ADVERTISEMENT

Gotta give props to Duzz and company

Colorado had the 21st ranked class
Missouri had the 22nd ranked class
Kentucky had the 25th ranked class
NC State had the 28th ranked class

Louisville was 33
Syracuse was 34
Purdue was 35
UCF was 36

Pitt should be above all 4 of the last teams I mentioned, and should be on par with the teams inside the top 30. There is 0 excuse for them to be 47 and happy about it.
What rankings are you looking at? I thought you said you liked 247 because of the composite rankings?

Several of those schools had larger classes which skews the rankings. Colorado's was mostly transfers.
 
Colorado had the 21st ranked class
Missouri had the 22nd ranked class
Kentucky had the 25th ranked class
NC State had the 28th ranked class

Louisville was 33
Syracuse was 34
Purdue was 35
UCF was 36

Pitt should be above all 4 of the last teams I mentioned, and should be on par with the teams inside the top 30. There is 0 excuse for them to be 47 and happy about it.
. WHY should we be above those schools? Just because you root for Pitt?

Purdue gets a much larger payout as well as having almost double our alumni base.

Pitt was top 25 in 2020 (maybe 21, I'm not looking it up). But you said they should be there consistently - WHY? What does Pitt have to offer that puts them ahead of all the schools you feel we should beat out? It's like you can't see the writing on the wall - Pitt isn't in a favorable position compared to more than 30 teams.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Schaef60
What rankings are you looking at? I thought you said you liked 247 because of the composite rankings?

Several of those schools had larger classes which skews the rankings. Colorado's was mostly transfers.

I’m just looking here. And the class size thing isn’t true. Colorado had 22 commits, Missouri 24 commits, Syracuse 24 commits, UCF 24 commits. Some did have bigger classes.
 
. WHY should we be above those schools? Just because you root for Pitt?

Purdue gets a much larger payout as well as having almost double our alumni base.

Pitt was top 25 in 2020 (maybe 21, I'm not looking it up). But you said they should be there consistently - WHY? What does Pitt have to offer that puts them ahead of all the schools you feel we should beat out? It's like you can't see the writing on the wall - Pitt isn't in a favorable position compared to more than 30 teams.
If Pitt can’t compete financially or in recruiting with those schools, what the hell are any of us doing here? Let Florida State, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina all leave and Pitt sinks into irrelevancy, which may happen in Florida State is able to break the GOR.
 
If Pitt can’t compete financially or in recruiting with those schools, what the hell are any of us doing here? Let Florida State, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina all leave and Pitt sinks into irrelevancy, which may happen in Florida State is able to break the GOR.

Pitt does compete with those schools, beat at least 2 of them last year. But according to you, we should be top 25 consistently. So I'll ask again, why should we CONSISTENTLY beat these schools? We're at a clear disadvantage compared to over 30 schools, so please explain your reasoning.
 

I’m just looking here. And the class size thing isn’t true. Colorado had 22 commits, Missouri 24 commits, Syracuse 24 commits, UCF 24 commits. Some did have bigger classes.
Ok, that includes transfers, which I guess is one new way to look at things. Composite doesn't use transfers.

Which begs the question, why don't they rate losses in the portal then?
 
Pitt does compete with those schools, beat at least 2 of them last year. But according to you, we should be top 25 consistently. So I'll ask again, why should we CONSISTENTLY beat these schools? We're at a clear disadvantage compared to over 30 schools, so please explain your reasoning.
I’m talking strictly in recruiting. And Pitt should beat them for a myriad of reasons, we have a better tradition, a more recent track of success, we’re putting more guys in the NFL than those schools. Take your pick.
 
After what at best can be described as a dismal season it looked like the program was turning into a dumpster fire and heading back to the days of the Hackett era

Most were expecting a mass exodus of what talent was in the roster along with any talented recruits bailing

In less than a month Duzz and company kept almost all of the kids who were thought to be higher level recruits as well as minimized losses to the transfer portal. The only “big” loss appears to be Sam O and Jules to a lesser extent. It appears they replaced Sam O with guys who are at least as talented

Secondly most of use were expecting him to hire another underwhelming retread for OC. Bell may not be as high profile as some would like but he’s the kind of more agressive OC most have been pushing for.

