To locate a player whom they believe will be an important member of Pitt’s defensive line in the years to come, Pat Narduzzi and Tim Daoust looked into their own backyard.
They found North Allegheny’s Lincoln Hoke, a two-way standout for the Tigers who committed to the Panthers this summer before making things official and signing with the program Dec. 3.
“The more you’re around Lincoln, the more you’re like, ‘I want this kid in my life. Holy smokes,’” said Daoust, Hoke’s soon-to-be position coach at Pitt. “You watch him as a defensive tackle just take over high school football games. Everyone in the stadium knows that he’s the best player on the field and nobody can stop him.”
Pitt edged West Virginia, James Madison, New Mexico, several Ivy League institutions and others in landing Hoke, the son of 11-year Steelers defensive lineman and two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Hoke.
Lincoln Hoke, a 6-foot-2, 260-pound defensive tackle, led the Tigers with 80 tackles as a senior, posting 12 for loss, seven sacks and four forced fumbles. As a junior, he made 66 tackles (nine for loss) with 6.5 sacks.
Now, as an early enrollee at Pitt, he prepares to join a program he deemed “the perfect fit.”
Along with Peters Township’s Reston Lehman, Pine-Richland’s John Curran and Steel Valley’s Da’Ron Barksdale, he is one of four WPIAL products within Pitt’s Class of 2026.
“There’s so many reasons why it was the perfect fit,” Hoke said. “One, I fit their defensive scheme perfectly. They like to move around, we blitz linebackers, the d-line is shooting gaps and everything — I think that’s the strength of my game, my movement and doing that up front.
“I love the coaches. Coach Narduzzi, coach Daoust — I’ve built a great relationship with them and they showed me from Day 1, as soon as they offered, more love than any other school. With the success they’ve had with d-linemen and undersized d-linemen, it’s the best position for me to be in.”
In Hoke, Daoust saw a standout on both the offensive and defensive line who proved he could compete at the highest level of the WPIAL.
Three days after putting pen to paper with Pitt, Hoke’s prowess in the trenches was recognized with the Bill Fralic Award, given annually to the best two-way lineman in the WPIAL.
CONGRATS!!@nafootball_tfl senior and @Pitt_FB commit @LincolnHoke76 wins 2025 @BillFralicAward
????: https://t.co/NHufAHWuDn@hokiebro76pic.twitter.com/759sAV2RPM
— NATigers (@NATigerAthletic) December 7, 2025
“Lincoln gets off the football and plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage,” Daoust said. “Just watching him live his senior year, he doesn’t stop. He’s playing both sides of the football at a high level in the WPIAL here — it doesn’t stop. Things are good, things are bad and then boom, Lincoln is showing up making a play at a critical time for his football team.”
Unsurprisingly, Chris Hoke was there every step of the way during his son’s high school career and recruitment.
“It’s been a huge help,” Lincoln Hoke said. “My dad, after every game, we’re studying film, watching it together and taking notes. He played at the highest level, so he’s giving me all the things that he’s already seen. Mentally, he’s given me things to work on. I’ve learned so much and I continue to learn so much from him. He’s taught me everything I know. It’s been such a blessing and I’m so grateful for that.”
Hoke will have the benefit of getting acclimated to being in a college program early, as well as going through winter workouts, spring ball and the summer with the Panthers.
But for Daoust, the younger Hoke arriving in his room after years of learning from his dad should particularly ease the transition from high school.
“The guy’s unbelievable,” Daoust said. “He played 11 years at a high level right next door. I would get notes Saturday morning from Chris Hoke, play-by-play on what Lincoln did last night. … I think he’s going to be far ahead fundamentally. Just an unbelievable resource, as you would imagine.”
Hoke, like all true freshmen, will face his fair share of hurdles when it comes to getting settled into his new surroundings at Pitt.
As he prepares to formally join the Panthers, Hoke continues to soak it all in.
“Making it official, it’s real-life now,” Hoke said. “Coming up in a couple days, I’m going to be down there, so there’s a lot of excitement, a lot of newness, but definitely just super blessed to be in this situation.”