Top Ten WPIAL Football Recruits - 2026

[pittmeister]

No Particular order:

Matt Sieg – S/QB - Fort Cherry - 4 Star – Committed to Beach Warmer U

Davion Taylor – OLB – Aliquippa – 3 Star – PSU, WVU, SYR – Visits: Pitt 2 times, PSU 8 times, WVU 3 times

Colsen Gatten – ILB - Central Catholic – 3 Star - ND, TAM, PSU, MICH, OK - Visits: Pitt 3 times, PSU 7 times, ND 3 times

David Davis – ATH - Imani Christian Academy – 3 Star – PSU, MSU, NEB, TENN, KY – Visits: Pitt 5 times, PSU 6 times

Brendan Alexander – OT - Central Valley – 3 Star – WIS, WVU, PSU, VT, NCST - Visits: Pitt 3 times, PSU 3 times

Kyshawn Robinson – CB – Westinghouse – 3 Star – USC, TAM, FSU, OSU, PSU - Pitt 2 times, PSU 1 time, WVU 3 times

Reston Lehman – OLB - Peters Township – 3 Star – PSU, WISC, VT, MIN, WVU - Visits: Pitt 7 times, PSU 2 times

Ashton Blatt – OLB – Central Catholic – N/A – WISC, IND, MSU, WVU – No PSU offer

Da’Ron Barksdale – ATH - Steel Valley - 3-Star – WVU, SYR – No PSU offer

Lawrence Timmons- DB – Pine-Richland – N/A – SYR, WVU, – No PSU offer

I think Pitt's best bets are the bottom four on this list based on PSU visits and offers.

Pitt has received a commitment today for 2026. If the commit is local, my money is on Reston Lehman

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

No Particular order:

Matt Sieg – S/QB - Fort Cherry - 4 Star – Committed to Beach Warmer U

Davion Taylor – OLB – Aliquippa – 3 Star – PSU, WVU, SYR – Visits: Pitt 2 times, PSU 8 times, WVU 3 times

Colsen Gatten – ILB - Central Catholic – 3 Star - ND, TAM, PSU, MICH, OK - Visits: Pitt 3 times, PSU 7 times, ND 3 times

David Davis – ATH - Imani Christian Academy – 3 Star – PSU, MSU, NEB, TENN, KY – Visits: Pitt 5 times, PSU 6 times

Brendan Alexander – OT - Central Valley – 3 Star – WIS, WVU, PSU, VT, NCST - Visits: Pitt 3 times, PSU 3 times

Kyshawn Robinson – CB – Westinghouse – 3 Star – USC, TAM, FSU, OSU, PSU - Pitt 2 times, PSU 1 time, WVU 3 times

Reston Lehman – OLB - Peters Township – 3 Star – PSU, WISC, VT, MIN, WVU - Visits: Pitt 7 times, PSU 2 times

Ashton Blatt – OLB – Central Catholic – N/A – WISC, IND, MSU, WVU – No PSU offer

Da’Ron Barksdale – ATH - Steel Valley - 3-Star – PSU, WVU, SYR – No PSU offer

Lawrence Timmons- DB – Pine-Richland – N/A – SYR, WVU, – No PSU offer

I think Pitt's best bets are the bottom four on this list based on PSU visits and offers.

Pitt has received a commitment today for 2026. If the commit is local, my money is on Reston Lehman

im so old, i remember when pitt used to get Aliquippa recruits.. man, those were the days..

