Recruiting rankings last 5 years

[Sean Miller Fan]

Per Rivals:

2019 (would be 5th year seniors): 49
2020: 44
2021: 21
2022: 68
2023: 52

The 21 and 22 classes doomed us. The 21 class was good on paper. Bartholemew as the 4th lowest rated is the best. Hammond has been good but cant stay on the field. I dont think anyone else plays. Javon McIntyre I guess. Total whiff on some highly rated players. Then the other classes were just bad all the way around. There's only 65 P5 teams and we were ranking in the bottom 3rd.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

Per Rivals:

2019 (would be 5th year seniors): 49
2020: 44
2021: 21
2022: 68
2023: 52

The 21 and 22 classes doomed us. The 21 class was good on paper. Bartholemew as the 4th lowest rated is the best. Hammond has been good but cant stay on the field. I dont think anyone else plays. Javon McIntyre I guess. Total whiff on some highly rated players. Then the other classes were just bad all the way around. There's only 65 P5 teams and we were ranking in the bottom 3rd.

who were the whiffs in 21? They are both back here, Davis & McMillon, and the other 3 signed originally, Donald, Ford, Johnson. The only other decent local that year was Dinkins.

Unless you mean whiff in that they aren't producing.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

who were the whiffs in 21? They are both back here, Davis & McMillon, and the other 3 signed originally, Donald, Ford, Johnson. The only other decent local that year was Dinkins.

Unless you mean whiff in that they aren't producing.

I mean I never heard of most of those players meaning they cant get on the field, meaning they cant beat out terrible players, meaning they are a total whiff. In that class, there are only a few starters and only 1 out 23 will play in the NFL. That's bad

 

[PittPoker]

Per Rivals:

2019 (would be 5th year seniors): 49
2020: 44
2021: 21
2022: 68
2023: 52

The 21 and 22 classes doomed us. The 21 class was good on paper. Bartholemew as the 4th lowest rated is the best. Hammond has been good but cant stay on the field. I dont think anyone else plays. Javon McIntyre I guess. Total whiff on some highly rated players. Then the other classes were just bad all the way around. There's only 65 P5 teams and we were ranking in the bottom 3rd.

This needs to get more love. Look at these numbers!! It's downright embarrassing. Pitt got no bump in recruiting after 2021 and in fact it got worse. Coaches mostly suck at Pitt but the majority of players on the roster are better suited playing for Akron than an ACC team.

Dark times right now for Pitt football.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Average Composite recruiting team ranking:

Paul Chryst - 39.66
Pat Narduzzi - 46.11

Many people seem to think Narduzzi is such a better recruiter because these recruiting sites have now changed their methods to list all the offers they can track down... and Twitter makes that a lot easier to track. Chris Peak himself has said this. So every fan base thinks they're getting more quality players now than before, and it's just not true; you're just seeing more offers being listed.

Narduzzi has certainly lucked out on a few lower-rated guys, but that's not sustainable.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I mean I never heard of most of those players meaning they cant get on the field, meaning they cant beat out terrible players, meaning they are a total whiff. In that class, there are only a few starters and only 1 out 23 will play in the NFL. That's bad

This is exhibit A why recruiting threads on the football board don’t interest me at all. It’s the same stuff year after year. Meaningless.

Nameless blank faces.

 

[PittPoker]

Average Composite recruiting team ranking:

Paul Chryst - 39.66
Pat Narduzzi - 46.11

Many people seem to think Narduzzi is such a better recruiter because these recruiting sites have now changed their methods to list all the offers they can track down... and Twitter makes that a lot easier to track. Chris Peak himself has said this. So every fan base thinks they're getting more quality players now than before, and it's just not true; you're just seeing more offers being listed.

Narduzzi has certainly lucked out on a few lower-rated guys, but that's not sustainable.

