the attention of the Pitt staff. The safety recruit received an offer in January from defensive coordinator Randy Bates while the assistant coach was in the Lone Star State. Safeties coach Cory Sanders then made a recent in-home visit to Kinney that left him feeling like a priority.
The 6-foot, 185-pound talent will take an official visit at Pitt from June 12-14. He’ll also take officials at Arizona State (May 16-18) and Northwestern (May 30-June 1). He holds additional offers from Minnesota, Navy, New Mexico, Oregon State, Rice, Sacramento State, Stephen F. Austin, Texas State, Tulsa, UTEP, Wyoming and Yale.
Isaiah McMillian — Three-star out of Katy High School in Katy, Texas
McMillian is a prospect that saw his recruitment take off after the new year with Pitt offering on January 9. Not long after, Bates was in to visit the Texas talent.
The 6-foot-1, 171-pound cornerback sees Pitt as a top option as he then visited for a spring practice in April and has an official visit locked in for June 12-14.
Along with the Panthers, McMillian has additional offers from Mississippi State, Kentucky, Utah, SMU, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Arizona, TCU, Oregon State, Houston, Washington State, Tulane, Memphis and others.
Zachary Taylor — Prospect out of Jordan High School in Katy, Texas
Taylor just locked in an official visit with Pitt during the same weekend in June from the 12-14. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound safety target received an in-person visit from Bates in January and then made the trip to Pittsburgh early on in spring camp in March.
While Taylor has yet to be rated by any of the major recruiting services, he does boast a solid sheet of 20-plus offers. Along with Pitt, Maryland, Minnesota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Utah, TCU, Houston San Diego State, Memphis, Tulsa, Rice, Navy, Air Force, Harvard and others have offered.
Taylor spent this past weekend on an official visit at TCU and will soon take one to West Virginia from June 3-5 and Rice from June 6-8.
Xavier Jackson — Three-star out of Bergen Catholic in Oradell, New Jersey
Pitt offered Jackson while on a visit for the Virginia matchup in November and he returned for a junior day visit in January. The relationship between the corners coach Archie Collins and Jackson has only grown since then and the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder will be back for an official visit from June 19-21.
Jackson will take additional official at Minnesota from June 13-15. Other offers include Syracuse, West Virginia, Purdue, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Delaware, Charlotte, UConn, Army, Navy, Temple, Liberty, James Madison and others.
AJ Marks — Three-star out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
Marks is an intriguing cornerback prospect that was receiving a lot of interest from Pitt early on, but it appears to have slowed down recently. Originally from Michigan, Marks has formed a strong relationship with Collins over the year. Collins and co. offered Marks back in April of 2023 while on a visit. He has since camped there, returned for a spring visit in 2024 and a gameday experience against Clemson in the fall.
The 5-10, 170-pound talent listed Pitt as a top school, along with Tennessee, Penn State, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, UCF, Illinois, Miami (OH) and Toledo. Pitt did not receive a visit from Marks this spring and there does not sound like there is an official visit in the works for now.
Marks is coming off an official visit at Oklahoma State and will take one at Illinois from June 6-8 and Wake Forest from June 13-15).
Xavier Harmon — Three-star out of Conroe High School in Conroe, Texas
Harmon placed Pitt as a top school back in March with Oklahoma State, SMU, Arkansas, TCU, Kansas State, Utah and Stanford. It’s a competitive list and it’s more likely that he’ll stay within the region, but Pitt Bates has built a connection with Harmon and his family, which was highlighted by an in-home visit in January.
The next step for Pitt would be to get Harmon on campus, but that will be difficult with a busy official visit slate of Stanford (May 16), Arkansas (May 30-June 1), Utah (June 6-8), Kansas State (June 12-14) and SMU (June 20-22). He recently took an official at Oklahoma State in early April.
Da’Ron Barksdale — Three-star out of Steel Valley High School in Munhall, Pa.
If Pitt pulled the trigger on Barksdale, he would have been a Panther for some time now. However, Barksdale suffered an injury during his sophomore season that held him out until a few weeks into his junior year. His recruitment took a hit, but he’s been working back and looks to showcase his talents this summer at a few camps.
Barksdale is one of the top visitors out of any 2026 recruit and was back for a few spring visits. He has a strong connection with Pat Narduzzi, Sanders and current Pitt safety and former teammate Cruce Brookins.
Along with Pitt, his other offers include Syracuse, West Virginia, Kent State, Akron, Sacramento State, UMass, UNLV and Bowling Green.
Kyshawn Robinson — Three-star out of Westinghouse Academy in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Robinson is another compelling local product that is working back from an injury that kept him out for the entirety of his junior season. Once one of the top defensive back prospects in the country, Robinson’s recruitment has been rather quiet recently.
He added offers from Tulane, Sacramento State and Delaware State in the past month, but he has an existing offer sheet that includes Penn State, Pitt, WVU, Clemson, Oklahoma, TCU, Oregon, UCLA, Washington, USC, Michigan State, Florida, Texas A&M, Kansas, South Carolina, Colorado, Nebraska, Tennessee, Maryland, Florida State, Wisconsin, Louisville, Illinois, Kentucky, Memphis, Houston, Syracuse, N.C. State, Purdue, SMU, Boston College, Cincinnati and Boise State.
It’s unseen how many of those still remain on the table and which ones are committable. Pitt is still showing interest in the nearby talent and it will be interesting to see how the Panthers pursue Robinson moving forward.
Prior to his injury, Robinson released a top list of Pitt, Ohio State, Penn State, West Virginia, Colorado and Florida State.
