Pitt FB Recruiting
Peters Head Coach Discusses What Pitt is Getting in DE Reston Lehman
Pitt football picked up a big commitment from four-star defensive end Reston Lehman out of Peters Township High School in McMurray, Pa. on Saturday.
Lehman was an important target for the Panthers and one that became a frequent visitor at practices this spring and home games in the fall.
H2P 100000% committed‼️‼️ I want to thank my coaches, friends, and family who helped me through this whole process. @Pitt_FB @coachdaoust @CoachDuzzPittFB @BatesBacker @coachcsanders @Coach_Plack pic.twitter.com/YeVUk6TlAt
— Reston Lehman 4⭐️ (@Reston_Lehman) June 7, 2025
To get a better idea of what the WPIAL product will bring to Pitt, Pittsburgh Sports Now caught up with Peters Township head coach TJ Plack to discuss Lehman as a player on the field and person off the field.
Q: Talk about the type of player Reston Lehman has been for your team?
“He’s a motivational leader. He plays the game with a lot of energy. He plays the game violently and physical. He is definitely a guy we look to on defense — and this year, probably more offensively, too — to make those big plays whether it’s a tackle for loss, a big sack or an interception to seal the game. He’s one of those guys that has the ability to take care of those things.
“Outside of that, he’s been a phenomenal kid to have on the team. He’s so genuine. I love when our younger kids see how he is not only on the field, but how he talks in meetings, how he is in the locker room. He’s been a terrific program kid for us.”
Q: You mentioned a bunch of different traits. Is there a specific moment you remember of him on the sideline, in a game that stood out to you about his player or his character?
“There’s so many. He didn’t play a lot of offense for us last year. He was dealing with kind of a foot injury, so we just played him on defense. There were times that we had to play him, and he took one kid, grabbed him and it was almost like The Blind Side movie where the offensive tackle takes the guy and drives him into the fence. Reston drove this outside linebacker all the way to the back of the end zone. Defensively, he just makes play after play after play. He is such a tremendous athlete the way he bends, his motor. Probably it’s the personal foul he gets, which actually comes to mind most. It’s not that he’s a mean player. It’s just that he goes to the whistle, There’s no quit in him. He’s in attack mode all the time.”
Q: Peters recently had Donovan McMillon go to Pitt. What does that mean to have another kid born and raised locally in Western Pennsylvania be able to go play in the hometown college program.
“It’s great. Pitt’s done a good job whether it’s Reston committing there right now or Donovan — his trip was a little bit different. Ended up in Florida, entered the portal and ended up back home at Pitt, so either way, I think Pitt’s done a good job of grabbing kids right out of high school or leaving the door open to come home. They both made different trips to Pitt. It’s great for our community because we all can get behind our hometown team because we have a couple players that were there and will be there, so it’s good for this area of Peters Township and Pitt.”
Pitt commit Reston Lehman with legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald during a Pitt game in the fall of 2024.
Q: What have you seen from Reston so far this offseason and what do you expect from him for this senior season?
“He’s been traveling a lot. Coaches have been texting and keeping in touch with him, and he’s had a lot on his mind with where he was going to take his official visits. He’s been very mature about the process. I think early on, he was a little frustrated. He wanted to commit somewhere and for it to be done. He did go through the process. He learned a lot I think about himself and about all the different schools. He made a lot of good relationships.
“I’m excited to get him back in the weight room and on the field. Within all that, he played lacrosse for our high school team and threw javelin for our track team and went through the recruiting process and was trying to get in the weight room any time he could. I think he’s going to love getting into the weight room and just worry about his workout and get on the field later on and not have to worry about anything us on the outside with other sports and the recruiting process.”
Check out the Hudl highlights of Reston Lehman here.
