Pitt Football Hosting 2026 3-Star Texas LB

The Pitt Panthers continue building football inroads in Texas

Oct 12, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi leads the Panthers onto the field to play the California Golden Bears at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers put in many weeks recruiting Texas and will bring in a top talent on a visit this summer.

Reilarean Phillips, a Class of 2026 recruit, announced on Twitter that he will make an official visit to Pitt, June 12-14, the second weekend of the month.

Phillips plays for Alief Elsik High School in Houston and had a solid junior season in 2024, making 53 tackles, eight tackle for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and also had six touchdowns, with five coming on offense as a running back and the other a pick-six.

He plays linebacker, mainly on the outside, and excels both in pass coverage and in stopping the run game.

Standing at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Phillips shows great speed and vision, which he combines to make open field tackles, track players down and get into the backfield with ease. His size also makes him a good option for breaking through wide receiver screens and also preventing long gains on run plays.

Phillips released his top eight schools back on Feb. 22, which features Pitt and also Big 12 schools in Arizona State, Baylor, Houston, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, plus UTSA and Washington State.

He also has offers from Power 4 programs in ACC schools in Boston College and SMU, plus Ole Miss and FBS offers from Coastal Carolina, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Texas State, Tulsa, UNLV and UTEP.

Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates, who recruits Texas heavily, offered Phillips on Jan. 9 and visited him at his home on Jan. 22.

Both 247Sports and Rivals rate Phillips as a three-star in the Class of 2026, with 247Sports ranking him the No. 51 linebacker and No. 92 recruit in Texas, while Rivals gave him a 5.6 rating.

He is one of two Class of 2026 true linebackers making an official visit to Pitt, along with Markel Dabney, a three-star from Hugenot High School in Richmond, Va.

Phillips is one of four recruits from Texas making an official visit to Pitt. This includes three-star quarterback commit Angelo Renda from Carroll High School in Southlake, wide receiver Blake Hamilton from Fort Bend Christian High School in Sugar Land and four-star offensive lineman Day'jon Moore from Willis High School in Willis.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

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