I don’t expect 2024 to be an immediate turnaround but I’m far more optimistic than I was at the end of the season. The team is relatively young now and there will be some growing pains. They also lack talent at the most important position. On the team (qb). I like Nate but he’s not a guy who can carry a team that is young and doesn’t have great talent around him

I do expect them to. Be more competitive in 2024 and have a really good season in 2025
Great post. Duzz has never been about stars, it is about scheme. And he is fixing it with his OC hire and this class. Next year will be interesting but we will be back to contending for the ACC ship for sure in 25
 
Great post. Duzz has never been about stars, it is about scheme. And he is fixing it with his OC hire and this class. Next year will be interesting but we will be back to contending for the ACC ship for sure in 25
Dan….they still don’t have a QB, which is by far the biggest concern at this point. Maybe Yarnell works, but if not, they’re back starting from scratch in 25.
 
Get better recruiters? Because there’s no way UCF, Syracuse, Purdue or Louisville are outspending Pitt in NIL. They simply have better recruiters.

L-vile is spending huge money in NIL.

If anything their recruiting suffered because Brohm isn’t a great recruiter with a staff geared toward grinding on the trail.
 
Colorado had the 21st ranked class
Missouri had the 22nd ranked class
Kentucky had the 25th ranked class
NC State had the 28th ranked class

Removing Colorado,

Missouri and Kentucky are in the SEC so have more money to spend on recruiters.

Missouri the state has a law that encourages players to take the NIL money and play for Missouri.

And Kentucky and NC State are more centrally located in the south near talent hub areas.

If all things are equal, you would expect NC State to have better recruiting for no other reason than you don’t have to go as far to find 4* players.
 
Looks like a pretty solid class that will develop if we can keep them for 4 years.
With the new OC Bell, we need a QB capable of running his system. Since Dugger is enrolling early, I say get him acclimated to the new system asap. We need a duel threat for this system and he gives it the best shot to work out of the gate. Coach him up and let him go. I doubt it could look worse than the offense we had this year.
 
Looks like a pretty solid class that will develop if we can keep them for 4 years.
With the new OC Bell, we need a QB capable of running his system. Since Dugger is enrolling early, I say get him acclimated to the new system asap. We need a duel threat for this system and he gives it the best shot to work out of the gate. Coach him up and let him go. I doubt it could look worse than the offense we had this year.
I'm interested to see what Bell can do with Dugger. He still needs someone to teach him how to throw, and needs a lot of work. But man, if he gets it quickly look out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pittisit4me
After what at best can be described as a dismal season it looked like the program was turning into a dumpster fire and heading back to the days of the Hackett era

Most were expecting a mass exodus of what talent was in the roster along with any talented recruits bailing

In less than a month Duzz and company kept almost all of the kids who were thought to be higher level recruits as well as minimized losses to the transfer portal. The only “big” loss appears to be Sam O and Jules to a lesser extent. It appears they replaced Sam O with guys who are at least as talented

Secondly most of use were expecting him to hire another underwhelming retread for OC. Bell may not be as high profile as some would like but he’s the kind of more agressive OC most have been pushing for.

I don’t expect 2024 to be an immediate turnaround but I’m far more optimistic than I was at the end of the season. The team is relatively young now and there will be some growing pains. They also lack talent at the most important position. On the team (qb). I like Nate but he’s not a guy who can carry a team that is young and doesn’t have great talent around him

I do expect them to. Be more competitive in 2024 and have a really good season in 2025
The key question is whether Narduzzi will be able to use that notebook again next season with the faster play calling by Bell? I mean that notebook helped us so much this past season and I'd hate to not be able to avail ourselves of the wisdom and detail Narduzzi was able to garner from it last season.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: jivecat
I’m just tired of Pitt constantly claiming they’re broke. The truth is, none of us truly know how much Alliance 412 brings in, or how much the Athletic Dept has….because they’re never transparent about it. But the narrative that Pitt is poor is tired and old.
"Broke" is a subjective term.

