Prior to committing to Pitt on Friday, 2026 Ohio defensive back Isaac Patterson was mulling his decision over with his parents and his high school coach. The 6’0” and 180-pound safety received some advice, and it was simply to go with what feels right.

“Pitt feels right,” Patterson told Panther-Lair.com following his commitment. “I feel amazing about it. There’s no point in waiting, especially if I feel this good about it and potentially lose my spot.”

There were a litany of reasons that made Patterson feel good about making this decision. He visited three times, had a great connection with the coaching staff, and likes the program from a football point of view as well.

“It’s the rich tradition, man,” Patterson said of Pitt. “That, and Coach (Cory) Sanders and Coach (Archie) Collins, when they’re paired together, they produce some of the best talent, especially in the NFL. It’s honor to have an opportunity to play for two coaches like that, especially with all of their experience as well.”

Patterson attends Westerville South in the Columbus suburbs. He was initially offered by Ryan Manalac, who recruits that part of Ohio, but in about December, the connection shifted towards Sanders, who will be his position coach at Pitt.

“I mean, he’s everything you could ask for in a coach,” Patterson said of Sanders. “He’s always been honest with me since the jump and the start of this recruiting process. He’s a great guy, he’ll teach you how to be a better man, not just a good football player.”

Patterson was at Pitt in June for a camp, returned for a game at Acrisure Stadium this past season, and was on campus this past month for a junior day. At this point, Pitt’s newest commitment already has a good lay of the land of his future school.

“The fact that they share a facility with the Steelers is super nice,” said Patterson. “They share cooks with them, they share a practice facility, and there’s not a college that can say that they can do that. I really like the atmosphere when I was there, it feels different than Ohio.”

While the relationships were key to Patterson, plus the comfort around the school did not hurt either, but getting a chance to play in a scheme friendly to safeties was another big selling point.

“They let their DBs play the way that they want to play,” he said. "They let their DBs play football.”

Patterson was a second-team all state selection in 2024. He recorded 52 tackles, three TFLs, and an interception on defense. The future Panthers also produced 850 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns as he helped his team to a playoff berth.