Exactly. Recruiting has been subpar more often than good in the Narduzzi era. The roster this season looks to be the worst by far and it shows. Lots of below avg 3 star kids that wouldn't get a sniff in any top 30 program.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

This is exhibit A why recruiting threads on the football board don’t interest me at all. It’s the same stuff year after year. Meaningless.

Nameless blank faces.

Yea, I stopped following recruiting a few years ago. That partly explains why I only heard of a few of those 2021 recruits. Football recruiting has become really boring and predictable. We cant compete with PSU for local recruits so we just have to luck out on the out of state guys

 

[NCPitt]

Average Composite recruiting team ranking:

Paul Chryst - 39.66
Pat Narduzzi - 46.11

Many people seem to think Narduzzi is such a better recruiter because these recruiting sites have now changed their methods to list all the offers they can track down... and Twitter makes that a lot easier to track. Chris Peak himself has said this. So every fan base thinks they're getting more quality players now than before, and it's just not true; you're just seeing more offers being listed.

Narduzzi has certainly lucked out on a few lower-rated guys, but that's not sustainable.

These numbers point to why Pitt will never compete for national prominence. Pitt simply has no natural recruiting base Ike many top schools. It also lacks the NIL funding of other schools. One reason for both is a ridiculous fan base that refuses to pony up the money while hypocritically booing players due to unreasonable expectations.

Anomalies like 2021 the exception to the rule. Get used to it.

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

These numbers point to why Pitt will never compete for national prominence. Pitt simply has no natural recruiting base Ike many top schools. It also lacks the NIL funding of other schools. One reason for both is a ridiculous fan base that refuses to pony up the money while hypocritically booing players due to unreasonable expectations.

Anomalies like 2021 the exception to the rule. Get used to it.

Yeah. I have been wanting to point to the Pitt football program budget and ask if there is any real meat to it.

Besides NIL isssues you mentioned. What about the budget for assistants and analysts....you get what you pay for. Recruiting is a high ticket expense if done nationally. Is there enought meat in there for the coaching staff to make any real progress?

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

These numbers point to why Pitt will never compete for national prominence. Pitt simply has no natural recruiting base Ike many top schools. It also lacks the NIL funding of other schools. One reason for both is a ridiculous fan base that refuses to pony up the money while hypocritically booing players due to unreasonable expectations.

Anomalies like 2021 the exception to the rule. Get used to it.

Eh, this is just you misdirecting your anger toward the fans - as usual.

Maybe, just maybe, the team that missed 26 tackles last night and the smug jackass who brought in a journeyman bum to coordinate this offense ought to be a little at fault.

But I get it - that wouldn't provide the instant gratification you crave by picking fights with fans who had nothing to do with last night's game.

Btw... we're top five spending in the ACC, have a solid NIL program in place, have one of the best student sections in the conference, and have generally improved the atmosphere the past few years.

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

Btw... we're top five spending in the ACC, have a solid NIL program in place, have one of the best student sections in the conference, and have generally improved the atmosphere the past few years.

I will let yinz discuss amongst yinzelves. But, this para may not be the powerful statement that you think it is.

May require some adjustment in thinking/perception is what i am saying.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I will let yinz discuss amongst yinzelves. But, this para may not be the powerful statement that you think it is.

May require some adjustment in thinking/perception is what i am saying.

We've been a 7-5 program for the last 25 years with the same complaints about fans and their support. It hasn't gotten worse, relatively speaking. So there's no reason to be 0-4 against the FBS all of a sudden. Duke had ND all but put away last night and should be in the top ten tight now; what's their fan support like? Wake Forest has had more success than Florida State the last seven years. It's almost like fan support is good to have but not the end all be all and the fans shouldn't be blamed for this start. Imagine that.

 

[cashisking884]

People love that June wave recruiting.

But it reminds me a lot of what you hear about Mack Brown when he was at Texas. Texas would have their class completely filled by the summer, and a lot of it would be guys that already maxed out and they would miss out on late bloomers and a few elite prospects that require a fall dogfight to land. It was just lazy refuting.