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

No Particular order:

Matt Sieg – S/QB - Fort Cherry - 4 Star – Committed to Beach Warmer U

Davion Taylor – OLB – Aliquippa – 3 Star – PSU, WVU, SYR – Visits: Pitt 2 times, PSU 8 times, WVU 3 times

Colsen Gatten – ILB - Central Catholic – 3 Star - ND, TAM, PSU, MICH, OK - Visits: Pitt 3 times, PSU 7 times, ND 3 times

David Davis – ATH - Imani Christian Academy – 3 Star – PSU, MSU, NEB, TENN, KY – Visits: Pitt 5 times, PSU 6 times

Brendan Alexander – OT - Central Valley – 3 Star – WIS, WVU, PSU, VT, NCST - Visits: Pitt 3 times, PSU 3 times

Kyshawn Robinson – CB – Westinghouse – 3 Star – USC, TAM, FSU, OSU, PSU - Pitt 2 times, PSU 1 time, WVU 3 times

Reston Lehman – OLB - Peters Township – 3 Star – PSU, WISC, VT, MIN, WVU - Visits: Pitt 7 times, PSU 2 times

Ashton Blatt – OLB – Central Catholic – N/A – WISC, IND, MSU, WVU – No PSU offer

Da’Ron Barksdale – ATH - Steel Valley - 3-Star – PSU, WVU, SYR – No PSU offer

Lawrence Timmons- DB – Pine-Richland – N/A – SYR, WVU, – No PSU offer

I think Pitt's best bets are the bottom four on this list based on PSU visits and offers.

Pitt has received a commitment today for 2026. If the commit is local, my money is on Reston Lehman

I think James Franklin should be more cordial towards Pitt at this point since after being pretty even in those early days, he's lapped Narduzzi about 10 times. He should at least let Narduzzi know which ones he isnt that interested in and maybe form some sort of partnership with Pitt so that guys like Quinton Martin and Tikey Hayes and guys like that can get some football experience for a couple years and THEN transfer to Pitt. FK would appreciate this but almost like European soccer where the Man City's and Chelsea loan out their players for a few years to get playing time and develop. Maybe we can become a farm team for the great Penn State.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

No Particular order:

Matt Sieg – S/QB - Fort Cherry - 4 Star – Committed to Beach Warmer U

Davion Taylor – OLB – Aliquippa – 3 Star – PSU, WVU, SYR – Visits: Pitt 2 times, PSU 8 times, WVU 3 times

Colsen Gatten – ILB - Central Catholic – 3 Star - ND, TAM, PSU, MICH, OK - Visits: Pitt 3 times, PSU 7 times, ND 3 times

David Davis – ATH - Imani Christian Academy – 3 Star – PSU, MSU, NEB, TENN, KY – Visits: Pitt 5 times, PSU 6 times

Brendan Alexander – OT - Central Valley – 3 Star – WIS, WVU, PSU, VT, NCST - Visits: Pitt 3 times, PSU 3 times

Kyshawn Robinson – CB – Westinghouse – 3 Star – USC, TAM, FSU, OSU, PSU - Pitt 2 times, PSU 1 time, WVU 3 times

Reston Lehman – OLB - Peters Township – 3 Star – PSU, WISC, VT, MIN, WVU - Visits: Pitt 7 times, PSU 2 times

Ashton Blatt – OLB – Central Catholic – N/A – WISC, IND, MSU, WVU – No PSU offer

Da’Ron Barksdale – ATH - Steel Valley - 3-Star – PSU, WVU, SYR – No PSU offer

Lawrence Timmons- DB – Pine-Richland – N/A – SYR, WVU, – No PSU offer

I think Pitt's best bets are the bottom four on this list based on PSU visits and offers.

Pitt has received a commitment today for 2026. If the commit is local, my money is on Reston Lehman

What are the schools listed? That's pretty bad if they're the players' top announced schools.

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I think James Franklin should be more cordial towards Pitt at this point since after being pretty even in those early days, he's lapped Narduzzi about 10 times. He should at least let Narduzzi know which ones he isnt that interested in and maybe form some sort of partnership with Pitt so that guys like Quinton Martin and Tikey Hayes and guys like that can get some football experience for a couple years and THEN transfer to Pitt. FK would appreciate this but almost like European soccer where the Man City's and Chelsea loan out their players for a few years to get playing time and develop. Maybe we can become a farm team for the great Penn State.

im confused. do we land them first out of high school then have them play here THEN transfer ot penn state or do they go to penn state first, and the ones that dont develop and get recruited over, we get them..

