Pitt head coach secured three new commitments on for the 2026 recruiting class. Among them are three-star offensive tackle Nicholas Howard and three-star tight end Wyatt Villarreal, both hailing from Texas, along with three-star offensive lineman Michael van der Oord.
Howard, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound lineman from Pearland High School, is ranked as the No. 35 offensive tackle nationally by 247Sports. He earned honorable mention all-district honors as a junior last season.
Howard, who made his official visit to Pitt over the weekend, committed to the Panthers despite receiving offers from several programs, including Lamar, Louisiana-Monroe, Montana State, North Texas, Texas Southern, Texas State, Tulsa, UTEP, and UTSA.
Villarreal, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound junior tight end from Celina High School in Texas, was also on his official visit to Pitt this weekend. He chose the Panthers over offers from schools such as Arizona, Cal, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Tulsa, UNLV, and USF, among others.
Van der Oord, a 6-foot-7, 280-pound offensive lineman from St. Ignatius in Cleveland, Ohio, also committed to Pitt. He holds offers from programs including Toledo, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Wake Forest, and Western Michigan.
Howard, Villarreal, and van der Oord became the seventh, eighth, and ninth prospects to announce their commitments to Pitt over the weekend. They join a growing 2026 recruiting class that recently added defensive back Kentrail McRae Jr., wide receiver Jaydon Dunbar, linebackers Isaiah Simmons and Reston Lehman (Peters Township), offensive lineman John Curran III (Pine-Richland), and defensive lineman Lincoln Hoke (North Allegheny).
These latest additions bolster a class that already included earlier commitments from quarterback Angelo Renda, wide receivers Demetrice McCray and Dylan Wester, linebacker Marcus Jennings, and defensive back Isaac Patterson.
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