New Football Coach Narduzzi Able To Salvage Pitt's Recruiting Class, LINK!

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

You look at Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi's first recruiting class, and you immediately wonder:


What's missing?


For starters, simple numbers.


Narduzzi introduced 15 prospects Wednesday, the smallest Pitt class in at least the past 14 years.


Maybe that was for the best after he had only 11 working days to save and embellish the group left behind by former coach Paul Chryst. Plus, there is not a lot of roster space after Pitt signed 50 prospects in 2013-14.


"We could have added a few more prospects," Narduzzi said, "but if there is doubt in our coaches' minds and my mind, we are better off to play it safe and save one."


This class, ranked 70th in the nation and last in the ACC by Rivals.com, was raided by several Power 5 schools in the past several weeks. Eight players who committed to past and present Pitt coaches ended up signing elsewhere.


"You wish you had a bat at the door to keep them off," Narduzzi said.


That included a surprising late flip Wednesday when linebacker Shawn Curtis, who committed to Narduzzi on Jan. 21, opted for Ole Miss.


Some of those who left were replaced. It will be interesting to chart the careers of quarterbacks Alex Hornibrook, who left Pitt for Wisconsin, and Pine-Richland's Ben DiNucci, who took his place.


Some left holes. After defensive tackle Kraig Howe flipped to Wisconsin, Pitt ended up with no players from that position in this class. Both of Pitt's starting tackles - Darryl Render and K.K. Mosley-Smith - return next season.


Narduzzi shrugs his shoulders at those who reneged.


"That's the business," he said. "Something you live with. We are coaching the guys who want to be here."


That group includes the prize of the class, Central Valley's Jordan Whitehead, the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania according to Rivals.


Whitehead had plenty of opportunities to shift allegiances after he committed in late October. He said Penn State and West Virginia kept nudging him as late as Tuesday.


"He's loyal, and he knows what integrity is," Narduzzi said.


Whitehead chose Pitt over some of the top schools in the nation, including Alabama, where he sat in coach Nick Saban's office. He said he wasn't impressed.


"It just wasn't for me," he said.


Whitehead will start his career at cornerback but could play on both sides of the ball. Narduzzi said he always has been open to two-way players, which he proved in the Cotton Bowl last month. Michigan State's Tony Lippett, the team's leading pass catcher, started at cornerback.


Narduzzi said Whitehead can make "an immediate impact." "He can line up at safety and come down and smoke you and athletic enough and smooth enough to play corner," Narduzzi said. Probably the most heartening aspect of Whitehead's choice for Pitt fans is this: He made it for more than geographical reasons.


"Most people think it's my mom who made me pick Pitt because it's close to home," he said. "That's not true.


"Pitt just felt right. When you get comfortable with the players, things fall into place."


Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at @JDiPaola_Trib.
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/7684886-74/pitt-cornerback-farrell#ixzz3R34pSr8O

This post was edited on 2/7 4:43 AM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: Pitt Recruiting Predictions: What To Expect From The Panthers' 20 LINK!


Pitt Recruiting Predictions: What To Expect From The Panthers' 2015 Class

Now that the 2015 recruiting class for football is in the books, it's time to get out the crystal ball and go out on a limb, and make some predictions sure to fail. If you want to see how I did last year, take a look. Not too bad, but I'm gonna try and do a little better this season:

THE STARS - We'll begin with the easiest one first. Hopefully in the coming years with Pat Narduzzi and his staff having more time to build a relationship with kids, this category will get a little tougher to narrow it down to a couple of kids. You don't have to look very hard to know that Jordan Whitehead is the runaway winner here from Central Valley. If you have seen him play or checked out his highlight tape, you know the deal and it's a good one. He's going to be good...very good. If you must have numbers, he is the top player in the state, sixth in the country at cornerback, and 75th nationally by Rivals. It doesn't hurt either that he is a defensive back, which is a big area of need. After Whitehead, you have to go to a familiar position with Darrin Hall at running back. Hall is from Austintown Fitch High in Ohio and is a four-star recruit, who Rivals ranks at 195th overall in the 2015 class and the 22nd running back. I'll go a little deeper here and give you a linebacker by the name of Anthony McKee from Marion Franklin High in Ohio. McKee ranks 36th in the nation at outside linebacker.

PLAYERS WITH THE BEST CHANCE TO PLAY EARLY - Get used to Whitehead, he's going to be seen early and often. We'll see if he can unseat a starter on defense, but you will see him returning kicks and Narduzzi even mentioned he could have a small package of plays on offense (is it starting to sink in that this kid is special?). Beyond that, I would go with wide receiver recruit Tre Tipton from Apollo Ridge High in PA. See the next category for my reasons.

SLEEPER PICKS - When I view Tipton's highlights, I wonder how many offers he would have received and how many stars he would have if he didn't play in AA. Tipton's only other P5 offer was from Michigan State. He's 6'0" and 160 pounds, and is athletic enough that he ran the wildcat. It wasn't just the wildcat to run either, as Tipton can throw the ball when he needed to last year. His route running is very good for a young kid and he can go up and get a ball. I think he will do very well and considering Tyler Boyd needs a runnin' buddy, Tipton could surprise a few people.

