PhPanther1, post: 1456112, member: 37896"]In all seriousness, when you're a school at Pitt's level, you should always be concerned about recruiting. Everybody wants to recruit like OSU, LSU, Bama etc but realisticly, we never will.
One need not get to the Top 10 because many Programs can become Top 15 to Top 25 Teams Winning with Top 30-50 Recruiting so long as Coaching is great, consistent and stays at Pitt to build stability. In time Higher Winning brings better Recruiting but always hard work by the Staff & AD Support Department. You are correct for now and up to Pitt's Pat Narduzzi & University Support to get it done for the future.
I also agree that I would like to see more stars on offense, but for the 2nd year in a row, its not going to happen. Right now the stars on defense continue to show interesr in Pitt/Narduzzi and he is appropriately trying his best to get them. Think about Pitt's OC position, we're on our 3rd guy in 3 years and the current guy has been at 5 different schools in 6 years. If your game best fit a certain style of offense, would you be all over going to Pitt if we've had that much change??
A Smart Coach once told me CFB Games are decided by 4 to 6 Plays by 2 to 3 Players. TCU built their Program on Great Coaching much like MSU, NW, UCLA, and Stanford.
Other do it with Top Program Resources that include everything Coaching, Staffing, Roster Sizes, Summer Camps, Coaching Clinics, Boosters, and Big Winning in the Top 10-25.
Some Programs use those Recruiting Program Resources in outright cheating or cover ups until caught by NCAA or Media, then fade or drop back until they can comeback? Some Powerful Programs can survive in Winning with sanctions like USC and PSU and others have shown over the years. The Top Programs making the most income can always afford better Coaches & Salaries to turn it around far easier.
Yet, others can always maintain and edge due to superb Coaching & AD Support and it is a battle every year to stay in the Top 10-25. Some Programs have 30 Staffers just on Recruiting. Pitt's AD Barnes just talked about filing vacancies just a few months ago, so little done and so much to do. Bigger Top 10-25 Programs also require Top Coaching to maintain Top Recruiting and will replace coaches that win 10 games every year if they can't win 11 to 12 more often on that level.
Pitt has to rebuild its Program in all areas above and won't cut corners on Compliance so Pitt has to do it the TCU, MSU, NW, and Stanford way along with being a Urban University that competes and share with Pro-Sports support dollars, Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins attendance events, and is not a large State School that has many Alumni in numbers to maintain support. Pitt is dependent on Great Coaching and keeping that Coaching that it has has found hard to do since 1939? Yet, TCU, NW, and GT has been able to do it, Pitt should be able to get to the next step too?
QB - we need McVittie to be a star. If he's not, we're in trouble. The UCF kid is a backup, same as DiNucci. Lost out on Jurk, which sucks. I like Doyle, but we have a need next year.
I don't this area, but I know Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State Summer Camp Recruits are invited from 8th to 12th Grades to develop Pipelines for knowing who will be a Top QBs in the future. recruiting often starts at that time and on that level. By the time 11th Grade rolls around they are already known and sought after but Great Coaching can develop Gems as well. I leave that to Posters that are Experts on such Recruits, Pitt may pursue or know what Coaches want to pursue.
RB - no concern. Ollison doesn't get the credit he deserves. Hall has a ton of talent but was coming off a knee injury last year and imo should RS this year, but won't. Sibley is a 4* back that was good enough last year for OSU to accept him as their 1st verbal. Ibrahim and Moss for depth.
Pitt always finds and develops Great Running Backs as seen under many coaches since 1972? I am always amazed by it, and Pitt Fans are proud of it too. Thanks for the input because I have no clue who is out there?
TE - Clark then....major concern here. They need to go back to selling out for Reeves. They can't lose him to Syracuse.
Ditto, I have no clue! I love Orndoff ability to run after the catch, block, and was a QB in High School with a great throwing Arm, hope OC Canada uses that Arm, Legs, and Catching to run, but Pitt needs TE Back-Ups!
OL - so tough to ever evaluate these guys. They are getting some stars, but you never know till these fat guys get on the field and prove it.
So true, and depends on great OLC developing them with the Conditioning Coach and then blending them into a Unit and requires much experience as they learn together. Once in a while a freshmen arrives that is instantly great but that happen rarely and usually at Top 15 Recruiting Programs.
WR - Major concern. Pitt needs starters here and only seem to bring in depth type players. Flowers IMO is the next great one, but you can't have 1 and then a bunch of situational players. They need 2 Reuben Flowers a year if they want consistant ACC championships.
Pitt always finds one but always needs more like you point out. Had foster joined Boyd at Pitt, one only wonders what could have happen? Yet, Fitzgerald, Bryant, and Boyd types need to commit to Pitt more often than every 5-10 years?
Looks like the trick for now is to stack the D, and win, which will cause the offensive talent to want to be a part of a winning team in the future. I'm all for an '85 bears strategy of dominating D, super star rb, average qb, average wr's and a pounding OL.
Well, Narduzzi watched and learned under Tressel's OSU's once DC Dantonio do it at UCincy and MSU and is ready to do it at Pitt too. I like he has been able to put together a group of Coaches at Pitt, that can develop Players. but only the second year with a far tougher schedule this year.
The game against Penn State this year and next 3 has big implications on Pennsylvania Recruiting for immediate years to come.
The game against OKSU Away wills how how far Pitt Pat & Staff has come to compare with a Team and Coach with many Players back, and early test of all Pitt Players?
The games against Miami and UNC will decide the ACC Coastal Champs as well all in them.
The game against Clemson will show how far Pitt has to go to play with Elites!
It is still mostly Chryst's Recruits and Pitt still has so much to do to Win and build a Program.
Injuries can play a huge role until Pitt's Pat & Staff develop their own Recruiting and Developing Player's Program this year. Pitt has the 2 to 3 Players to make 4 to 6 Players to win critical games with great Game Plans, Half-Time Adjustments and Execution, but the Pipelines of finding recruits are just being built and so little done and so much to do, ND, UM, MSU, OSU, PSU, and all of the ACC are doing the same thing and now up to Pitt to make Pitt Is It Again in the Top 25 and beyond.
I do not care to make excuses for Pitt but I do feel Pitt has the Chancellor's Vision and Coach to rebuild Pitt into a Top 25 Program. The Athletic Director that supports them in doing it too, unlike the other one whose ego was always putting himself before the Universities, Programs and Coaching at Pitt and Nebraska. Pederson failed at both places to develop a Top 25 Program at Pitt, and could not maintain a Top 25 Program at Nebraska and left both with challenges to overcome Pederson's Poison that only put Nebraska's & Pitt's Buyouts in his own pockets?
Again, Pitt can only rebuild Pitt's Football Program!