Five commits (and counting) from Texas

[HailToPitt725]

I think this deserves its own thread, because we now have as many commits from state of Texas in the class of 2026 than we’ve had in every prior recruiting class combined under Pat Narduzzi (2015-25)… what led to this development?

We have no assistant coaches hailing from any Texas university, and the only assistant with any prior coaching experience in Texas is DL Coach Tim Daoust (Sam Houston State, 2019-20). Has SMU’s presence in the ACC really made a difference, if any? Have we suddenly decided to invest heavily in the Lonestar State seemingly out of nowhere? The only way this would make sense was if we hired Mack Leftwich instead of Kade Bell last year… any ideas?

 

[CrazyPaco]

I don't know what has led to this, but I like it. Texas is like Florida for talent. HS football down there is a whole different level of insanity.

 

[singregardless]

I think this deserves its own thread, because we now have as many commits from state of Texas in the class of 2026 than we’ve had in every prior recruiting class combined under Pat Narduzzi (2015-25)… what led to this development?

We have no assistant coaches hailing from any Texas university, and the only assistant with any prior coaching experience in Texas is DL Coach Tim Daoust (Sam Houston State, 2019-20). Has SMU’s presence in the ACC really made a difference, if any? Have we suddenly decided to invest heavily in the Lonestar State seemingly out of nowhere? The only way this would make sense was if we hired Mack Leftwich instead of Kade Bell last year… any ideas?

Bronowski is from College Station & it's been a noticeable pattern that he's been hitting the high schools in Texas & scouting to an aggressive degree out there.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Bronowski is from College Station & it's been a noticeable pattern that he's been hitting the high schools in Texas & scouting to an aggressive degree out there.

Interesting, that could be it. I saw he went to New Mexico, but I wasn’t aware of where he grew up.

 

[ratking17]

Most know texas is also known as Pitt southwest branch campus

 

[HailToPitt725]

I don't know what has led to this, but I like it. Texas is like Florida for talent. HS football down there is a whole different level of insanity.

No kidding- there’s enough legitimate talent coming out of that state to allow not only all seven of their P4 schools to compete, but also field a few quality G5 programs (e.g., UTSA, Texas State).

 

[Las Panteras]

Theres a ton of schools between Texas and Pittsburgh. The idea that we are taking kids from this area suggests no one closer to home wanted them.

Maybe one kid comes here and contributes. Most will end up at Texas State, which is where they probably should have signed in the first place.

 

[pittmeister]

Theres a ton of schools between Texas and Pittsburgh. The idea that we are taking kids from this area suggests no one closer to home wanted them.

Maybe one kid comes here and contributes. Most will end up at Texas State, which is where they probably should have signed in the first place.

Sigh…. Will they all work out? No…

Will all the 4 star players with big time offers work out? No….

I can tell you this… I have watched Texas high school football for years. The competition, the coaching, the players and the depth of talent are head shoulders above the WPIAL.

The chances of finding an under recruited player in Texas is much greater than anywhere else in the country sans Florida.

 

[Richard A]

I don't know what has led to this, but I like it. Texas is like Florida for talent. HS football down there is a whole different level of insanity.

They have high school stadiums bigger than most D1AA schools

 

[Richard A]

In regards to recruiting according to the P-G Pitt is now ranked 22nd nationally and 6th in the ACC.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

I think this deserves its own thread, because we now have as many commits from state of Texas in the class of 2026 than we’ve had in every prior recruiting class combined under Pat Narduzzi (2015-25)… what led to this development?

We have no assistant coaches hailing from any Texas university, and the only assistant with any prior coaching experience in Texas is DL Coach Tim Daoust (Sam Houston State, 2019-20). Has SMU’s presence in the ACC really made a difference, if any? Have we suddenly decided to invest heavily in the Lonestar State seemingly out of nowhere? The only way this would make sense was if we hired Mack Leftwich instead of Kade Bell last year… any ideas?

It’s the, “SMU to the ACC“ effect. 😉😉😉

 

[pittmeister]

I will give the staff the benefit of the doubt when it comes to under recruited players…

 

[HailToPitt725]

I will give the staff the benefit of the doubt when it comes to under recruited players…

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Agreed 100%.