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

im confused. do we land them first out of high school then have them play here THEN transfer ot penn state or do they go to penn state first, and the ones that dont develop and get recruited over, we get them..

Penn State is our farm system. Except we're the foodbank, and we only get the deformed tomatoes they were otherwise going to throw on the compost pile.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

No Particular order:

Matt Sieg – S/QB - Fort Cherry - 4 Star – Committed to Beach Warmer U

Davion Taylor – OLB – Aliquippa – 3 Star – PSU, WVU, SYR – Visits: Pitt 2 times, PSU 8 times, WVU 3 times

Colsen Gatten – ILB - Central Catholic – 3 Star - ND, TAM, PSU, MICH, OK - Visits: Pitt 3 times, PSU 7 times, ND 3 times

David Davis – ATH - Imani Christian Academy – 3 Star – PSU, MSU, NEB, TENN, KY – Visits: Pitt 5 times, PSU 6 times

Brendan Alexander – OT - Central Valley – 3 Star – WIS, WVU, PSU, VT, NCST - Visits: Pitt 3 times, PSU 3 times

Kyshawn Robinson – CB – Westinghouse – 3 Star – USC, TAM, FSU, OSU, PSU - Pitt 2 times, PSU 1 time, WVU 3 times

Reston Lehman – OLB - Peters Township – 3 Star – PSU, WISC, VT, MIN, WVU - Visits: Pitt 7 times, PSU 2 times

Ashton Blatt – OLB – Central Catholic – N/A – WISC, IND, MSU, WVU – No PSU offer

Da’Ron Barksdale – ATH - Steel Valley - 3-Star – PSU, WVU, SYR – No PSU offer

Lawrence Timmons- DB – Pine-Richland – N/A – SYR, WVU, – No PSU offer

I think Pitt's best bets are the bottom four on this list based on PSU visits and offers.

Pitt has received a commitment today for 2026. If the commit is local, my money is on Reston Lehman

Robinson from Westinghouse had a bad injury, maybe that will take some of the juice off his recruitment, ala Shady McCoy?

Gatten, nitter legacy, no chance there.

Hopefully you are right about the last 4, although I'm not sure on Timmons. If he wasn't a Steeler legacy, would he be rated as high?

What about the kid from Woodland Hills, Scoop Smith? Small guy, maybe under the radar type who would fit well in Bell's offense?

 

[steelcurtain55.]

im so old, i remember when pitt used to get Aliquippa recruits.. man, those were the days..

I remember the days when Aliquippa could hold onto their own recruits..

 

[steelcurtain55.]

What about the kid from Woodland Hills, Scoop Smith? Small guy, maybe under the radar type who would fit well in Bell's offense?

Scoop is a better version of Cam Saddler imo.

 

[pittmeister]

What are the schools listed? That's pretty bad if they're the players' top announced schools.

Some of the P4 scholarships offered to each player

 

[Conemaugh]

im so old, i remember when pitt used to get Aliquippa recruits.. man, those were the days..

Hell, I am so old that I can remember Woodland Hills spitting out D1 recruits. Those were also the days.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

Scoop is a better version of Cam Saddler imo.

would probably do well in this offense. Does he have an offer?

 

[steelcurtain55.]

would probably do well in this offense. Does he have an offer?

He has a few small d1 offers. I'm not sure if he has a power 5 yet.

 

[S.R.M.]

Hell, I am so old that I can remember Woodland Hills spitting out D1 recruits. Those were also the days.