Bringing in a bunch of mid to low 3* guys that you lock up really right as the recruiting season begins, and then you’re mostly done for the year outside of a few guys to fill out the positions you didn’t get in June, just seems lazy.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

People love that June wave recruiting.

But it reminds me a lot of what you hear about Mack Brown when he was at Texas. Texas would have their class completely filled by the summer, and a lot of it would be guys that already maxed out and they would miss out on late bloomers and a few elite prospects that require a fall dogfight to land. It was just lazy refuting.

Bringing in a bunch of mid to low 3* guys that you lock up really right as the recruiting season begins, and then you’re mostly done for the year outside of a few guys to fill out the positions you didn’t get in June, just seems lazy.

Plus it only gets worse from June. We've been having about 5+ decommits each years and then backfilling with G5-level recruits.

Before the early signing period, Narduzzi was landing some of his better recruits in November, December, and January and flipping a few from at least comparable programs. But now we're filling up in June, losing 5-7 of those guys and then extending 11th hour December offers to 2-4 guys who would have otherwise been playing at Florida Atlantic.

 

[NCPitt]

Eh, this is just you misdirecting your anger toward the fans - as usual.

Maybe, just maybe, the team that missed 26 tackles last night and the smug jackass who brought in a journeyman bum to coordinate this offense ought to be a little at fault.

But I get it - that wouldn't provide the instant gratification you crave by picking fights with fans who had nothing to do with last night's game.

Btw... we're top five spending in the ACC, have a solid NIL program in place, have one of the best student sections in the conference, and have generally improved the atmosphere the past few years.

Is missing tackles due to recruiting lower ranked classes? Are you expecting lower ranked classes to tackle as well as higher ranked classes? If, so, then that is on you as a fan.

I never discussed Pitt's spending level. I discussed NIL. The NIL for Pitt recruiting may a "solid NIL program", but it doesn't compare to the programs that draw 4 and 5 star players. That should be inherently obvious.

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

We outperformed our recruiting rankings when we had a 5th year NFL QB and a nationally elite WR together. But overall I am definitely concerned that our offenses other than one season were better with mostly Chryst recruits (and a few key transfers like Peterman) than Narduzzi recruits. We're just seemingly bringing in worse players. The team isn't as hollow as the worst Pitt teams of my lifetime in terms of depth but the lack of play makers is as bad as I've seen here.

The missed tackles are bad but I think the defense can and will improve. I have little hope the offense is going to get any better this year or even next at this point.

 

[sonofabit]

Plus it only gets worse from June. We've been having about 5+ decommits each years and then backfilling with G5-level recruits.

Before the early signing period, Narduzzi was landing some of his better recruits in November, December, and January and flipping a few from at least comparable programs. But now we're filling up in June, losing 5-7 of those guys and then extending 11th hour December offers to 2-4 guys who would have otherwise been playing at Florida Atlantic.

Well he hasn’t exactly had a rousing “Pete” to seal the deal in the late fall and winter…….

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Per Rivals:

2019 (would be 5th year seniors): 49
2020: 44
2021: 21
2022: 68
2023: 52

The 21 and 22 classes doomed us. The 21 class was good on paper. Bartholemew as the 4th lowest rated is the best. Hammond has been good but cant stay on the field. I dont think anyone else plays. Javon McIntyre I guess. Total whiff on some highly rated players. Then the other classes were just bad all the way around. There's only 65 P5 teams and we were ranking in the bottom 3rd.

Class Size:
2019: 19
2020: 18
2021: 23 (2 never made it to fall camp)
2022: 13
2023: 19

You can't have this, especially if you're not recruiting at a high level. His first 3 full classes were:
2016: 24
2017: 24
2018: 20

They need to be in the 20s every year. There's plenty of fat to trim on the roster.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I think certain positions need to be more impactful than others. Obviously you prefer NFL guys at every position, but I think there are some where it's mandatory.

Defense:

LB - You can get away with three guys who know their assignments and can "hold their own." Petrishen, Campbell, Bright, etc.

