NFL Success Has Pitt Standing Out for Isaac Patterson

When it comes to 2026 prospects showing a clear and consistent interest in the Pitt Panthers, Isaac Patterson stands out. The 6-foot, 185-pound safety recently announced spring visit plans, booking another trip to Pittsburgh to attend a practice in late March.

Out of a solid high school program in a region rich in college-bound talent - Westerville South in Columbus, Ohio - Patterson is a 6-foot, 185-pound safety who has logged more than 120 solo tackles over his sophomore and junior seasons.

As a junior in 2024, the three-star recruit also put together three tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, and an interception. Patterson was also a key contributor to the other two phases of the game, recording nearly 500 receiving yards with five touchdowns and more than 800 all-purpose yards.

The Second Team All-State selection shows the speed to compete as a defensive back at the Power 4 level. He lists a self-reported 4.48 in the 40-yard dash, and he’s logged a 100-meters score of 11.04. Patterson is also a heady player, evident on film and within his scholarship opportunities.

Along with Ivy League schools in Dartmouth and Pennsylvania, Pitt extended a scholarship to the Midwest product last month (Jan. 18), the day he attended a Panthers Junior Day. To date, he boasts a dozen offers with plans to graduate early as a future mid-year enrolment freshman.

Why is Patterson returning to Pitt so soon after his Eastbound trip last month? What specific position does the Panthers coaching staff have Patterson pegged as fitting best at the next level? What should Pitt fans know about the rising senior?

Pitt On SI recently connected with Patterson to dig into those questions among others.

You recently announced that you’ll be taking an official visit to Pittsburgh in June. Can you tell me what it is about Pitt that drew you to line up a return trip?

Patterson: Really, it's the culture and the talent. Coach (Cory) Sanders and Coach (Archie) Collins, they do a great job. They produce insane NFL talent year after year, and it'd be a great thing to be a part of. It's why I keep coming back. I've been there, I think, three times in the past, coming up on my fourth now.

I’ll be back in Steel City with @Pitt_FB on March 22nd to watch spring practice ! Thank you @coachcsanders for the invite! pic.twitter.com/W1EVSeojnz
— Isaac Patterson 3⭐️ (@IsaacPatt_) February 13, 2025

Being from Ohio, do you have any past experiences with or connections to Pittsburgh or that area?

Patterson: This is my first time being out to and connected with the East Coast. Most of my family is either down south, like, I used to go back and forth to Florida when I was five. My uncle used to live down there.

With Pitt…when I went down there for camp last summer, that was my first time ever being there. And I loved it. It was beautiful during the summertime.

Let’s talk about your background. Were you born and raised in Ohio? Are there any other athletes in your family? What can you tell me about your background and anything notable?

Patterson: I was born and raised Columbus, Ohio. I've been bouncing around. I used to live in Southern Ohio, closer to Columbus, but now I'm obviously in Westerville, a little bit closer north.

I come from a heavy football family. My grandpa, he's a die-hard Steelers fan. He played football at Tennessee for a little while. My dad and my uncle were both heavily recruited coming out of high school, but didn't get to play in college.

I played a lot of baseball growing up...Baseball and football were in the same season for me when I was younger. Baseball was in the fall, and so was football. My mom was like, 'We're not going to keep going back and forth. You've got to pick one.'

So, I picked football and I just kind of stuck with it ever since. And I recently started running track in eighth grade. Me and all my friends decided to do it the last year in middle school...and then we ended up going to state and placing 16th. And it's just kind of stuck with me ever since.

You’re listed as a safety. At the next level, whether it’s free safety, strong safety, or nickel, which position do you see yourself playing in college?

Patterson: I've talked to most of the coaches I have offers from directly. Some like me at corner. Some like me as that slot defender, that kind of nickel type. And then coach Collins and coach Sanders, they actually like me at that free (safety) spot.

Is free safety something that you prefer or enjoy? Do you have a preference among those roles?

Patterson: Honestly, I don't really have a preference. I love what they do with their safeties. Yeah, they're kind of strict on their coverages, but it's also really easy stuff to learn. And at the same time, they let their safeties come downhill and hit and just let them play ball the way that they've always played it.

2026 Baller.
DB/ATH/WR
6’0 180 lbs ( 4.48 40 )
1st Team all district DB
2nd Team all conference (WR/DB)https://t.co/6Iuz4kZ1nq @AllenTrieu @TomLoy247 @BrianDohn247 @JaredLuginbill @MohrRecruiting @WSHSWildcatsFB
— Isaac Patterson 3⭐️ (@IsaacPatt_) December 2, 2024

What is it about the Pittsburgh coaches that you’ve liked so far?

Patterson: The thing I like about Coach Sanders is he's extremely transparent and he'll never lie to you. Recruiting is a big business nowadays. It's all about money. It's all about NIL, stuff like that. Coach Sanders, he's never once lied to me. I've always known where I've stood with him.

He's always been completely honest with me about everything. And really, everybody on Pitt's staff, they're just really genuine. Everybody I've talked to, they seem like just a genuine guy and not just a coach.

Is there anything specific you’ve been working on this off-season?

Patterson: Really, I'm trying to just get better at my breaks. When I break, I tend to round my breaks and I tend to flatten out. So, I'm getting better. I've been working a lot at just coming straight down at the angle.

Also, when I took my Junior Day visit, I was talking to Coach Sanders and Coach Collins. They said one thing...I should start working on is when I'm going to make a tackle, take one more step before I make a tackle. That way, I can deliver full force and I'm not reaching as much.

Pitt signed a player in the 2025 class from Columbus. Denim Cook from Bishop Hartley. Are you familiar with him?

Patterson: That's my guy, man. We scrimmage Bishop Hartley every year, and I texted him before the scrimmage. I said, 'If I get an interception, you've got to give me your Pitt gloves.'

So, I got the interception and he gave me the gloves right on. I got to see his locker when I went there. I've been pretty close with Denim since my freshman year when I first met him because I'm friends with his cousin, Elezar Hood.

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