 

[Burgh15]

I never expected Texas to be a pipeline for Pitt so it'll be interesting to see how it turns out.

 

[CrazyPaco]

They have high school stadiums bigger than most D1AA schools

I've seen...they are crazy nice...saw a high school training and stadium complex in Waco nicer than some FBS schools. It is no joke.

 

[Upg bobcat]

I can tell you this… I have watched Texas high school football for years. The competition, the coaching, the players and the depth of talent are head shoulders above the WPIAL.

The chances of finding an under recruited player in Texas is much greater than anywhere else in the country sans Florida.

I'd think that such a level of resources would make it harder to find under recruited guys, wouldn't it? For example, the better the high school coaches, the better you would think you (as a college coach) could trust them telling you "this kid is capable of playing at the P5 level, even though he was buried on our depth chart as a freshman and sophmore." Whereas a coach from some high school in say Vermont tells you that and you not sure whether you can trust it, leading to the Vermont kid to not get any offers. Similarly, you watch film on some kid in Texas you are interested in, and you see a standout player on the other team. You're more likely to think that kid might be legit. Whereas you see some standout player on film from a school in rural New England and you're not sure whether that kid is really as good as the film suggests.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

I've seen...they are crazy nice...saw a high school training and stadium complex in Waco nicer than some FBS schools. It is no joke.

Pine Richland says hold my beer...

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

I've seen...they are crazy nice...saw a high school training and stadium complex in Waco nicer than some FBS schools. It is no joke.

yeah but those high schools in texas have like 15k kids. the rival neighbor high school is 45 miles away. i get it, high school football in texas is a borderline religion, we know this.

but it's mind boggling the student enrollment of some of these high schools in west texas compared to around here. My house i grew up in in the south hills, i could literally hear the band at both mt. lebanon and USC on a friday night, and i grew up in bethel. I lived closer in proximity to those two high schools. I kid you not, you could hear the band on a friday night at both stadiums from my house..

in texas, it's a 45 minute drive to the next school over..

 

[Islanderpanther]

College Station is the new Clairton…..whoopie.

 

[Cmart2004]

The school where I’m teaching next year in Fort Worth had something like 11 kids get D1 scholarships last year, 6 of them to Power 4 schools. Borderline ridiculous…

 

[CrazyPaco]

yeah but those high schools in texas have like 15k kids. the rival neighbor high school is 45 miles away. i get it, high school football in texas is a borderline religion, we know this.

but it's mind boggling the student enrollment of some of these high schools in west texas compared to around here. My house i grew up in in the south hills, i could literally hear the band at both mt. lebanon and USC on a friday night, and i grew up in bethel. I lived closer in proximity to those two high schools. I kid you not, you could hear the band on a friday night at both stadiums from my house..

in texas, it's a 45 minute drive to the next school over..

Uhh, the high school facility I saw in Waco was Midway, which has an enrollment of 2,729 for grades 9-12, which was smaller than my high school in southcentral Pennsylvania.

Midway High is 5,5 miles from Waco High School, 6 miles from University High School, 10 miles from Premier High School, and 13 miles from La Vega High School.

Here are some images of Midway's facilities (the home of the Panthers, btw):

Here are some others:
LaPorte:

Allen High

Prosper Rock Hill High

Tomball ISD

 

[Richard A]

Uhh, the high school facility I saw in Waco was Midway, which has an enrollment of 2,729 for grades 9-12, which was smaller than my high school in southcentral Pennsylvania.

Midway High is 5,5 miles from Waco High School, 6 miles from University High School, 10 miles from Premier High School, and 13 miles from La Vega High School.

Here are some images of Midway's facilities (the home of the Panthers, btw):

Here are some others:
LaPorte:

Allen High

Prosper Rock Hill High

Tomball ISD

Unbelievable! Definitely nicer than some of D1AA schools.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Uhh, the high school facility I saw in Waco was Midway, which has an enrollment of 2,729 for grades 9-12, which was smaller than my high school in southcentral Pennsylvania.

