Pitt FB Recruiting
WPIAL Three-Star LB Colsen Gatten Commits to Duke Over Pitt, Others
The pipeline from Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic to Duke University is growing with 2026 three-star linebacker Colsen Gatten becoming the latest example.
On Wednesday night, Gatten announced his commitment to the Duke Blue Devils.
“First and foremost, I want to express my deepest gratitude to my family,” Gatten began in a post on X. “Your constant support and love have been my strength throughout this journey. I wouldn’t be here without you. Mom, dad, you have guided me eve4ry step of the way.
“A sincere thank you to all of my coaches from youth league to high school. Your dedication and guidance have shaped me into the player I am today. Above all, I want to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ. Through every high and low, my faith in him has kept me grounded and focused. None of this would be possible without his guidance and blessings.
“With much excitement and humility, I am thrilled to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic journey at Duke University!”
IM HOME!!🏠😈 @DukeFOOTBALL @Coach_MannyDiaz @CoachPatke @Coach_Barlow @CoachJMGarrett @CoachLehmeier @PCC_FOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/IFfmYrdj0j
— Colsen Gatten (@Colsen_Gatten) June 11, 2025
He becomes the second Central Catholic Viking to commit to the Blue Devils in as many years after Bradley Gompers signed with the program in the 2025 recruiting class.
Gatten selects Duke over other finalists in Pitt, where he just took an official visit, Indiana, West Virginia and Oklahoma. Gatten was slated to take an official visit at West Virginia this weekend and will finish up his official visits at Duke as a newly-minted commit.
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound WPIAL prospect held several other impressive offers from Penn State, Tennessee, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Nebraska and SMU.
Duke head coach Manny Diaz played an important role in the commitment of Gatten. Diaz originally extended Gatten’s first Division I offer when he was the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Penn State. Upon taking over the head coaching job at Duke, Diaz continued that connection with Gatten making several trips down the Durham, N.C.
Rivals rates Gatten as a three-star prospect, the No. 52 linebacker in the 2026 cycle and No. 19 player in Pennsylvania.
In 14 games as a junior, Gatten recorded 51 total tackles (28 solo), six tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries as the Vikings went on to win the Class 6A WPIAL Championship.
Check out the Hudl highlights of Colsen Gatten here.
