Pitt Football Recruiting: 5 Takeaways From March

If you missed Part 1 of our two-part review of the most notable Pitt Panthers recruiting developments of the month of March, you can read that review here. Let’s pick up where we left off with No.6 through No. 10:

#6 [March 21] 2026 Commitment No. 3.

• It happened the same day Inside the Panthers reported Obinna Umeh’s official visit booking (#5 in Part 1 of this two-part series). Pitt landed the third pledge in its 2026 class, pairing Angelo Renda with an exciting multi-purpose weapon from Florida in Dylan Wester. Those close to him describe the ultimate teammate, a top-tier student, and an overall excellent person off the field. When he’s playing ball, Wester has big-time speed and a special level of fast-twitch athleticism which makes him the dynamic playmaker he is, a particularly difficult slot receiver to cover given his stop-on-a-dime nature and sudden movement. 

#7 [March 21-22] Explosive Florida playmaker visits Pitt, leaves super high on the Panthers.

• Kade Bell has done a tremendous job of injecting big-time speed into the Pitt offense. There’s Dylan Wester’s quick-triggered speed and cutting ability, the 10.6 speed of Jacob Thomas and Tyler Reid, soon-to-be freshman running back Synkwan Smith who recently clocked an amazing 10.54. Now, consider an all-purpose weapon like Dylan Wester - except he plays more running back than slot receiver - who has verified 10.3 speed. That’s Kaj Baker who spent two days in Pittsburgh with his parents. When I spoke with the Sunshine State speedster, it was clear that trip pushed the Panthers near or at the top of his list. It was an important recruiting development, no doubt.

#8 [March 23] Pitt pairs Isaac Patterson with the ideal partner in the back end.

• Isaac Patterson is 6-foot, 175 pounds, capable of playing safety and nickel. Marcus Jennings always felt like an ideal candidate to pair with Patterson due to his length at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. From a high-quality program in Detroit (Cass Tech), this is a well-coached safety who often plays around or inside the box, in the slot, and across the back end. He recorded 120 tackles last season, and he’s an excellent special teams performer.

#9 [March 29] Crucial in-state teammates visit Pitt.

• In the big picture, how a college program fares with its in-state prospects is a key factor of every recruiting class. Teams that can count on landing a few difference-makers every cycle at home in their state is a major benefit. In the current cycle, tight end Lucas Shanafelt and outside linebacker/edge rusher Reston Lehman represent that talent. They’ve been to Pitt before, they’ll return for official visits in June, and they were back on campus on Saturday. The Peters Township teammates are an important Pitt storyline to follow. 

#10 [March 29] Pitt has a shot at a high-level pass rusher in Joshua Pittman.

• When Pitt offered Joshua Pittman in mid-March, he immediately became one of the most purely talented edge rushers on the board. I decided that if he turned out to give Pitt a fair shake, he would be one of the most important recruits on the board. When I checked in with him on Saturday, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker-turned-edge-rusher confirmed that he will be in Pittsburgh in April. So, keep your eye on this one. It’s an important opportunity.