The quality of high school football in Pennsylvania has absolutely cratered in the last 20 years. When I was in school from 1998-2002 just the Parkway conference (which had Ambridge, Blackhawk, West A, Moon, Montour, Ellwood City, and Hopewell at the time) had multiple Power 4 players and and a handful of lower D1 players every year. Palko (Pitt) , Shipley (PSU), Poslusny (PSU), A guy from Montour who went to (Michigan) who's name escapes me, Sonny Riccio (Missouri), Stephan Brinson (Pitt) and I'm sure I'm missing a couple. Plus guys who were high school studs but didn't have Power 4 measurables like Austin Sykes from Moon and Slappy from West A who played at MAC level schools. If go you back even further to the 70's & 80's, there was even more talent. Nowadays the entire WPIAL barely has as much talent as just the Parkway conference had in 2001. Hell some Aliquippa teams when I was in school had multiple Power 4 guys (Josh Lay, MoMo Weekly, Darrelle Revis) and few other lower level D1 guys on their team every year.

 

[boseman7]

I feel like the talent is still in the WPIAL it’s just that those guys don’t usually wanna play football. There are a lot of kids with a lot of athletic talent and they’re just lazy. I see it all the time. A lot of those kids would rather act like they have a chance to become rappers. Plus coaching has been so bad in a lot of these schools kids don’t want to play for their high school. It’s perplexing and sad.

 

[Burgh15]

What about the kid from Woodland Hills, Scoop Smith? Small guy, maybe under the radar type who would fit well in Bell's offense?

Scoop is such a playmaker and in college you have a chance to find a role even as a smaller player.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

The quality of high school football in Pennsylvania has absolutely cratered in the last 20 years. When I was in school from 1998-2002 just the Parkway conference (which had Ambridge, Blackhawk, West A, Moon, Montour, Ellwood City, and Hopewell at the time) had multiple Power 4 players and and a handful of lower D1 players every year. Palko (Pitt) , Shipley (PSU), Poslusny (PSU), A guy from Montour who went to (Michigan) who's name escapes me, Sonny Riccio (Missouri), Stephan Brinson (Pitt) and I'm sure I'm missing a couple. Plus guys who were high school studs but didn't have Power 4 measurables like Austin Sykes from Moon and Slappy from West A who played at MAC level schools. If go you back even further to the 70's & 80's, there was even more talent. Nowadays the entire WPIAL barely has as much talent as just the Parkway conference had in 2001. Hell some Aliquippa teams when I was in school had multiple Power 4 guys (Josh Lay, MoMo Weekly, Darrelle Revis) and few other lower level D1 guys on their team every year.

When I was in HS in the early 80's the West Penn Conference (Penn Hills, Gateway, Central, McKeesport, Highlands, etc...) you had NFL #1 picks in 1983, 1985 and 1986, along with guys like Tommy Flynn and many others who played at Pitt, ND, OSU, ND, etc.... That was one 8 team conference producing 3 1st rd picks in a 5 year span.

 

[BigChungus90210]

I feel like the talent is still in the WPIAL it’s just that those guys don’t usually wanna play football. There are a lot of kids with a lot of athletic talent and they’re just lazy. I see it all the time. A lot of those kids would rather act like they have a chance to become rappers. Plus coaching has been so bad in a lot of these schools kids don’t want to play for their high school. It’s perplexing and sad.

Admittedly, I'm not up on the local youth rap scene, but I think it can largely be explained by the exodus of people following the collapse of the steel industry in the late 20th century + newer studies on head injuries causing fear for parents + the specialization in sports not named football/travel league/AAU culture.

 

[S.R.M.]

Admittedly, I'm not up on the local youth rap scene, but I think it can largely be explained by the exodus of people following the collapse of the steel industry in the late 20th century + newer studies on head injuries causing fear for parents + the specialization in sports not named football/travel league/AAU culture.

That is definitely part of it. From 1980 - 2020 the Pittsburgh Metro population declined from 2.9M to 2.5M or about 14%. With that said, I feel like the number of D1 football recruits has declined by about 66% (this is a guess but likely in the ballpark) so there are additional factors driving the decline. I think a lot of it is nature of the people living here has changed dramatically in that time. The decline of the blue collar work force largely offset by the increase in eds and meds yuppies has led to softer kids with helicopter parents who don't let them play football (and with the new information on head injuries hard to argue with this). Even when I was a kid in the late 80s and early 90s high school football was King around here. I remember going to an Ambridge - Aliquippa game with my Dad around 1990 and having to watch from outside the fence because the game was sold out. My sister is 17 years younger than me and was on the Ambridge dance team in 2018 and there might have been 800 people at the games in a stadium that holds a few thousand people. I lived in Greenwood, SC in 2006 & 2007 and high school football there was like high school football used to be around here. All the best athletes played and the games were events that everyone in the town attended.