DL - You have to have some NFL guys who can disrupt the plays in this defense. Guys who can get to the QB.

DB - Again, you have to have NFL guys. Probably a little more important at CB than S, because the mental side of playing safety matters so much in this defense (but I think you probably need to be better than Dennis Briggs, for instance; you have to have closing speed and the ability to shed blocks in the box).

Offense:

It's a little harder to say, because it depends on who the coordinator is at the time... whereas the defensive principles will always apply under Narduzzi. But I think that WR has become one of the most important positions on the field for all teams. The lack of them has doomed (relative to their expectations) teams like Clemson, Alabama, etc., while it's allowed traditionally lesser teams such as Pitt 2021, Washington 2023, TCU 2022, etc. to thrive. Look at Pickett with and without Addison. Or Slovis with and without those NFL guys. Or a healthy Jurkovec with Flowers vs a healthy Jurkovec now.

 

[thebadby2]

People love that June wave recruiting.

But it reminds me a lot of what you hear about Mack Brown when he was at Texas. Texas would have their class completely filled by the summer, and a lot of it would be guys that already maxed out and they would miss out on late bloomers and a few elite prospects that require a fall dogfight to land. It was just lazy refuting.

Bringing in a bunch of mid to low 3* guys that you lock up really right as the recruiting season begins, and then you’re mostly done for the year outside of a few guys to fill out the positions you didn’t get in June, just seems lazy.

More desperate than lazy I think.

 

[Islanderpanther]

These numbers point to why Pitt will never compete for national prominence. Pitt simply has no natural recruiting base Ike many top schools. It also lacks the NIL funding of other schools. One reason for both is a ridiculous fan base that refuses to pony up the money while hypocritically booing players due to unreasonable expectations.

Anomalies like 2021 the exception to the rule. Get used to it.

Hang dog…..tiresome. Nothing a good HC can’t turn around.

 

[GregInPitt]

Class Size:
2019: 19
2020: 18
2021: 23 (2 never made it to fall camp)
2022: 13
2023: 19

You can't have this, especially if you're not recruiting at a high level. His first 3 full classes were:
2016: 24
2017: 24
2018: 20

They need to be in the 20s every year. There's plenty of fat to trim on the roster.

Doesn't it seem that they are under recruiting the numbers in the recruiting class in order to have some scholarships for incoming transfers? But some of the top 20 programs are still taking 22-28 high school players and then getting a few scholarships opend up for incoming transfers after the post season talks to players that haven't and aren't predicted to contribute are told so and then exit to lesser programs where they can get on the field.

I'm sayig I agree with you.

 

[Hardslider21]

Hang dog…..tiresome. Nothing a good HC can’t turn around.

Top flight coaches run around $8M -$10M a year, and another $6M - $8M for the staff. We know Pitt isn’t going anywhere close to those numbers.

 

[Islanderpanther]

Top flight coaches run around $8M -$10M a year, and another $6M - $8M for the staff. We no Pitt isn’t going anywhere close to those numbers.

Pitt can afford that…whether they are willing to make that commitment is a different issue.

 

[NCPitt]

Hang dog…..tiresome. Nothing a good HC can’t turn around.

Who was the last HC who regularly recruited top 30 classes (not including those classes inflated by Lichtenfels)?

Pitt has no natural recruiting base and insufficient NIL money to do better regardless of the coach.

 

[Islanderpanther]

Who was the last HC who regularly recruited top 30 classes (not including those classes inflated by Lichtenfels)?

Pitt has no natural recruiting base and insufficient NIL money to do better regardless of the coach.

Honestly, in today’s world I don’t think it makes a lick of difference whether you have a local recruiting base. Social media has essentially had the effect of allowing players to closely follow teams across the country. A program’s success impacts the school a kid selects much more than proximity, although I acknowledg there are a few kids who prefer to stay close to home but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

NIL is just getting rolling and I’m not throwing in the towel that Pitt won’t be competitive in this new arena. NiL doesn’t explain or justify Narduzzi’s weak recruiting which has been an ongoing problem, particularly at offensive skill positions. You want a reason for Pitt’s weak offensive recruiting…. his lousy staff and his own lack of knowledge of offensive FB.

