Inside The Panthers

Pitt Commit Flips to Conference Rival

The Pitt Panthers have had one of their top defensive recruits in the class of 2026 flip to a conference rival.
Karl Ludwig|
Pope John's Luke Irwin (2) is tripped up by DePaul's Logan Nagle (32) during the NJSIAA Non-Public B high school football championship game between DePaul and Pope John on Friday, Nov. 29 at MetLife Stadium.
Pope John's Luke Irwin (2) is tripped up by DePaul's Logan Nagle (32) during the NJSIAA Non-Public B high school football championship game between DePaul and Pope John on Friday, Nov. 29 at MetLife Stadium. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh Panthers

PITTSBURGH - It's a never-ending cycle when it comes to high school recruiting in the current landscape of college football, and unfortunately, the Pitt Panthers have lost out on a top recruit.

2026 three-star defensive lineman Logan Nagle — a 6-foot-5, 280-pound defensive recruit from DePaul Catholic in Wayne, N.J. — flipped his commitment from Pitt to Miami, he announced on social media. He had been committed to the Panthers since June 25.

Nagle has previously committed to Pitt over offers from Boston College, Buffalo, Delaware, Indiana, JMU, North Carolina State, Michigan State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tulane, UCF, Wake Forest and West Virginia.

Nagle had built a strong relationship with the Pitt coaching staff, primarily head coach Pat Narduzzi and defensive line coach Tim Daoust, but the Hurricanes offered and pushed hard over the last couple of months.

“The coaches were talking all about their culture, which I really loved what they're saying, how they're building it," Nagle told Inside Pitt in the spring. "I love that. I love meeting the coaches. They were great, the defensive line coach was great. It was really personal with me and my family, so that's a big reason why.”

What Changed for Nagle?

Nagle visited Miami twice recently, most recently for the Miami Hurricanes' win over Syracuse, and during that visit, it cemented a flip.

It's a tough break for Pitt, who secured his services early and appeared to have a strong fit in the defensive line room, but that's the nature of college football now.

247Sports rates Nagle as the 55th-ranked defensive lineman in the class and seventh-ranked recruit from New Jersey. On3/Rivals rates him as the 59th-ranked defensive lineman and ninth-ranked recruit from New Jersey.

It's a disappointing loss for the Panthers, but the class of 2026 has a few defensive linemen — and the potential to add more.

The defensive line class is led by local star Reston Lehman, an athlete who is coming off a dominant senior season at Peters Township. He's joined by local defensive tackle Lincoln Hoke and flex pass-rusher Joshua Pittman, who just flipped from Virginia Tech himself.

Pitt is set to return Jimmy Scott, Jaeden Moore, Zach Crothers and Maverick Gracio next season, and if Isaiah Neal makes the full-time switch to end, it will be a veteran room with some serious upside. Regardless, it's likely that the coaching staff will look to upgrade the room at either the high school or transfer portal level.

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Karl Ludwig
KARL LUDWIG

Karl Ludwig is a Pittsburgh Panthers on SI sportswriter. He has spent the past three years covering the Pitt Panthers for a couple of platforms. While he did not attend Pitt, he grew up in the Pittsburgh area, attending North Allegheny Senior High School and Slippery Rock University. As a student at SRU, he served as the sports editor of SRU’s student-run newspaper, The Rocket, and provided award-winning coverage in football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer. It was at SRU that his love for sports journalism blossomed. Karl spent three seasons as the Pitt football beat writer for Pittsburgh Sports Now, following time as an intern for the Sports Now Network. His most recent coverage of the University was for Pitt Sports News of the On3/Rivals network. He’s also contributed to Athlon Sports and SB Nation’s Behind the Steel Curtain.

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