Think it is time that Coach Manalac gets his just due. Second straight year that he has crushed it in recruiting for his position group. Back to back great classes. We certainly weren’t getting these type of classes with Harley.
Props to Coach Manalac
- Thread starter rayrayH2P
- Start date
I’d say the entire staff. After a dismal season they did pretty darn good keeping most of the talent they had in staff and adding to it
I believe CP or JH reported Manalac played a big role in holding on the Brewu.
I thought that I read that the one DE that is transfering in was coming to Pitt because they didn't run the 3-4, didn't fit him. Maybe I read it wrong
I'm pretty sure he's viewed very highly by Narduzzi as a coach and recruiter. It wouldn't surprise me if he's in line for the DC job when Bates retires.
That could happen, but I think people view Sanders as next in line if Bates retires.
Sure would like to see the recruiting pick up on the other side of the ball. Defense is nice but we're not gonna get anywhere without a QB and some playmakers and linemen on O. Dooz's classes have almost universally been unbalanced favoring the D. this class is solid for OLs but honestly horrible for the rest of the offense. 1 WR? 1 RB? 1 huge reach at QB? No H.S. TE? I mean, come on.
Just a Steel Town coach on a Saturday night….looking for the LB of his life…He’s a Manalac, Maaaaanalac on the floor….and he’s recruiting like he never has before……
The Offensive Line is the key to having a better running game and giving the QB more time. How many OL guys do we send to the pros? Steelers are in the same boat and need to upgrade their OL.
Just a Steel Town coach on a Saturday night….looking for the LB of his life…He’s a Manalac, Maaaaanalac on the floor….and he’s recruiting like he never has before……
Ouch
Couldn’t help it. I’m a child of the 80s, and every time I hear this guy’s name….
His recruiting has picked up….the play of the LBs, under him however, has just been so so. Simons, Kamara, and George were highly erratic this year and didn’t tackle well. Pitt was especially vulnerable to flat passes and wide runs because the olbs did a poor job.
If he can bring a lb in thru the portal he will elevate his value to be a dc or hc down the road imo
Haven't seen it…LB play this season was a real problem.
I’d rather have George than not but under Narduzzi LBing play hasn’t been a strength. Been especially difficult at MLB.
Gold Jerry! Gold!Just a Steel Town coach on a Saturday night….looking for the LB of his life…He’s a Manalac, Maaaaanalac on the floor….and he’s recruiting like he never has before……
Really?
They were nothing short of bad this year, and that’s with a lot of very experienced guys.
Coach Manalac, we see you brought in a transfer LB from the portal at Pitt in 2024. It was between you and a couple of other guys but that transfer put you over the top. We’d like to offer you the defensive coordinator position. Congratulations!
Actually for this D to work the D line has to be disruptive.
True. Having said that, my personal opinion is that the play of Narduzzi’s LBs throughout his tenure has been spotty. I’m not a fan of his defensive Scheme which I view as inflexible, susceptible to giving up big plays and erratic on third down efficiency. I know there is this thought that in the Acc you need smallish, quicker LBs but I find that a significant number of his LBs are guys who have transitioned to LB from other positions and , as a result, their learning curve is steep…..and many never successfully make the transition. I’d prefer a scheme which relies more heavily on traditional LB types. I think Narduzzi’s scheme has also hindered LB recruiting.
what is "inflexible" in his defense?
LBs in all conferences are smaller then they were 20 years ago.
why?
how so? How does a 4-3 quarters scheme hinder recruiting?
First, he plays press coverage regardless of down and distance resulting in an inordinate number of PI penalties and successful third down conversions in which a simple zone designed to keep the play in front of the sticks would be less risky and the smarter play. I’ve seen him play press coverage when he’s had then opponents backed up to their own goal,line on third and 15…just not a smart percentage play. Second, he prefers LBs who are more safeties than LBs which means most of Pitt’s LBs under him have been converted from other positions….too often they aren’t great tacklers, play angles poorly and often don’t have the instincts of players who were outstanding LBs in HS. They also typically take an inordinate amount of time to learn the scheme. Third, I believe LB recruits recognize that Narduzzi plays a style of D more suited to LBs who are more safeties than LBs and as a result traditional HS LBs have not been attracted to play in Narduzzi’s scheme…in particular MLBs. How many traditional MLBs has Narduzzi recruited and how many have been successful?
Narduzzi likes to press on every play. He has his reasons.
"Top 10 Reasons for "Press" Coverage
• Attack philosophy
• Forces bubbled releases by wide receivers
• Gives away route tendency by release
• Forces routes to take more time
• Forces routes to finish inconsistently
• Keeps the wide receivers off the safeties
• Forces throws to secondary receivers
• Get into the receiver's mind
• It is easier to coach than off-man technique
• Players love it"
"Against a soft corner, the receiver has all the patterns in the passing tree available to him. He can run a hitch, slant, out, post, flag, or any number of comeback patterns. Against the press corner with inside leverage, the receiver must take an outside release. He can run a fade or a fade comeback. The receiver can run two routes. If the press corner takes an outside leverage position. the receiver has an inside release and can run a slant. curl, dig. or post."
Cover 4 Techniques
4-3 Defense with Pat Narduzzi
He doesn't necessarily like LBS who are more like safeties. He likes the fastest players on the field. Early on, he inherited players that had to be shifted to gain speed at every defensive position. He has more recently recruited true linebackers with the requisite speed.
"At the University of Pittsburgh next year there will be a "4-3" defensive evolution, (Diagram #1). In our recruiting class we recruited nine speed backs. We are going to get them on the field. The corners from last year will become safeties, the safeties are moving up to outside linebackers. We are going to get them bigger so they can play in that position. We have two big outside linebackers, they are going to the Mike position.
We have to play spread offenses and in most cases, they are no-huddle hurry-up teams. I do not want to change personnel to match up. We do not play any nickel defenses. If the offense plays with "21- personnel" or "10- personnel" we use the same linebackers. The Mike linebackers are going to defensive ends, the defensive ends are going inside at the defensive tackle positions. The big defense tackles are a big question mark. They may end up going to the offensive side of the ball.
The best offensive linemen we had a Michigan State were defensive linemen moved to the offense. If a defensive tackle cannot play on the offensive line, he goes to the bench. Everyone on the defense will play with speed. We must get speed on the field."
He plays a lot of press coverage but if you look at the analytics, he plays a ton of zone - cover 3. Hell - it's the only part of his scheme he doesn't deep dive with outsiders on.
You might have seen it but you don't see it much.
Everyone prefers fast athletic players.
You do realize that virtually everyone in football these days plays with 3 safeties. Pat does too, he just call his field player a LB. But, in any other scheme that is called the nickel back. It's just semantics at this point.
This year they didn't play that well. But, they've typically tackled pretty well under him.
how so? Who can't get on the field? Pat plays a lot of LBs throughout the game.
learning scheme isn't a reason a LB doesn't get on the field for Pat. You know why? It has to be the most simplified scheme a LB can play. If you want to play a bunch of zones and man pressures - you have to learn a lot more and you can exposed much easier.
Pat typically doesn't recruit traditional MLB's. He didn't do it at MSU either. He typically moves OLB's into MLB's. As do most programs that aren't named Alabama. The way we stunt the DL you don't really need a traditional MLB in the this defense and in this day and age at defending 10/11 personnel.
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