Who was the last Pitt HC to recruit top 30 classes Mike Gottfried… after Pitt pushed him out Pitt gave up big time FB for 40 years.. The AcC money has changed things significantly so I’m not buying this line of argument thatPitt’s status in FB is unalterable because they were lousy when they didn’t give a damn.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Honestly, in today’s world I don’t think it makes a lick of difference whether you have a local recruiting base. Social media has essentially had the effect of allowing players to closely follow teams across the country. A program’s success impacts the school a kid selects much more than proximity, although I acknowledg there are a few kids who prefer to stay close to home but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

NIL is just getting rolling and I’m not throwing in the towel that Pitt won’t be competitive in this new arena. NiL doesn’t explain or justify Narduzzi’s weak recruiting which has been an ongoing problem, particularly at offensive skill positions. You want a reason for Pitt’s weak offensive recruiting…. his lousy staff and his own lack of knowledge of offensive FB.

Who was the last Pitt HC to recruit top 30 classes Mike Gottfried… after Pitt pushed him out Pitt gave up big time FB for 40 years.. The AcC money has changed things significantly so I’m not buying this line of argument thatPitt’s status in FB is unalterable because they were lousy when they didn’t give a damn.

Plus, we have a local recruiting base. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't know what the term means. The WPIAL is a shell of what it once was, but it's not like this is Iowa. Our roster is typically something close to 20% or more WPIAL guys.

 

[PittPoker]

Plus, we have a local recruiting base. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't know what the term means. The WPIAL is a shell of what it once was, but it's not like this is Iowa. Our roster is typically something close to 20% or more WPIAL guys.

Our roster is 90% 3 star blah kids who no top 30 program would want. Let's face facts, Narduzzi is a terrible recruiter.

 

[NCPitt]

Honestly, in today’s world I don’t think it makes a lick of difference whether you have a local recruiting base. Social media has essentially had the effect of allowing players to closely follow teams across the country. A program’s success impacts the school a kid selects much more than proximity, although I acknowledg there are a few kids who prefer to stay close to home but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

NIL is just getting rolling and I’m not throwing in the towel that Pitt won’t be competitive in this new arena. NiL doesn’t explain or justify Narduzzi’s weak recruiting which has been an ongoing problem, particularly at offensive skill positions. You want a reason for Pitt’s weak offensive recruiting…. his lousy staff and his own lack of knowledge of offensive FB.

Who was the last Pitt HC to recruit top 30 classes Mike Gottfried… after Pitt pushed him out Pitt gave up big time FB for 40 years.. The AcC money has changed things significantly so I’m not buying this line of argument thatPitt’s status in FB is unalterable because they were lousy when they didn’t give a damn.

I didn't say local. I said natural. There is a difference.

Pitt will never have the NIL of the schools who get 4 and 5 star players. You're delusional to think that will change.

What were Gottfried's recruiting class rankings?

 

[NCPitt]

Plus, we have a local recruiting base. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't know what the term means. The WPIAL is a shell of what it once was, but it's not like this is Iowa. Our roster is typically something close to 20% or more WPIAL guys.

How many are 4 and 5 star players?

 

[Islanderpanther]

I didn't say local. I said natural. There is a difference.

Pitt will never have the NIL of the schools who get 4 and 5 star players. You're delusional to think that will change.

What were Gottfried's recruiting class rankings?

I would say anywhere from top 25-35. He was an excellent recruiter with a very good staff. But his predecessors were even better. Money talks….I’m not delusional at all. This nil consortium at Pitt is just getting started.