WORTH THE WAIT PLAYERS - If you are looking for a couple of players who fans will have to wait to watch, but will be well worth it, take a look at receiver Quadree Henderson from Alexis I Dupont in Delaware and offensive lineman Tony Pilato from nearby Hempfield High. Henderson is small, but is he ever explosive. He's shifty and finds a hole and takes off. There is an outside chance you could see him return some kicks next fall, as well as some slot receiver snaps, but they could also make you wait a year to get a look at him. Pilato is a massive and athletic offensive lineman, but the depth on the line will allow Pitt the luxury to red-shirt him, His basketball skills translate well to his footwork and when he gets a hold of a defensive player to block, he's just plain nasty. His 6'7" and 290-pound frame has Pitt coaches salivating to put him in at a tackle position some day, but he did move around in high school and has experience at other positions on the line.

FAN FAVORITE - I think there is a chance Whitehead could reach Tyler Boyd and James Conner status with Pitt fans rather quickly. I'm sure you are tired of hearing about him, so I'll also mention Henderson again, along with McKee. Henderson's size and big-play ability makes him easy to like and McKee LOVES to hit and can be a violent player on the field.

That's my predictions for 2015 and if I'm wrong, I'll have Anson destroy this entire article ASAP. It is either that or I'll say Jim wrote it and put my name on it. If I'm right, I'll take full credit. Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter@PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author@BrunoPittsburgh.
LINK:
http://www.cardiachill.com/2015/2/5/7982227/pitt-panthers-football-recruiting-2015-class-jordan-whitehead-pat-narduzzi-tre-tipton-tony-pilato

This post was edited on 2/7 4:45 AM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Re: The Most Underrated Recruits From Last Five Recruiting Classes, LINK!


Pitt Had 2 Players On This List: Not bad at all, and MSU had 4 Players!

[/B]James Conner - Pitt - Running Back - Three stars
[/B]James Conner, an Erie, Pa., native, came to Pitt originally as a defensive end. The coaching staff quickly realized he was better off with the ball in his hands. His 799 yards and eight scores as a freshman were a sign of things to come for the 6-foot-2, 250-pound Conner. As a sophomore, Conner ran for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns en route to ACC Player of the Year honors. That's not too bad for a guy whose other offers came from Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Ohio and Toledo.

[/B]Aaron Donald - Pittsburgh - Defensive Tackle - Three stars
[/B]Pitt knew it couldn't let hometown kid Aaron Donald get away. A Pittsburgh native, Donald's only other offers were from Akron, Rutgers and Toledo when he committed to play for the Panthers. He went on to become one of the most dominant defensive linemen in recent memory as he racked up 66 career tackles for loss and 29.5 career sacks. As a senior, Donald was a consensus All-American, won ACC Defensive Player of the Year as well as the Nagurski, Bednarik, Outland and Lombardi awards.[/B]

MSU Had 4 Players Three 2 Stars & One Unrated:[/B]

Le'Veon Bell - Michigan State - Running Back - Two stars
[/B]With Le'Veon Bell, Michigan State pulled a gem right from Ohio State's backyard in the 2010 class. Bell, a native of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, -- just a 15-minute drive from Columbus - was rated only two stars and had low level offers from Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Marshall before the Spartans came along. The offer paid off as Bell ran for 3,346 yards and 33 touchdowns while catching 78 passes for 531 yards in three seasons in East Lansing. He's now a star running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

[/B]Darqueze Dennard - Michigan State - Cornerback - Two stars
[/B]In the same class as Bell, Mark Dantonio went south and plucked cornerback Darqueze Dennard from Jeffersonville, Georgia. Dennard was another two-star recruit who only had offers from Middle Tennessee State and Utah State before the Spartans came along. Dennard made the trip north to East Lansing and before it was all said and done, he won the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the country

[/B]Trae Waynes - Michigan State - Cornerback - Two stars
[/B]Trae Waynes is just another example of an awesome two-star find by the Spartans. Though he had an offer from in-state Wisconsin, Waynes went to Michigan State and established himself as a starter by his redshirt sophomore year. He broke out in 2013 with 50 tackles and three interceptions and followed it up in 2014 with 46 tackles and three more picks. Waynes was a first-team All-Big Ten pick in 2014.

[/B]Jack Conklin - Michigan State - Offensive Tackle - Unrated
[/B]Michigan State was the only school to offer this unrated lineman from Plainwell, Mich. It wasn't a traditional offer, either. The Spartans gave Jack Conklin a greyshirt offer that put him on full scholarship in January 2013, a semester after he arrived at the school. After a redshirt in 2012, Conklin jumped from the scout team into the starting lineup and has started 26 games in the past two seasons. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2014.

[/B]LINK:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/most-underrated-recruits-from-last-5-classes-191344267.html

This post was edited on 2/7 2:57 AM by CaptainSidneyReilly

 

[Dan from Howell]

Re: Pitt Recruiting Predictions: What To Expect From The Panthers' 20 LINK!

Sleeper or not, Tre Tipton's a guy that MSU was really hoping to land. MSU may have been the only other big offer, but it was a camp offer. If my memory serves correctly, he camped at three places in a row (Two being MSU and Pitt) and got an offer at all of them.

I expect Narduzzi to do a lot of work with the camps for player evaluation. That's where Dantonio always excelled. He often didn't offer unless a player camped. The exception was for long distant players who were offered so they showed up at camp.

 

[Teh Teh]

I really look forward to this new staff the next few years. I think our on field play not only will improve but I can see our defense looking muh more 'bad ass', which will get the recruits coming.

 

[The Loaded Italian]

Re: Pitt Recruiting Predictions: What To Expect From The Panthers' 20 LINK!

I think no doubt we got some good recruits nailed down in a short time. Really an incomplete grade until this year rolls around, but I think good things will happen.