 

[BigChungus90210]

That is definitely part of it. From 1980 - 2020 the Pittsburgh Metro population declined from 2.9M to 2.5M or about 14%. With that said, I feel like the number of D1 football recruits has declined by about 66% (this is a guess but likely in the ballpark) so there are additional factors driving the decline. I think a lot of it is nature of the people living here has changed dramatically in that time. The decline of the blue collar work force largely offset by the increase in eds and meds yuppies has led to softer kids with helicopter parents who don't let them play football (and with the new information on head injuries hard to argue with this). Even when I was a kid in the late 80s and early 90s high school football was King around here. I remember going to an Ambridge - Aliquippa game with my Dad around 1990 and having to watch from outside the fence because the game was sold out. My sister is 17 years younger than me and was on the Ambridge dance team in 2018 and there might have been 800 people at the games in a stadium that holds a few thousand people. I lived in Greenwood, SC in 2006 & 2007 and high school football there was like high school football used to be around here. All the best athletes played and the games were events that everyone in the town attended.

Great point. More importantly than just the total number of people who left, its the type and culture of the people who left vs. the ones who backfilled the population when industry in the area pivoted.

 

[Upg bobcat]

The quality of high school football in Pennsylvania has absolutely cratered in the last 20 years. When I was in school from 1998-2002 just the Parkway conference (which had Ambridge, Blackhawk, West A, Moon, Montour, Ellwood City, and Hopewell at the time) had multiple Power 4 players and and a handful of lower D1 players every year. Palko (Pitt) , Shipley (PSU), Poslusny (PSU), A guy from Montour who went to (Michigan) who's name escapes me, Sonny Riccio (Missouri), Stephan Brinson (Pitt) and I'm sure I'm missing a couple.

I would love to know how many D1 players Woodland Hills churned out during that 1998-2002 window.

That is definitely part of it. From 1980 - 2020 the Pittsburgh Metro population declined from 2.9M to 2.5M or about 14%. With that said, I feel like the number of D1 football recruits has declined by about 66% (this is a guess but likely in the ballpark) so there are additional factors driving the decline.

Population declined by about 14%, but I know Allegheny County has an unusually high elderly population so I'm willing to bet most of 400k that left was youngish people that had young families or would be starting families soon. So that means no next generation in the schools. Just in terms of numbers, enrollment of school age kids down south has to be huge compared to what we have here. Heck, just look at the imbalance in 6A across the PIAA -- all the 6A schools are out east.

 

[S.R.M.]

I would love to know how many D1 players Woodland Hills churned out during that 1998-2002 window.


Population declined by about 14%, but I know Allegheny County has an unusually high elderly population so I'm willing to bet most of 400k that left was youngish people that had young families or would be starting families soon. So that means no next generation in the schools. Just in terms of numbers, enrollment of school age kids down south has to be huge compared to what we have here. Heck, just look at the imbalance in 6A across the PIAA -- all the 6A schools are out east.

I couldn't find any data specific to Western PA but the school aged population in Pennsylvania has declined by 18% from 1980-2017 so probably close to 20% from 1980-2025 and Western PA is probably down 25%-30%. The population decline locally coupled with population growth throughout the Sunbelt explains about 1/2 of the reason there are fewer high level football players around here relative to the rest of the country but there is still a significant gap between the population decline and the decline of D1 football players which is likely driven by less emphasis on high school football throughout the region.

