Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt Included in Strong Top Five List for Three-Star DB
As recruitment season picks up steam with official visits taking place over the next few weeks, Pitt is looking to land a bevy of recruits in its 2026 class.
One three-star defensive back that Pitt has been involved with for over a year has expressed interest in the Panthers as a top five school.
Tony Forney Jr. — a 6-foot-1, 190-pound defensive back from Kell High School in Marietta, Ga. — released his final five schools Thursday and included the Panthers, along with Georgia, Auburn, Missouri and Wisconsin.
FINAL 🖐🏾
Where’s 🏡 ⁉️@KellHSRecruits pic.twitter.com/v61cMyOtVS
— Tony Forney Jr. (@TonyForney_) May 29, 2025
Pitt is facing some strong competition, but the Panthers have been one of the longer standing teams in his recruitment after cornerbacks coach Archie Collins offered him back in February of 2024. However, it appears that Pitt is lagging behind in this battle.
Forney is currently on an official visit at Missouri, but the rest of his official visits have not been publicly revealed other than a potential trip to Vanderbilt from June 12-15.
Pitt already has a long list of official visitors set for the first weekend in June that features two defensive backs in three-star Xavier Jackson and three-star Kentrail McRae. If Pitt was to make a serious move on Forney, the best bet would be to get him on campus for one of the final two OV weekends in June.
Rivals views Forney as a three-star prospect, the 18th player at the nickel position and 71st-best player out of Georgia in the class.
Forney is a defensive back that possesses great burst, a physical edge and has great ball tracking skills. In 12 games as a junior, Forney totaled 30 tackles (15 solo), three tackles for loss, a sacks, two interceptions, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
Pitt currently has one defensive back committed in the 2026 class with three-star safety Isaac Patterson out of Westerville South High School just outside of Columbus, Ohio.
