Pitt Football Hosts 2026 WPIAL Commit Trio

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers hosted three WPIAL commits on Sept. 6 for the 45-17 blowout win over Central Michigan.

#wpial pic.twitter.com/qeVPnQBHzu
— Reston Lehman 4⭐️ (@Reston_Lehman) September 6, 2025

Three-star offensive lineman John Curran from Pine-Richland High School, three-star cornerback Da'Ron Barksdale from Steel Valley High School and four-star linebacker Reston Lehman from Peters Township High School were in attendance.

Curran committed to the Panthers on June 6, one day after his most recent visit on June 5, and stands at 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds. He is ranked as the No. 49 player in Pennsylvania, the No. 132 player at his position and a top-1,600 player nationally by the 247Sports Composite. Rivals has Curran as the No. 42 player in the state, the No. 141 interior offensive lineman in the class and the No. 1,500 player nationally.

Barksdale committed to Pitt not long after Curran on June 23. He missed the majority of his sophomore season due to an injury, but bounced back with a strong junior year in 2024. Barksdale posted 48 tackles, eight for a loss, eight pass breakups and an interception while earning all-conference honors. On offense, Barksdale totaled 1,100 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

Barksdale is 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds. Rivals and the 247Sports Composite each have Barksdale as the No. 100 corner in the class. Rivals has him as a top-30 player from the Keystone State and a top-1,100 player nationally. The 247Sports Composite has Barksdale as a top-40 player in the state and a top-1,200 player in the country.

Beaver Falls' Trey Singleton is tackled by Steel Valley's Da'ron Barksdale during Friday's Class 2A WPIAL championship game at Acrisure Stadium. Beaver Falls Loses To Steel Valley | Sally Maxson/For BCT / USA TODAY NETWORK

Lehman is the consensus No. 2 player in Pitt's 2026 recruiting class. Lehman stands at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. He is the No. 12 player from Pennsylvania, a top-30 linebacker in the class and a top-400 player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite and Rivals.

Several Big Ten schools heavily pursued Lehman, primarily Penn State and Rutgers, but he ultimately committed to Pitt on June 7. According to Rivals, Lehman visited Pitt four times, most recently on an official visit on June 6, Penn State four times and Rutgers, Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia Tech once.

The Panthers currently have 20 commits to their 2027 recruiting class and have the 40th-best class according to the 247Sports Composite, and have the 44th-best class, according to Rivals.

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