You are 100% correct about Woodland Hills about 10-15 years ago Woodland Hills had more active NFL players than any other high school in America. I'm sure the enrollment decline is a piece of the story but it doesn't explain how they went from 6 NFL players in 2010 to 1 (I believe Miles Sanders in the only former wolverine active in the NFL) in 1/2 a generation.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

That is definitely part of it. From 1980 - 2020 the Pittsburgh Metro population declined from 2.9M to 2.5M or about 14%. With that said, I feel like the number of D1 football recruits has declined by about 66% (this is a guess but likely in the ballpark) so there are additional factors driving the decline. I think a lot of it is nature of the people living here has changed dramatically in that time. The decline of the blue collar work force largely offset by the increase in eds and meds yuppies has led to softer kids with helicopter parents who don't let them play football (and with the new information on head injuries hard to argue with this). Even when I was a kid in the late 80s and early 90s high school football was King around here. I remember going to an Ambridge - Aliquippa game with my Dad around 1990 and having to watch from outside the fence because the game was sold out. My sister is 17 years younger than me and was on the Ambridge dance team in 2018 and there might have been 800 people at the games in a stadium that holds a few thousand people. I lived in Greenwood, SC in 2006 & 2007 and high school football there was like high school football used to be around here. All the best athletes played and the games were events that everyone in the town attended.

The population not just declined but got decidedly younger. 1. People aren't having 4-8 kid families anymore. 2. More younger people moved away and these small towns are just full of retirees. Local politicians have done a poor job of attracting jobs that you can raise a family on.

 

[Upg bobcat]

I feel like the talent is still in the WPIAL it’s just that those guys don’t usually wanna play football. There are a lot of kids with a lot of athletic talent and they’re just lazy. I see it all the time. A lot of those kids would rather act like they have a chance to become rappers. Plus coaching has been so bad in a lot of these schools kids don’t want to play for their high school. It’s perplexing and sad.

Can't really comment on coaching being bad, it could be true that the quality of coaching has declined. But in terms of there being lazy kids, I don't think that is in any way a new phenomenon. There were very talented but lazy kids when I was growing up. I doubt that is just a Western PA thing, I'm sure that holds true throughout the country.

One cultural change is probably video games -- kids spend a lot of time playing those. When I was kid, video games were fun but nothing that you would pour hours into. Instead we would spend hours in the street playing touch football, we would spend hours at the park playing basketball, etc. I'm not sure kids do as much of that nowadays. But again, I don't think that's anything unique to Western PA.

 

[pbrad]

Robinson from Westinghouse had a bad injury, maybe that will take some of the juice off his recruitment, ala Shady McCoy?

Gatten, nitter legacy, no chance there.

Hopefully you are right about the last 4, although I'm not sure on Timmons. If he wasn't a Steeler legacy, would he be rated as high?

What about the kid from Woodland Hills, Scoop Smith? Small guy, maybe under the radar type who would fit well in Bell's offense?

Didn't see him play football but just watched him in BB. He was the best player on the court for Woodland Hills just too small.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Great point. More importantly than just the total number of people who left, its the type and culture of the people who left vs. the ones who backfilled the population when industry in the area pivoted.

This is probably the best answer. The middle class/lower middle class/poor school districts have gotten much smaller. The upper middle class/rich schools districts have gotten bigger. The total Pgh area population decline overall doesn't seem too bad but they lost more in the "football areas."

 

[TheSpecialSauce]

This is probably the best answer. The middle class/lower middle class/poor school districts have gotten much smaller. The upper middle class/rich schools districts have gotten bigger. The total Pgh area population decline overall doesn't seem too bad but they lost more in the "football areas."

Pine-Richland HS used to be Richland HS and was a AA school at one time. Now it is a powerhouse 5A school. Valley HS used to be AAA and had some really good players and teams at one time. Now they are a much smaller school and have terrible teams. The biggest reason is people who are successful realize they have opportunities elsewhere and move. Some people move out of state and others move to more desirable areas in Pittsburgh. That is just one of many examples.