Aaron Donald Sighting Part of Exciting Visit for 2026 Recruit

When a high school prospect takes a trip to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side of Pittsburgh, they could bump into anyone.

It helps when Pitt shares a facility with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but more so than that, its beneficial when the program maintains relationships with players who have walked those very halls.

As Michael Farley Jr., a Pitt target out of Virginia, walked through the Panthers’ facility, he just happened to stumble upon recently retired and future Hall of Famer, Aaron Donald, putting some reps in at the Pitt weight room.

“It was funny because when I was getting the tour they were saying, ‘Here are some of the stuff we have on our walls.’ Then, we were walking through the hallway, and it was the window and he’s like, ‘There’s our weight room, and there’s Aaron Donald,” Farley told Pittsburgh Sports Now.

For the Class of 2026 recruit, seeing those connections throughout the facility stuck out to him just as it does with so many players who want to not only play at the collegiate level but also beyond that.

“They get to take in all that knowledge and see what it’s like to take and get there,” Farley said about Pitt being surrounded by professional athletes.

The running back prospect from St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Va. spent Tuesday morning taking in Pitt’s spring practice and had a chance to further connect with the coaching staff.