Pitt Officially Welcomes 16 Early Enrollees to Campus
With the calendar flipped to 2026, and a new semester approaching, Pitt football welcomed in a large portion of its incoming freshman class.
Of its 21-player recruiting class, 16 freshmen completed their necessary high school requirements and officially enrolled on Monday, marking the biggest group of early enrollees in Pitt history.
Arriving to Pitt early and receiving an extra six or so months of preparation in the classroom, film room, weight room and on the field has proven beneficial for the Panthers recently. In 2025, seven players that enrolled early saw significant time on the field and burned their redshirts.
Pat Narduzzi indicated that Pitt would bring in 16 prospects back on early National Signing Day in December.
While the total number is still the same, there is a change among two names on the list. Instead of every defensive prospect enrolling early like Narduzzi previously mentioned, linebacker Isaiah Simmons will not — he’s expected to arrive in the summer. Wide receiver Rodney Dunbar is now enrolling early for the Panthers.
Here’s the complete list of Pitt football 2026 early enrollees:
Defensive Early Enrollees
– DT Lincoln Hoke | 3⭐️ | 6-2, 260 | Sewickley, Pa.
– DE Reston Lehman | 3⭐️ | 6-3, 215 | McMurray, Pa.
– DE Joshua Pittman | 3⭐️ | 6-3, 225 | Suffolk, Va.
– LB Marcus Jennings | 3⭐️ | 6-3, 205 | Southfield, Mich.
– LB Desmond Johnson | 3⭐️ | 6-1, 200 | Miami, Fla.
– CB Kentrail McRae | 3⭐️ | 6-2, 170 | Clearwater, Fla.
– S Isaac Patterson | 3⭐️ | 6-0, 180 | Westerville, Ohio
– S Da’Ron Barksdale | 3⭐️ | 5-11, 175 | Homestead, Pa.
– S Tony Forney | 3⭐️ | 6-0, 185 | Decatur, Ga.
Offensive Early Enrollees
– IOL John Curran | 3⭐️ | 6-3, 295 | Gibsonia, Pa.
– WR Dylan Wester | 3⭐️ | 5-9, 160 | Palmetto, Fla.
– WR Demetrice McCray | 3⭐️ | 6-0, 187 | Leesburg, Fla.
— WR Rodney Dumbar | 3⭐️ | 6-5, 190 | Thomasville, Ga.
– TE Wyatt Villarreal | 3⭐️ | 6-5, 225 | Celina, Texas
– QB Corey Dailey | 3⭐️ | No. 33 QB | 6-6, 200 | Seguin, Texas
— QB Angelo Renda | 3⭐️ | 6-0, 180 | Southlake, Texas