Midway High is 5,5 miles from Waco High School, 6 miles from University High School, 10 miles from Premier High School, and 13 miles from La Vega High School.

Here are some images of Midway's facilities (the home of the Panthers, btw):

Here are some others:
LaPorte:

Allen High

Prosper Rock Hill High

Tomball ISD

My favorite will always be Allen High School, which seemed to be the first mega stadium that made national news.

 

[Las Panteras]

Sigh…. Will they all work out? No…

Will all the 4 star players with big time offers work out? No….

I can tell you this… I have watched Texas high school football for years. The competition, the coaching, the players and the depth of talent are head shoulders above the WPIAL.

The chances of finding an under recruited player in Texas is much greater than anywhere else in the country sans Florida.

Not to be any more of a smackoff than I already am.....

But i would be curious to see a list of Narduzzi's Texas recruits (high school) and see how much production we actually got.

Sure, Texas football is big. But it would help if the players Pitt is taking were actually good enough to getbon the field.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Not to be any more of a smackoff than I already am.....

But i would be curious to see a list of Narduzzi's Texas recruits (high school) and see how much production we actually got.

Sure, Texas football is big. But it would help if the players Pitt is taking were actually good enough to getbon the field.

Off the top of my head...

Gentry Ivery... I think he was 2015 and thus a Narduzzi recruit... nothing

Nate Yarnell... solid backup, I guess

Che Nwabuko... basically nothing

Erick Hallet... 6th round pick, I believe

Might be missing some guys, especially transfers. But I'm generally not a fan of the notion that guys who are from Texas and Florida are automatically better. It's completely fine to recruit those areas, and obviously they have a lot more talent. But are the percentages much different? I've seen Florida 4-stars be busts and PA walkons make the NFL.

 

[jivecat]

Did we get any linemen from TX?

 

[Islanderpanther]

Did we get any linemen from TX?

Yes…OL…..had some very good offers.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Yes…OL…..had some very good offers.

Perhaps what surprises me the most is that we landed two quarterbacks from Texas. Dailey reminds me a bit of another Texas QB, Nate Yarnell, with his measurements and tape… part of me wonders if Renda will decommit at some point if he lands another P4 offer?

 

[Islanderpanther]

Perhaps what surprises me the most is that we landed two quarterbacks from Texas. Dailey reminds me a bit of another Texas QB, Nate Yarnell, with his measurements and tape… part of me wonders if Renda will decommit at some point if he lands another P4 offer?

The quality of HS play in Texas is high so it’s probably a good place to identify potentially good prospects who aren’t necessarily high on everyone’s radar. Both guys have good stats going into their senior years.

QBs are tricky…we have recruited 2 guys, neither of whom have much in the way of big time offers so that perhaps we get both unless one blows up this fall and attracts a p4 offer closer to home. Yarnell stuck around as long as he did because he really didn’t have much in the way of other opportunities…same with Dieffenbach.

I’d like the QB recruiting to uptick a bit, although at least Bell actually actively recruits QBs, in contrast to his predecessors, and actually gets at least one QB each year. What would be best is to recruit one higher rated and one slightly lower rated prospect every year. This year’s recruits are one smaller stature guy and one tall string bean. Who knows?

 

[HailToPitt725]

The quality of HS play in Texas is high so it’s probably a good place to identify potentially good prospects who aren’t necessarily high on everyone’s radar. Both guys have good stats going into their senior years.

QBs are tricky…we have recruited 2 guys, neither of whom have much in the way of big time offers so that perhaps we get both unless one blows up this fall and attracts a p4 offer closer to home. Yarnell stuck around as long as he did because he really didn’t have much in the way of other opportunities…same with Dieffenbach.

I’d like the QB recruiting to uptick a bit, although at least Bell actually actively recruits QBs, in contrast to his predecessors, and actually gets at least one QB each year. What would be best is to recruit one higher rated and one slightly lower rated prospect every year. This year’s recruits are one smaller stature guy and one tall string bean. Who knows?

When it comes to recruiting under-the-radar prospects before they receive many P4 offers, I think that tends to be a strength for this staff; I think of Davis Beville and Kenny Minchey several years back, who seemed to blow up seemingly right after their commitments.