 

[cashisking884]

Honestly, in today’s world I don’t think it makes a lick of difference whether you have a local recruiting base. Social media has essentially had the effect of allowing players to closely follow teams across the country. A program’s success impacts the school a kid selects much more than proximity, although I acknowledg there are a few kids who prefer to stay close to home but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

NIL is just getting rolling and I’m not throwing in the towel that Pitt won’t be competitive in this new arena. NiL doesn’t explain or justify Narduzzi’s weak recruiting which has been an ongoing problem, particularly at offensive skill positions. You want a reason for Pitt’s weak offensive recruiting…. his lousy staff and his own lack of knowledge of offensive FB.

Who was the last Pitt HC to recruit top 30 classes Mike Gottfried… after Pitt pushed him out Pitt gave up big time FB for 40 years.. The AcC money has changed things significantly so I’m not buying this line of argument thatPitt’s status in FB is unalterable because they were lousy when they didn’t give a damn.

Geographic proximity to talent is about the biggest requirement to being elite.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

I didn't say local. I said natural. There is a difference.

Pitt will never have the NIL of the schools who get 4 and 5 star players. You're delusional to think that will change.

What were Gottfried's recruiting class rankings?

How do you think Gottfried was able to recruit? The answer is easy.... $$$

 

[TD_6082]

Honestly, in today’s world I don’t think it makes a lick of difference whether you have a local recruiting base. Social media has essentially had the effect of allowing players to closely follow teams across the country. A program’s success impacts the school a kid selects much more than proximity, although I acknowledg there are a few kids who prefer to stay close to home but they seem to be the exception rather than the rule.

NIL is just getting rolling and I’m not throwing in the towel that Pitt won’t be competitive in this new arena. NiL doesn’t explain or justify Narduzzi’s weak recruiting which has been an ongoing problem, particularly at offensive skill positions. You want a reason for Pitt’s weak offensive recruiting…. his lousy staff and his own lack of knowledge of offensive FB.

Who was the last Pitt HC to recruit top 30 classes Mike Gottfried… after Pitt pushed him out Pitt gave up big time FB for 40 years.. The AcC money has changed things significantly so I’m not buying this line of argument thatPitt’s status in FB is unalterable because they were lousy when they didn’t give a damn.

Only their isn't a single school that really cares about their football program that wants to remain in the ACC.

The money divide is going to get much worse.

 

[Islanderpanther]

Geographic proximity to talent is about the biggest requirement to being elite.

I don’t know how you define “geographic proximity” because every blue blood and the better teams recruit nationally or at a minimum in the footprint of their conference. The days of geographic boundaries limiting recruiting are long gone.

 

[thebadby2]

Pitt can afford that…whether they are willing to make that commitment is a different issue.

I don't think anyone's talking about trying to hire some established P5 head coach away from a major program, that's a pipe dream. It wouldn't cost Pitt anywhere near that much to find an emerging coaching star from the lower ranks. it would cost them that much to keep him if he is successful. In other words having to pay the guy a lot of money to keep him would be a good problem to have.

 

[NCPitt]

I would say anywhere from top 25-35. He was an excellent recruiter with a very good staff. But his predecessors were even better. Money talks….I’m not delusional at all. This nil consortium at Pitt is just getting started.

Lol. “I would say” means it’s an opinion.

 

[Hardslider21]

I don’t know how you define “geographic proximity” because every blue blood and the better teams recruit nationally or at a minimum in the footprint of their conference. The days of geographic boundaries limiting recruiting are long gone.

Just about every big time program recruits the 5 key states.
Texas, California, Florida, Georgia & Alabama. It’s the success in the other states that makes you national

 

[pittdan77]

Nothing wrong about saying elite recruiting yields elite results but this season still boils down to whiffing on the QB position. It's the most important position on the field and that's most of the problem right now. Look at the trouble Bama has had. They have the luxury of having enough talent to get by against most everyone else but they have struggled to score against teams with a pulse because they just don't have a good QB situation right now. This is a 3-star kind of team but if you're getting low 2-star play from the QB, the whole thing blows up in your face.