RECRUTING

[Jeffburgh]

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How do you know what has been won and lost? I'm not saying you are wrong or you are right. Unless, you are on the staff...you have no idea how much they value each target. Just because there is an offer made...doesn't mean they are spending a ton of time on them. I've heard they are being very specific with who they are pursuing since it is a small class.

Its an internet message board, the 2015 equivilent of the local barber shop, its ALL speculation ... Aint no one here who is on staff, if that was the bar to post something the place wouldnt exist.

I have posted half a dozen times in this thread I REALLY like nards, I dont get how people need to create some kind of good vs bad epic saga out of this stuff.

 

[Pitt is #1]

You state your opinions as if they are facts. I'm just pointing that out.

 

[Dan from Howell]

At MSU, Dantonio/Narduzzi was "out-recruited" bigtime every year by Michigan and OSU. The narrative was that MSU did more with "lesser talent," but that wasn't true. 1st round picks aren't lesser talent. They develop talent. Now during all of the Tressel era, OSU was much better than MSU, and Urban Meyer is 2-1 against us. UM on the other hand hasn't been good for the most part under Rich Rod or Hoke (one 10 win season, and MSU won the division).

The question for Pitt is how well Narduzzi and his staff evaluates talent. I'm biased, but I'm not going to bet against him especially if there's a good corps of seniors. The defense at MSU under JLS was MAC level at best. It took some time to build that up, but there was enough there to max out to 9 wins in season 2 with a senior laden squad. The first season was tough, but an improvement of 7-6. Third season was a relapse and 6-7. Season 4 shared the Big 10 title, and the team started to really take off outside of that bad 2012 season (QB woes).

 

[Jeffburgh]

You state your opinions as if they are facts. I'm just pointing that out.

Which is what pretty much everyone else does.

The "you aren't on staff, so you really dont know" is weak sauce people throw out when they want to try to censor what people post.

Just pointing that out.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Why are you so hung up on Hudson? Pitt hasn't landed a McKeesport kid, in what 20 years? Longer? He aint gonna be the first. Its McKeesport, nothing more than that.

Believe me, I'd love to be wrong on this as he'd be a good get but I would be shocked, stunned, baffled, amazed, whatever you want to say if Narduzzi comes in here and lands a McKeesport kid a few months later. NOBODY has been able to do that.

Ditto!

 

[geeman2001]

That is sort of the point.

Again, I like Nards a lot and think he is going to be Pitt's Neo.

I think it was easy to get excited by them having an actual pulse and getting out and showing some fire and hitting the social media, and you sort of hoped it would come quicker, because it does with some coaches/situations.

Just a simple statement of fact that he have lost a lot more than than they have won so far, in the contested battles, and they are sort of working from behind on the current hot targets in some cases.

Not moving as fast as you might have hoped, but he is a guy who can recruit and he brought in a staff that can recruit. If he can get it done on Saturdays, you would expect them get into that groove where they get top 25ish classes.

Not sure it happens this year. Even if they close well late with a few kids, it is going to be small class and looking at who they are working right now, things are pretty thin in terms of candidates ... Just looking to get 15-18ish solid kids this year, not lighting it up.

That's true. Even if Pitt does go a little crazy early, recruits will still be wary, because we've started well before only to fall apart. By now, it's what's expected of us. So say he overcomes that, puts up a superlative 9-3 ... Even wins a NYD bowl (I know, but hey, why not dream big). Great stuff, yes.

But because of the smallish class, and the fact that (as was mentioned) lower tier programs rarely flip guys from blue bloods, it still isn't likely to mean a delirious LOI day in Feb.

But ... it should make for a much more fruitful offseason next year than this past one.

 

[CaptainSidneyReilly]

Three points in regards to the above Thread:


1. Building Players Into Teams:
Coach Pat & Staff will have to prove they can develop lower star talent just like Coach D'Antonio did at UCiny and MSU at first, and then had higher recruiting classes! It only takes 2 to 3 Top recruits to make 4 to 6 Plays to win Games, and be leaders. Coach Pat has proven he did that MSU but now must prove he can do it at Pitt without D'Antonio. I have a Hunch he will prove it.

2. Recruiting Matters:
No matter what anyone says, it is still important to recruit 3, 4, and 5 Star Players. One must have the Horses and Talent to form Teams that win 10+ Games. There is no way to get around it? Yet, to expect coach Pat & Staff to recruit that kind of talent after just 8 months and no one seeing his coaching at this point is a tad unfair. There are Coaches right now that have had Top 25 Teams in previous years and also not bringing in recruits in the Top 40 too. It is still early?

3. Secrets:
Coach Pat & Staff have closed down practices, events, and meeting to the media, much as MSU's D'Antonio, Harbaugh at Stanford, and even Paterno used to do at Penn State. Coach Pat is on record in the media, that no one will know more about the Pitt Program except him, his staff and players. Clearly, he is going to allow his coaching, wins, and losses do his talking more than what can be seen in recruiting right now.

In closing, regional and conference competition is not easy right now, the Big Ten is to West and and East, and Big-12 and ACC North and South. Some of those Programs have bigger Budgets and Resources and especially Recruiting camp Invites and High School Coaching Clinics. Meyers, Harbaugh, Kelly, Petrino, and D'Antonio are known Top 10-25 Team Builders. Franklin, Holgrosen, Flood, and Edsall, all have Head Coaching experience. Pitt has had Coaches that had to live through building, losing, and rebuilding Recruiting Classes since 2010?

Coach Pat & Staff deserves time to put in the system he wants, build up the Programs he demands, and develop his recruits into players to form solid Teams. Coach Pat showed class and courtesy when he refused to seek, go after or take players he was recruiting at MSU. Character counts in coaching, sure, there are some, that claimed it and did not live it, but there are others that did both!

Unlike Franklin that took away Vanderbilt as well as other Programs verbals and Chryst that took some Pitt verbals to Wisky. Let see what Recruits made some mistakes leaving and not understanding they were needed and could have played at PItt, far faster than sitting on a bench in a Top 25 Recruiting Class?

Smart recruits that want to play right away and develop faster for the NFL will choose Pitt and the History of Pitt Recruits setting NCAA and NFL Records, Awards and Making Millions, is right up there with Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Pitt.

While Penn State, Wisconsin, ULou, WVU, Rutgers, and Maryland and others are farther behind them and Pitt too?

TCU and Baylor Coaches built their Programs with Recruits not on the same level of Texas, Oklahoma, A&M, and other Great Programs. I can wait and see of coach Pat & Staff can do the same at Pitt?

Yes, so far, Pitt looks likes so little done and so much to do, but I really think Coach Pat & Staff have the quiet confidence of knowing what they have to do, and how to do it, and will let their coaching this year do their talking, and then you will see Recruits coming to Pitt in the numbers and and level to win 10 Games and be in the Top 25 every year.