PITT has always struggled to finance football at the level the big boys do. Do you remember the 90's when Buddy Morris had former players finance the weight room?
 
Great post. Duzz has never been about stars, it is about scheme. And he is fixing it with his OC hire and this class. Next year will be interesting but we will be back to contending for the ACC ship for sure in 25
Listen - I like Duzz but let's be honest. It's never about scheme with 90% of coaches. Duzz like everyone else wants the most talented guys he can possibly get. Most of those guys are 4 and 5 star types. The thing is he knows he's not going to win many toe to toe battles with PSU, OSU, ND, etc. So - he like many other coaches will spin it that he looks at the player and not the star. While that might true in a sense. He did look at and did want the 4/5 star kids he just didn't land them. It's just coachspeak.

That's not to say they have a kid or 2 that they have higher on their board then what the national opinion makers have.
 
The Golden Panthers weren't throwing around the kind of money that is being thrown around today, Burt Grossman's remark notwithstanding.
Yup. It took a lot less money back in the day. A car or setting a kid up in a nice appt was all it took
 
After what at best can be described as a dismal season it looked like the program was turning into a dumpster fire and heading back to the days of the Hackett era

Most were expecting a mass exodus of what talent was in the roster along with any talented recruits bailing

In less than a month Duzz and company kept almost all of the kids who were thought to be higher level recruits as well as minimized losses to the transfer portal. The only “big” loss appears to be Sam O and Jules to a lesser extent. It appears they replaced Sam O with guys who are at least as talented

Secondly most of use were expecting him to hire another underwhelming retread for OC. Bell may not be as high profile as some would like but he’s the kind of more agressive OC most have been pushing for.

I don’t expect 2024 to be an immediate turnaround but I’m far more optimistic than I was at the end of the season. The team is relatively young now and there will be some growing pains. They also lack talent at the most important position. On the team (qb). I like Nate but he’s not a guy who can carry a team that is young and doesn’t have great talent around him

I do expect them to. Be more competitive in 2024 and have a really good season in 2025
I feel better after seeing him hire Bell and the players we have brought in so far. I hope he makes a few more coaching changes and brings in some more transfers that can help.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pittbb80
Yet look at how many players Narduzzi developed that got drafted into the NFL

No--look at wins and losses.

And why even mention 3 of the lowest programs in P5 in this conversation? Is that how you're measuring Pitt?

Read the post again.

I included Penn State which has great recruiting classes according to Rivals (PSU with many Rival 5/4-star players), yet in the end did not produce NFL talent significantly better than PITT.

Do you understand, Pitt can compete with the BEST.

Prior to this year, Pitt had 2 (10 win seasons).

HAIL TO PITT!!!!
 
I included Penn State which has great recruiting classes according to Rivals (PSU with many Rival 5/4-star players), yet in the end did not produce NFL talent significantly better than PITT.
Actually, the count is in their favor 45-27, right now, which is to be expected, since stars are supposedly based on eventual NFL likelihood. Stars, and recruiting, matter.
 
Great post. Duzz has never been about stars, it is about scheme. And he is fixing it with his OC hire and this class. Next year will be interesting but we will be back to contending for the ACC ship for sure in 25
He sure hasn’t been.
 
29 wins in the last 5 years for FSU.... They make the most money of any team in the ACC and they can only win 29 games?

I guess they're right..... They're gonna need a WHOLE LOT MORE to compete in the Big Ten or SEC....

Ya know what? They still won't be able to compete....What dumbasses...
well they do have 2 nattys in the last 20 years.
 
well they do have 2 nattys in the last 20 years.
Yes, and which conference were they in when they won those national championships?