Also, to your point, I’d have to think that Texas is a great place to scout these types of recruits due to their sheer quantity of FBS/P4 recruits.

 

[Las Panteras]

My favorite will always be Allen High School, which seemed to be the first mega stadium that made national news.

And where a mediocre college coach got his start.....some jabroni named Todd Graham.........

 

[HailToPitt725]

And where a mediocre college coach got his start.....some jabroni named Todd Graham.........

The fact that the Allen H.S. stadium was reportedly built way too fast and haphazardly, which led to structural issues only a few years after opening, makes much more sense now…

 

[Upg bobcat]

Uhh, the high school facility I saw in Waco was Midway, which has an enrollment of 2,729 for grades 9-12, which was smaller than my high school in southcentral Pennsylvania.

Midway High is 5,5 miles from Waco High School, 6 miles from University High School, 10 miles from Premier High School, and 13 miles from La Vega High School.

Here are some images of Midway's facilities (the home of the Panthers, btw):

Here are some others:
LaPorte:

Allen High

Prosper Rock Hill High

Tomball ISD

Would over 2,700 kids make it bigger than any school in the WPIAL? I'm not sure what NA, Seneca Valley, or Butler's enrollments are nowadays.

Those stadiums are beautiful, and that indoor field is pretty amazing.

 

[pittmeister]

The quality of HS play in Texas is high so it’s probably a good place to identify potentially good prospects who aren’t necessarily high on everyone’s radar. Both guys have good stats going into their senior years.

QBs are tricky…we have recruited 2 guys, neither of whom have much in the way of big time offers so that perhaps we get both unless one blows up this fall and attracts a p4 offer closer to home. Yarnell stuck around as long as he did because he really didn’t have much in the way of other opportunities…same with Dieffenbach.

I’d like the QB recruiting to uptick a bit, although at least Bell actually actively recruits QBs, in contrast to his predecessors, and actually gets at least one QB each year. What would be best is to recruit one higher rated and one slightly lower rated prospect every year. This year’s recruits are one smaller stature guy and one tall string bean. Who knows?

Good post…

I always ask myself, why would Pitt over a guy with no P4 offers? Then I do some research and find out why.

Lots of these guys have intangibles that with good coaching could make them a solid player.

A. Some are undersized that are ignored be bigger schools, but could fit Pitt’s scheme (Linebackers).

B. Some are small, but has good athletic ability with blazing speed

C. Some go to camps and perform better than expected. The bigger schools have already offered other players at that position and no scholarships to give at the time.

If you offer 5 WPIAL players with no P4 offers maybe one will be a solid performer.


If you offer 5 Texas or Florida players with no P4 offers, maybe two of them will be solid performers with one of them becoming a star.

Not all of them will succeed. But the chances are better.

 

[Islanderpanther]

When it comes to recruiting under-the-radar prospects before they receive many P4 offers, I think that tends to be a strength for this staff; I think of Davis Beville and Kenny Minchey several years back, who seemed to blow up seemingly right after their commitments.

Also, to your point, I’d have to think that Texas is a great place to scout these types of recruits due to their sheer quantity of FBS/P4 recruits.

Strength? I don’t know…you could say that about 80-90% of every Narduzzi class consists of off the radar guys, which, in my opinion, is how you produce teams that average 5 losses per year. Funny you mention Beville and Minchey because neither guy went on to do anything.

 

[HailToPitt725]

Strength? I don’t know…you could say that about 80-90% of every Narduzzi class consists of off the radar guys, which, in my opinion, is how you produce teams that average 5 losses per year. Funny you mention Beville and Minchey because neither guy went on to do anything.

I’d absolutely call it a strength; not only did The Athletic confirm it in their recent article about programs producing NFL talent, but think about how many times we either lost a recruiting battle or had someone de-commit after their recruitment began blowing up after we were one of, if not their first, P4 offer.

Also, those examples had less to do with their collegiate performances and more to do with how their recruitments unfolded. Thomas MacVittie is another one; his CFB career doesn’t negate the fact that we almost lost him to LSU after initially discovering him out of Cincinnati.