That’s right! The ACC! It’s easier to win a championship in the ACC. But they’re too stupid to put one and one together.

They make the most money of any ACC member yet they can only win 29 games? They don’t blame their incompetence! Oh no. They blame a lack of money and being a member of the ACC!

Such brilliance coming from the well educated numbskulls running the institution!
 
If he wanted to recruit to stars he would. He doesn’t and he doesn’t. Nor should he. He isn’t obsessed with star ranking like fans are.
Maybe he should start caring about bringing in better quality players.

Fans care about winning. Duzzi gets paid millions to deliver wins to the fans. You need good players and good coaches to win. Dooz has one double digit win season out of 9 and is coming off a disastrous, embarrassing mess of a year.

he’s not recruiting well enough, or he’s not coaching well enough, or most likely, both.
 
If he wanted to recruit to stars he would. He doesn’t and he doesn’t. Nor should he. He isn’t obsessed with star ranking like fans are.


You don't think he wouldn't love to get a couple of five stars every year?

He doesn't and he doesn't because he can't, not because he doesn't want to.

The good news is that for the most part he recognizes that he can't, and so he doesn't spend any time trying.
 
Maybe he should start caring about bringing in better quality players.

Fans care about winning. Duzzi gets paid millions to deliver wins to the fans. You need good players and good coaches to win. Dooz has one double digit win season out of 9 and is coming off a disastrous, embarrassing mess of a year.

he’s not recruiting well enough, or he’s not coaching well enough, or most likely, both.
Maybe he is. That has nothing to do with stars which all for fans. Some here are obsessed. They would rather have a 4* from Pittsburgh than a 3* from Florida because it helps their recruiting rankings. Unlike you, Narduzzi doesn’t conflate stars with talent.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pittguy93 and 4upmc
You don't think he wouldn't love to get a couple of five stars every year?

He doesn't and he doesn't because he can't, not because he doesn't want to.

The good news is that for the most part he recognizes that he can't, and so he doesn't spend any time trying.
2 things. He would love to get 5* talent but couldn’t care less if they have a 5* rating. Your last sentence is accurate. Pitt isn’t in play for players with 5*.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4upmc
2 things. He would love to get 5* talent but couldn’t care less if they have a 5* rating. Your last sentence is accurate. Pitt isn’t in play for players with 5*.


Yeah, that's a good way to put it. He doesn't care about the label, but he does care about the talent level.
 
Maybe he is. That has nothing to do with stars which all for fans. Some here are obsessed. They would rather have a 4* from Pittsburgh than a 3* from Florida because it helps their recruiting rankings. Unlike you, Narduzzi doesn’t conflate stars with talent.
neither do I. I conflate talent with talent, and it’s a fact that with the exception of 2021, we haven’t had enough overall team talent to rise above mediocrity. Even with a fairly talented team we lost to a bottom tier MAC team that year, but of course that was much more a function of defensive coaching ineptitude.
 
neither do I. I conflate talent with talent, and it’s a fact that with the exception of 2021, we haven’t had enough overall team talent to rise above mediocrity. Even with a fairly talented team we lost to a bottom tier MAC team that year, but of course that was much more a function of defensive coaching ineptitude.
Yet you think that Pitt is entitled to something beyond what you call "mediocre" talent for some reason.
 
Yet you think that Pitt is entitled to something beyond what you call "mediocre" talent for some reason.
I think Narduzzi’s job, for which he is paid about 6 mill a year, is to put a consistent top 25 football team on the field, and over 9 years he hasn’t done that. People like you blame assistant coaches and the players for that, as though he is not responsible for them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Islanderpanther
I think Narduzzi’s job, for which he is paid about 6 mill a year, is to put a consistent top 25 football team on the field, and over 9 years he hasn’t done that. People like you blame assistant coaches and the players for that, as though he is not responsible for them.
When have I ever placed blame like that?

You have an entitlement problem.
 
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT