The 2018 Golf Outing was another resounding success and mostly due to Erie Express’ dedication to making it the best it could be – thanks again Rick.
We had 20+ golfers and Dan72 and I were there for moral support. Our friend Ike had to cancel last-minute but because we were talking about him so much it was a good thing.
Here are some photos taken after golf rounds were finished and before the auction and dinner were held. BTW – let me tell you something about this group. The auction itself raised $230 for the Way Recovery House… then without being asked the guys dug into their wallets and donated even more for an additional $335 so our total $565. That will go a long way to helping people in need and that is the high quality of guys and gals we have on the POV folks.
Enjoy these photos. I was the only guy wearing long pants and in the group one you can see I’m trying to figure out the hit my credit card took as The POV bought the after-golf drinks (not too bad actually – around $130… better than last year when one foursome ordered Patron Tequila x 4 guys x 3 rounds):
Zach Hixson and Chris Delsignor
Tyler Wassel
Wlat
Alexander Graham
Tom Emsurak (winning team at -10)
Tom’s friend and their sons
So you can see how much fun this was – all smiles all day with meeting new friends, putting names to faces and just enjoying golf and talking about Pitt football. Here are some details from the day…
Here is a photo of Bernie (BigB) with the WUP flag…
Fran brought some awesome Pitt memorabilia in the for of old bumper stickers and leaflets… I’ll be mailing some out to lucky POV readers… (let me know via email if you want some). Here are a few samples from the old Golden Panthers days.
So now you see how they raised money to pay our players back then.
Also how they had a monopoly (along with the Pitt season ticket holders) on the Notre Dame tickets for that year…
I also handed out 2017 Prediction Cards (which I will also mail out to some and post during Fall Camp). Here are those questions:
THE PITT POV READER’S PREDICTIONS FOR 2018
☻Name:
☻What will be Pitt’s season record?
☻ What will be Pitt’s ACC record?
☻Will Pitt win a Bowl Game?
☻Will Pitt’s QB2 throw a TD pass?
☻Pitt’s Leading Rusher, Yards Made and How Many TDs?
☻Pitt’s Leading Receive, # of Catches, Yards & How Many TDs?
☻Pitt’s Leading Tackler? How Many?
☻ Pitt’s Sacks Leader? How Many?
☻Pitt’s Interceptions Leader? How Many?
☻Pitt’s Offensive Points Per Game Average?
☻Pitt’s Defensive Points Per Game Average?
☻Opponent’s Rushing Yards Per Game?
☻Opponent’s Passing Yards Per Game?
☻Who Will Be Pitt’s Offensive MVP?
☻Who Will Be Pitt’s Defensive MVP?
☻Will Pat Narduzzi Scream at a Pitt Coach on the sideline?
☻How Many times Will He Do It?
GOOD LUCK AND HAIL TO PITT!!!
pittpov.com 
This is an interesting Twitter post thanks to Pitt Panthers Fanatics:
LikeLike
Ike – is this the possible recruit you were alluding to?
https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2019/trent-holler-225755#school-interests
Because if so it fits in perfectly with the type of recruiting we have been getting lately – he’s so happy about his Pitt offer yet he’s leaving his commitment “wide open” for schools like:
Albany
Ball State
Cincinnati
Connecticut
Delaware
Duquesne
Elon
Fordham
Lehigh
Maine
Notre Dame of Ohio
Ohio
Pittsburgh
Robert Morris
Youngstown State
I really hope we can beat out Elon and Fordham for this kid… but then again YSU almost beat us last season and Cincy and UCONN used to own us, so who knows? Its embarrassing to even be on this list really.
I mean it is worse that the recruit we got the other day and his offers sucked also.
LikeLike
LikeLike
I had this vision that the reason Pitt was not announcing commitments was that they were really going after lots of 4 stars that would announce later. Sadly, this is not the case. I would say that this recruit is a joke, but no one is laughing.
LikeLike
Yeah, that’s the Latrobe player. I didn’t say the kid will knock anyone socks off right now but his family has a very athletic background. Unfortunately he is the type of player that not only PITT can get but have to take a chance on to become a “find” or a diamond in the rough and blossom. I also was paralleling him to the two star Chad Reed from Latrobe who became a very good starting center for a few years at PITT. Harris’s first recruit. Chad was a very good friend of one of my boys.
VOR, PITT may get a four star or three but they will come later if they don’t commit this next weekend. PITT is the second choice for all the better players that get left at the dance.
LikeLike
Calm down guys..
“The ratings mean nothing!”
“It’s all in the eye of the recruiter!”
“Tom Brady was NR!”
“Aaron Donald was a 2 star!”
“Once these kids get an offer from a big-time school, their star rating will rise!”
“We’re not going to get the big-time kids. We just have to find the diamonds in the rough!”
“I’m not going to judge a kid until he’s been in the program for 3 years!”
Have I missed any other gems, gleaned from our more “optimistic” friends here on the POV? This reminds me of the end of the Majors 2 era and the beginning of Walt’s tenure, when we were competing with Bowling Green, Toledo and Temple for recruits.
Does anybody here have Wannstedt’s cell number?
LikeLike
This weekend is a big weekend for visits – one 4* kid (Carter – RB) and the rest 3* and 2* and NRs.
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/visits/football/2019
Carter’s got some big name schools after him so if we get him that’s a good one…
https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2019/daniel-carter-44582#school-interests
LikeLike
Pickett, the kid everyone is hanging their hats on this coming year ….. and the future. 3*’s…. Face the facts Jay you’re a PITT fan.
LikeLike
We get what we can get in recruiting. Of course it would be nice to get the best athletes according to the athletic rating guys. Many 4s and 5s do get to NFL but I bet the overall % of the total NFL players are NOT 4s and 5s and a good number of NFL players come from non D5 schools. Maybe someone can dig this up.
LikeLike
Adding another 4 star RB wouldn’t hurt.. But who’s going to block for him?
I’m happy to add 65 lbs, since 6’2″ 285 lbs obviously gets a Pitt offer. Oh wait, I’m out of eligibility. Sorry guys.
This Latrobe offer is the kind of offer you make in the FIRST year of coaching. It extends goodwill in the region and builds relationships with local kids. Taking a flier on a kid in YEAR FOUR is not a good sign. You offer this kid LATE, if you can’t land better kids. Maybe this kid ends up All Conference 4-5 years from now. It’s still not a good sign.. it just isn’t.
LikeLike
According to what I read on the POV not all offers are commit-able and I know that’s true. It’s funny how when we want to make a point we remember that and another time it’s forgotten?
LikeLike
Yes but when you see multiple big programs under the recruit’s name you can bet those are legit. It is when you see a bunch of MAC and CUSA schools then all of a sudden an Ohio State or ND that you take with a grain of salt.
That was the case with Thomas Macvitte – you have Pitt, Cincy, Miami of Ohio and Ball state… then he gets a 3 minute phone call asking if he would like to visit LSU… and all of a sudden Rivals states he has an LSU offer. We know that wasn’t real and that happens with a lot of lower level recruits.
They get minor offers then say they were offered by a big program you just know didn’t do it.
https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2016/thomas-macvittie-2209
LikeLike
VOR – sadly recruits and their parents aren’t real impressed with the Pitt program right now for a variety of reasons. But even recently Pitt has been able to grab some 4* kids out from under the big program;s clutches.
Not all did well at Pitt but if you go back and look at Shell, Rippy, Bisnowaty, Boyd, Johnson, Jennings, Bookser, Whitehead, Hall, etc… all Chryst commits and all were offered by major programs such as PSU, ND, Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Nebraska, Ohio State, etc…
Here is the Rivals link and you can go back over the years, seperate them by starts or rating points and look at the kids’ offers…
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/commitments/football/2018
This is why I don’t buy the excuses people are making for Narduzzi’s recruiting when they say it is the lack of an OCS, Admin support, yellow seats, etc… Every Pitt coach has had to deal with those same issues since 2000 but others still pulled in many 4* kids who had fantastic offers from way bigger programs than ours.
Narduzzi did that also in 2015 but since then the recruits’ quality of offer sheets has been dwindling. Salahuddin was pretty much the exception in the 2018 class, Kradel had some also but less and less as the years go on. He needs to work on his staff’s initial contact work, their follow up work and his own closing skills to get back to us getting the most players with the big offers.
Blue chip kids are out there, other Pitt coaches got bunches of them – he needs to get back to a winning season and finally win a damn bowl game!! to generate interest in those blue chippers.
LikeLike
@Reed – The players listed in your note above were mostly all local WPIAL kids, so let’s not say Chryst out grinded Narduzzi for 4 and 5 star kids outside the region. I don’ t think that is the case. I will agree that Narduzzi hasn’t fared well in head to head battles with ND, but who has?
All mentioned above were not offered by all the schools you listed individually, but perhaps in totality. For example, Biz was not offered by Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Nebraska. It was Pitt Dairy and Florida. Rippy, no ND or Dairy. Boyd, no Alabama or OSU. Bookser, no ND, but Chryst did hire his HS Coach.
Local blue chips are picking ND a lot. We have not fared well over the years against ND. Nor do we fair well against OSU. We don’t have many 4 and 5 stars coming out of the WPIAL generally so I am missing it. Chryst, Graham and Wanny got their fair share locally, not nationally.
OCS, Admin support nationally versus locally, empty stadium are all valid negatives. Has NArduzzi been given more private jet hours, sure, but that just started. Pitt is getting to kids, especially in FL that they haven’t gotten to in the past because of our frugality. Relationships take time. It took me several years developing a relationship with my wonderful wife before she committed. Believe me, I used a full court press for most of the time too. She’s regretted the commitment ever since…lol@me! Takes time.
We all act like Narduzzi has had open purse strings since he got here and that isn’t the case. Am I disappointed, sure. Is a 3 star average for a class good based on resources, yep. Will it get us to championships, nope. Does it make me angry, yep! Until the Admin pays our next HC millions more to get a Capel of football, don’t expect things to change. It might lead to better recruiting with more money.
Everyone’s expectations are an “A” program based on a “C” budget and “C” staff. Be realistic! Doesn’t mean you are accepting mediocrity.
Only here can we say that we all want Pitt to be the best academic institution it can be over everything else and not achieve that and be okay, but then say we want championships in athletics when it is clearly not a top priority of the university and not be okay with it. Why blame a coach for the Administrations PURPOSEFUL slight of athletics and robbing the students of a full experience while at Pitt?? Because they can. That is why people should be angry. Busing students to games….what an experience! Shameful.
2 four stars in 2015 (Narduzzi’s 1/2 class)
5 four stars in 2016
3 four stars in 2017
There area total of 5 four star prospects in 2019 for all of Pennsylvania. Only one is in WPa. One verballed to Wisconsin and one to Oregon St. Leaves 3.
Just saw that James Conner was a 3 star prospect and all along I thought he was a 2 star guy!
LikeLike
frank md..
The data has been “dug up” many times and is easily available with a little time. Rivals slots less than 10% of all kids as 4-5 stars and over 35% as 3 stars. So, simple math says that there will be FAR more 3 star players ending up in the NFL.
However, that is not the question here. The question here is whether teams with significantly more 4-5 star players win more consistently IN COLLEGE.. Surprise!!! They do. And it’s not close.
Pitt has always done a good job of producing NFL players.. but not many great teams. So, focusing on individual players is not an effective way of judging team recruiting.
There’s SO much information available and to be fair, you can cherry pick whatever you’d like to prove whatever narrative you prefer. But, if you look at the teams that have the most talent across the board, they win more often.
LikeLike
The lack of an OCS and yellow seats did impact every coach. Wanny was the only one to overcome it somewhat. Thats because he was very passionate, had strong local pipelines, the WPIAL was strong in those years, and Wanny knew how to close. Plus he had NFL connections and allowed boys to be boys. I can see how a 4 star would want to play under him despite 30k yellow seats.
Now Narduzzi is passionate but he clearly doesnt love Pitt the way Wanny did. Narduzzi doesnt have those strong local pipelines but does it really matter these days since the WPIAL is down and weak. I dont believe Narduzzi knows how to close. And I’m pretty sure that Wanny’s recruiting machine was more well oiled.
I also have to question the BoT’s involvement with the type of kid recruited or at least the message that Narduzzi is receiving through Heather through Gallagher. There seems to be an overly strong focus on recruiting smart and low risk kids. I dont expect Rhodes scholars or choir boys.
Maybe thats why I have yet to see this Pitt team hit hard and intimidate other teams. I see pansies on a football field dreaming of math equations.
LikeLike
Agreed, Reed. And Jay is right that this Latrobe kid should be a last minute throw in, not the first or second commitment. For some reason, Pitt does pretty well with recruiting RBs, but other positions are really lacking. I can buy that some reaches will pan out and/or are local finds that others missed. But Pitt has a 4th year coach who is trying to build a program on these types of players. It will not work, and sadly, we are looking at 6-7 win mediocrity for the foreseeable future. As you have mentioned, Pitt needs some star players and won’t get them this way. I remember all too well when Pitt was beating out Bowling Green for players. That era did not end well.
LikeLike
recruiting ranking article
https://247sports.com/Article/Why-college-football-recruiting-rankings-matter-114611388
stars do matter
i like to look at the overall avg star in the class since schools have class sizes from 10 to 25. the rankings are often based on the total star points. You really need to rank by the avg star
and you need to look at a kids other offers
a 3 star being offered by other ACC teams is better than a 3 star being offered by MAC teams
LikeLike
JoeKnew – any relation to a Paul Medwig I grew up with in Mt Lebo?
LikeLike
https://247sports.com/college/miami/Season/2018-Football/Commits
NO OCS, hmmm
LikeLike
Orlando Sentinel ranks Pitt #76, just ahead of Navy, Air Force..
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college-football-rankings/
LikeLike
sounds about right
recruits see these rankings and say to themselves that Pitt is a good school for 2 stars then
LikeLike
What do you think they will rank us after we beat UCF in Orlando?
I know – too optimistic…
LikeLike
I remember partying with Bob Medwid (vaguely), Pitt QB circa 1971. He had the biggest stereo speakers I had ever seen.
LikeLike
“https://247sports.com/college/miami/Season/2018-Football/Commits
NO OCS, hmmm”
BOT and Administration committed to football…Wins more than 6 games per year. Games not played in rain and snow from October through December. Located in recruiting hotbed. Hmmm…
LikeLike
beautiful women
the swagger of the U
a better head coach in Richt
but Miami has really never had a great atmosphere for games. The % capacity is only a little better than Pitt’s. I know they know its a problem and they have at least discussed building a venue closer to campus that is more the right size for a school such as theres
LikeLike
Do you guys take pleasure in brow beating Pitt’s recruiting efforts on each and every given day? It sure seems that way. How about letting the coaches make the decisions on who they want to offer and then in the recruits 3rd year you can play arm chair QB’s on each and every offer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Miami metro population.. 5.5 M Pittsburgh metro population.. 2.3 M Hmm..
Only ONE team in the top 25 for attendance plays in an off campus venue.. Hmm..
Click to access 2017.pdf
LikeLike
It’s a Blog jrn, It is what people do and no offense to the critical thinkers here but I just couldn’t help myself with this one. The devil made me do it!
LikeLike
The mission statement doesn’t mention athletics, so there is no point in getting worked up over stars and recruiting anymore.
Pitt doesn’t want it bad enough. If it did the losing in the1990s never would have happened. It would have been more 6-5/7-4 than the 3-8 records.
Pitt just wants ACC revenue checks.
LikeLike
agreed
and Pitt will do just the bare minimum to continue receiving them
LikeLike
ike, you crack me up! Keep ’em coming, buddy! 🙂
LikeLike
There is no question that stars matter … and the more 4/5 stars you get, the likely better your program will be.
As far as the 4 stars committed to Chryst ….
— of the 11 committed to PC, only one was a defensive player (DeSean Rippy never enrolled)
— of the 11, 7 of them were locals … and 3 of those were headed to PSU and then the sanctions hit
Counting last year and this one, only 2 WPIAL/City prospects are rated Rivals 4-stars. That may change as there could be upgrades to the 2019 class
wwb
LikeLiked by 1 person
This. I was looking up that info after Reed posted above. That’s the biggest factor right now as far as 4 star recruits. The more there are near Pittsburgh, the easier it is to land some of them.
There are other factors. But that is the biggest one.
LikeLike
look when you offer a kid that has multiple offers from significantly inferior programs, you have to be careful because odds are he will jump at it… when you see a kid with multiple offers from low level D1 programs and then a Ohio State offer then you know it was a favor to the high school coach, the kids trainer, the school trying to position itself for a kid in the next class at the same school, etc (bottom line is that you have to know that the Ohio States of the world say something to the effect of: we would like to extend you an offer but you need to know its contingent on the decisions of the 3 or 4 kids ahead of you)… Latrobe??? LoL everyone knows they are in the weakest section of the WPIAL for every sport (except golf of course)
LikeLike
jrnpitt..
Ask and ye shall receive…
2015:
Jordan Whitehead DB- Played 31 games. 3 INT 235 tackles. NFL 4th round pick by Buccaneers.
Darrin Hall RB- 34 games payed. 1,045 yds 11 TD.
Anthony McKee LB- has played 2 games. 2 tackles
Jay Stocker DB- 22 games played. 24 tackles.
Alex Paulina OL- GONE. Plays for Waynesburg College (DIII)
Quadree Henderson WR- Named All America as a specialist. Undrafted. Currently on Steelers roster.
Saleem Brightwell LB- 24 games played. 99 tackles.
Tony Pilato OL- GONE. 0 starts.
Malik Henderson- GONE. 2 games played.
Tre Tipton WR- 13 games played. 12 REC 142 YDS.
Allen Edwards DL (JC)- Played 15 games. 26 tackles.
Ben DiNucci QB- GONE. Played 11 games. 1,091 5 TD 5 INT. Plays for James Madison (FCS)
Dane Jackson DB- 24 games played. 3 INT 16 PD 59 tackles.
Gentry Ivery WR- GONE. Never played a game
You tell me your opinions of that class AFTER 3 years. Good recruiting? We’ll see if it looks any better or worse for the 2016 class after this season.
PLEASE NOTE: I am providing this with ZERO context. These numbers are what they are. I am providing NO commentary on whether this was a good or bad recruiting class. You decide..
(Full disclosure: I LOVE me some Dane Jackson. Good player. Solid kid (it seems).)
LikeLike
Here is some context … Narduzzi had all of about 3 weeks to hold and put this class together.
wwb
LikeLike
In this fish tale the fish keeps shrinking!
Pat Narduzzi was announced as head coach on December 26, 2014. Michigan State played its bowl game against Baylor on January 1, 2015. 2015 NLI day was February 4.
LikeLike
Narduzzi staff’s wasn’t in place until mid January …. he spent the first week or so contacting the commits who had already verballed and didn’t get his own 1st commit until about the 3rd week of Jan … that was the DiNucci
wwb
LikeLike
In this fish tale the fish keeps shrinking!
Pat Narduzzi was announced as head coach on December 26, 2014. He coached in Michigan State’s bowl game versus Baylor on January 1, 2015. 2015 NLI day was February 4.
For the record I’m okay with the 2015 class. Whitehead was a 3 year starter. Henderson was a huge part of the highly productive offense in 2016. Hall has been a useful reserve and occasional starter. Brightwell has been a good LB for two seasons (one as starter). Jackson started some games in 2016 and started every game and played well in 2017. Stocker has been a reserve and I believe has started a game or two. Tipton has promise but needs to stay healthy. DiNucci seemed like a serviceable backup QB but wasn’t happy as such.
The two troubling duds from 2015 are Paulina and Pilato. Two local 3-star linemen with some P5 offers. Needed one of those guys to come through.
LikeLike
You realize Jay that Narduzzi had about 2 months as head coach to finalize that class don’t you? By the way how many of these recruits that were offered by Pitt this year did you see play in person or on the practice field? The coaches jobs are on the line and if they fail in the recruiting game I assume many will be looking for a new job. Giving them a report card on these kids before they even took a snap at Pitt is being a little premature IMO.
LikeLike
Jay… theme song for that class
LikeLike
or as the Gunner used to say…gone… gone.. gone kiss’er good-bye..
Hope my home boy Tipton holds up because he is talented but lightframed.. one heck of a high school athlete. and has contributed when healthy.
LikeLike
^^ LOL Bernie and back to cutting grass. It’s called time management. What’s it called when you have all the time in the world but you don’t have much time? Getting old! ike
LikeLike
gc …enjoyed your before and after pics on the POV.. I must say you and Virtue are both holding up well !
Hope to meet you at the PSU tailgate.
LikeLike
I wish I was Rockports. Worked 2 years made 14M. Fired and consolation prize is 14M and a dozen pairs of Rockports.
LikeLike
Rockports is in bankruptcy (the shoe company, not the coach).
LikeLike
Name: wwb
☻What will be Pitt’s season record? 7-6
☻ What will be Pitt’s ACC record? 5-3
☻Will Pitt win a Bowl Game? Y
☻Will Pitt’s QB2 throw a TD pass? Y
☻Pitt’s Leading Rusher, Yards Made and How Many TDs? Salahuddin 763 yds 4
☻Pitt’s Leading Receive, # of Catches, Yards & How Many TDs? Lopes 47 4
☻Pitt’s Leading Tackler? How Many? Wirgins 89
☻ Pitt’s Sacks Leader? How Many? Weaver 6
☻Pitt’s Interceptions Leader? How Many? Hamlin 3
☻Pitt’s Offensive Points Per Game Average? 31.6
☻Pitt’s Defensive Points Per Game Average? 29.8
☻Opponent’s Rushing Yards Per Game? 129.2
☻Opponent’s Passing Yards Per Game? 208.9
☻Who Will Be Pitt’s Offensive MVP? Pickett
☻Who Will Be Pitt’s Defensive MVP? Wirginis
☻Will Pat Narduzzi Scream at a Pitt Coach on the sideline? Y
☻How Many times Will He Do It? about as many times as his predecessor said “as shucks”
LikeLike
aw shucks
LikeLike
and out of the blue our man Mark let’s one fly. You’re a good man Mark and I can consider you a friend. ike
LikeLike
I will go one step further and state that the bowl win will be in the first ever ‘Windy City Bowl” against new nemesis Northwestern https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/6/11/17448892/more-bowl-games-wrigley-field
Despite the fact that NW will be favored and 87% of the crowd will be for the Wildcats, Narduzzi will fire up the team with his mantra “we got to shut up that POV windbag Reed and all of his cronies”
wwb
LikeLike
You do realize, jrnpitt, that you are not an “active reader?”
I clearly stated that there is no commentary from me on this class. Additionally, I gave NO opinion on the class or any player in it other than to say I love Dane Jackson.
If you’re happy with the class due to his short run up period, that’s fine. It’s your opinion. I was asking for everyone’s opinion.
I know my opinion in regards to this class– but I haven’t stated it here or anywhere else.
LikeLike
I can read clearly enough Jay to know that you enjoy beating up on Narduzzi and his recruiting almost every day. You certainly are not alone but you and the many others IMO like to give out early report cards on these kids who by my guess has never seen one of them play live.
LikeLike
If Western PA had 5-10 4 and 5 star recruits every year and Pitt did not land at least half of them I would be upset. It doesn’t and hasn’t for years and that is a major advantage DW had and he was awesome at closing those guys. Instead they have 1 or 2 and Narduzzi has not got those as better programs are beating him. Fair to complain about that and dissapointing. Getting a 4 or 5 star player to commit to Pitt from anywhere else in the country over any established Power 5 school takes a miracle for reasons that don’t need to be rehashed.
LikeLike
“By the way how many of these recruits that were offered by Pitt this year did you see play in person or on the practice field? The coaches jobs are on the line and if they fail in the recruiting game I assume many will be looking for a new job. Giving them a report card on these kids before they even took a snap at Pitt is being a little premature IMO.”
Solid logic…
However, if we used such logic NO college coach would ever get fired, since we fans rarely see the players in high school or on the practice field. And EVERY coach that was fired was trying to recruit good players. They were all trying to win games. They were all worried about losing their jobs.
SO WHAT?????
Do I have to be in sales to know that a salesman has goals to meet and he should and will get fired if he doesn’t?
Do I need to be in the operating room to know that a plastic surgeon shouldn’t practice if his patients die on the table?
Some coaches are better than others. Some coaches are better at identifying talent than others. I never said these coaches weren’t doing their best. I never claimed to know more than them.
But here’s something you and several others on here just can’t seem to grasp…
These coaches don’t need to know more or recruit better than me. They need to know more and recruit better than the coaches they face each Saturday.
That is the ONLY issue. (with apologies to Reed who also believes they should be 4.0 students, community activists and leaders in their chosen religion.- just teasing, Commander)
LikeLike
JoeL, naw, it’s actually Medwid, no one ever gets the last letter right,lol.
LikeLike
gc, ya, that’s my cousin, and I’ll bet you did party!
LikeLike
This article seems pretty fair and we are actually doing better in Western PA than I thought. According to this there have been 8 4-5 Star recruits from Western PA since 2015 and Pitt actually did land half of them. If that number was double I believe the % would be at least the same and we would be better off. Having to rely on landing stars outside is tough and while it can happen it will certainly not happen early so maybe they do have a miracle or two up their sleeve. https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2018/04/24/pitt-football-recruiting-still-dominates-wpial-despite-another-loss-to-notre-dame-pitt/
LikeLike
Why do so many players follow coaches to their new jobs? Because these coaches develop a relationship with them that may go back to their Freshman/Sophomore years in high school. It is imperative that Pitt’s coaches develop these kinds of relationships, especially with kids from other states. I don’t sense that this is happening with the Pitt coaches. How many top recruits has Partridge, the great recruiter, brought into the Pitt program?
That said, it has also become clear that the 2017 5-7 record has really hurt the program’s development. If solid relationships had been developed, maybe Pitt would be getting some of these kids despite the bad year. If Pitt is relying on its FB camps to produce recruiting opportunities, then they are in trouble
LikeLike
I know there is a picture of Fran, John and Rick from the golf outing out there.
LikeLike
Richman wasn’t there Ike.
BTW – send me your home address via email I have a big gift from Jason for you…
LikeLike
A friend sent me this article and it explains a lot about why people still love Pittsburgh and what a great job the city has done:
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/01/the-top-10-cities-in-the-us-for-young-people.html
LikeLike
Damn – how many does this make now? Rewarding mediocrity…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/wrigley-field-could-be-among-3-new-bowls-for-2020/ar-AAyv3xn
LikeLike
It’s all about money, Reed. They think more is better, and the quality is now not much better than on any given Saturday. It used to be that it was embarrassing for a team with more losses than wins to accept a bowl game. No longer…
LikeLike
Screw FL, VA, MD, DC and the WPIAL – Ontario, Canada is the hotspot in recruiting since the PGH area steel mills shut down… WR Jared Wayne.
https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2018/06/12/canadian-wr-prospect-says-pitt-stands-at-the-top/
However, the 247 site is confused as to where he actually lives. I hope we get this kid but much like our other latest offers we’ll have to beat out some heavy competition from Bowling Green and Old Dominion.(heavy sarcasm there)
Can we be serious for a minute here fellow Pitt fans?
When Narduzzi calls a recruit and offers him over the phone that means the kid could commit to a scholarship right then and there. Which means we might get both this kid and the Latrobe OL recruit mentioned above as some of the very first members of the 2019 class. They are not P5 recruits by anyone’s standards.
Kids with offer sheets like this are ones that you call up in late January a week before LOI Day to use open scholarships on – not kids you pursue in June by any means. And Pitt very rarely if ever rescinds scholarships before LOI Day – do that too often and no one will want to come here. Alabama is different as they have kids and parents literally begging to go there… but at Pitt it would be the kiss of death to pull an offer without some valid external reason.
If you feel OK with these offers good for you but I sure don’t and I honestly can’t remember us every doing something like this so early in the process…
LikeLike
So Pitt has a chance to go bowling with 5 wins only?
Rewarding their fans by freezing their butts off watching them lose to another mediocre team.
No wonder why four stars don’t want Pitt and no wonder why Pitt fans don’t travel.
I’d rather stay home and lick a freezing pole or help the nieces and nephews build anatomically correct snow people.
LikeLike
It’s dumb and dumber 2
LikeLike
The football powers should just let any bowl game be the 13th game and let any city or industry conduct it. They all like the money and the players play on and on and on.
LikeLike
“Kids with offer sheets like this are ones that you call up in late January a week before LOI Day to use open scholarships on – not kids you pursue in June by any means.”
…a point I made earlier today. Damn, Reed. You’re a genius!
LikeLike
Hey, I thought it sounded familiar. Sorry… memory isn’t what it used to be.
LikeLike
See this is where Pitts place in the landscape really comes into play. This may be off base but this how I think it works. There are three tiers, to keep it simple lets call them Toledo, Pitt and Ohio St. Toledo’s job is to find a kid they think is D1 worthy and get an offer in early so if a higher tier team comes later they at least have a chance to hang on because of longer relationship. Pitt’s job is to identify kids they think are Power 5 worthy and offer BEFORE Ohio St so again we have a chance to hang on. Maybe I am wrong but I do think that is what these June offers are about. Once the offer sheets include the Ohio St tier, Pitt is a long shot at best, only hope is finding them early. As for historical, I know we have not gotten many 4 stars the past few years but did we get any of them before the season started? It seems to me that our best chance at 4 stars is only after the Ohio St tier runs out of spots.
LikeLike
Paris Ford – 4 star who committed early (before June I believe)
LikeLike
He committed on October 16th. He did choose Pitt over Ohio State at that point which is awesome, but he also was a local guy. That is a different ballgame and my contention has been that if we had more local players with higher stars our recruiting would be better. I just think the expectation of getting 4+ star players from out of state is unrealistic (especially early). Despite my love for my alma mater I have a hard time thinking of a good reason why a kid from “insert any of the other 49 states” would choose Pitt over their closer power 5 school. People say chance to play early but these 4-5 star kids believe they will play early everywhere whether its promised or not.
LikeLike
To attract the top kids we would have to win more games consistently, to win more games consistently we need to either get better kids or coach the heck out of the ones we have. Its a vicious circle.
LikeLike
Here is a big issue. When Narduzzi hires assistants, for the most part, recruiting ability is not real high up on the priority list. He’s got several assistants on his staff that are not very good recruiters. It sucks, but its true.
LikeLike
I am really interested in reading all the final record predictions for PITT this coming year. Between this very difficult schedule and Narduzzi’s gosh awful recruiting I don’t expect many to predict more than a win or two? After-all, these are Narduzzi’s kids now.
LikeLike
Well, that is just silly – we’ll have at least 3.
Actually at this point I’m think 5-7 again. That seems to be the norm in the national media and I think that’s about correct. But NMT 6 wins and NLT 4 wins.
LikeLike
Guys – get this.
I’m doing a “Pinning Ceremony” tomorrow for a 92 year old WWII vet. What that entails is we have a certificate of appreciation for the DoD and a pin – so I give a short speech recapping some of the guys (or ladies) service then I read the certificate and put the pin on. Unless there are sons or daughters there then I ask them to do the pinning – makes it more personal.
I do 2-3 per month but this gentleman I’m doing tomorrow was described this way in an email I just received…
“Is a retired history professor. Wife’s name is xxxx who lives in xxxx. Had 5 children, three of whom are surviving. Patient is alert and oriented times 2 and has begun speaking in rhyme.”
“Speaking in rhyme…”
so I’m trying to think how I can do my speech in Rap Style. Any suggestions?
LikeLike
Hire a saxophonist to accompany you
LikeLike
Tape a little Rap, Reed, and we’ll give you some feedback… 🙂
LikeLike
There once was a man from nantucket………..no, don’t use that one.
Ike can fire out a diddy, lickity split. Schnizzle!
92 and a vet is part of his claim
A history prof was more his life changing game
We appreciate his service and bringing back the win
Now go forth young man and wear this pin……….
Apologies for my long writeup in retort to your earlier comment Reed. I meant to put it in the comments instead of reply, so most have missed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t like the reply function Huff the third, I’m going back to check for it. or did I read it and forgot? I will say your rap is really good. Hope this turns out and helps you Reed
LikeLike
Is he Narduzzi’s new equipment manager?
LikeLike
4 star center I think.
Senior transfer from Berlin.
LikeLike
Some head coaches can recruit and some can’t. That’s something we should be able to agree on as Pitt fans. Take for instance….
https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2018/06/05/in-two-months-jeff-capel-has-pitts-best-recruiting-class-in-five-years/
https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2018/06/06/greg-gantt-high-on-pitt-panthers-basketball-jeff-capel/
LikeLike
Look closer Jack, I think that’s “the steve” and he lost his monkey?
LikeLike
Huff3 I might just use that.
I just read on Rivals that the Canadian wide receiver we offered is moving to Florida.
So now all the Pitt Panther fans are going to say “Wow, we got a wide receiver out of Florida. He’s got to be at least three or four stars.”
I bet Narduzzi is freaking out with Jeff Capel pulling in all these recruits right and left, seemingly so easy that it’s not even funny.
What an in-school comparision and watch – he’ll have a great first season.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Capel snagged one 4 star recruit and we think he is going to have a great season?
I think the buzz is cool, but I felt that same way when Todd “the Fraud” Graham came to town briefly to coach FB.
Unless my counts are off and the posters are wrong, you can’t win unless you have 4 star players. I never have read that you can win with a 4 star player.
This is all so confusing.
LikeLike
48 years ago tonight …
— Dock Ellis threw a no hitter allegedly on LSD, He walked 8 and hit one batter but no Padre had a hit
— wwb was caught drinking underage. There were 5 of us but since I was not yet 18, the other 4 names were listed in the New Castle News but I was a “17 year old unidentified youth” $25 fine plus $11 court cost (if memory serves)
wwb
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reed
Today we honor a brave vet
And are as proud as we can get
To present a pin to this brave man
And to salute him while we can
As one of the few left from the greatest generation
Who has meant so very much to our nation
wwb
LikeLike
That is very nice, I’ll have it in my pocket…
LikeLike
lol wwb. Now 65 and still unidentified (anonymous)
reed – i’d modify the ditty. Limited info to work with. Some of the longfellows on here should be able to hammer one out in short order.
Thanks for all those pics guys! You all have faces for blogging! Seriously, looked like a lot of fun. Glad you all could make it.
I think the inter-university comparison is spot on. In bball we have a very highly compensated head coach and assistant coaches. In return, you get a swagger and an ability to recruit. You also have a state of the art on campus bball facility. In contrast, with football, we have a very average paid coach and average paid assistants. No OCS.
What would be great to know is whether Narduzzi has more usage of the private jet because he needs more players…
LikeLike
OK, I’ll give you that Narduzzi has more obstacles to overcome than Capel, but it still comes down to convincing a player that they will be successful with him as the coach. Good players are willing to join Capel, even though Pitt has never won anything major in basketball, and has put very few guys in the pros and certainly no HOF’s.
There are enough good things to sell about Pitt and Pittsburgh and a City campus, Tradition and a pro relationship. Narduzzi and Company just haven’t got it done. We still have Fitz, Shady and Donald getting it done with Revis finishing a HOF career.
By the way soccer is probably more desired in Miami than football.
LikeLike
Capel has only landed one good player – the other 2 are mediocre 3 star recruits and the roster is littered with average to below average players (in other words, no 4 stars).
Let’s get the stories straight…
LikeLike
I think he point is that he’s been here a short time and is targeting and getting commits already. As opposed to the FB coach who has been here four years.
When I said great year I meant relative to the last two. I do think he’ll be around .500 ball.
LikeLike
https://247sports.com/college/pittsburgh/Season/2018-Basketball/Commits
LikeLike
Another “high profile” recruit offered by Narduzzi. No stars. His other offers- Wake Forest, Kent State, Albany, Duquesne, Bucknell, Temple, New Hampshire. Very impressive.
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/13750831-74/brandon-george-a-linebacker-from-reading-gets-pitt-scholarship-offer
LikeLike
Must be a “diamond in the rough.”
Funny. My foursome spent quite a bit of the time “in the rough” at the POV Open and we didn’t find any diamonds.
I hope Pat has better luck.
#H2P #d1cthair
LikeLike
Narduzzi needs the Help of Richard P. Hare. LOL
His recruiting went from a C to a D-
LikeLike
I’d go with wwb’s jingle…..much better! Man it rains alot.
LikeLike
There is something seriously wrong with recruiting. Like I have said I was “All Narduzzi, All The Time” but my faith has seriously wavered. I see him being let go in 2 years honestly. The recruiting has just been atrocious. The offensive line is putrid and winning football without a quality offensive line is not possible
LikeLike
Reed, if he is only oriented x2 he is disoriented in either one of time, place or person. Thanks for all you do for the Veterans. Ike was referring to the pix of Rick / Erie, not RICHMAN. I told him I played with Erie and Major Majors / John.
LikeLike
Thanks Fran, wondered about that “x2”.
LikeLike
Pitt also offered Dino Tomlin…son of Mike Tomlin. Not ranked yet but has an Iowa State offer. But I think William and Mary will be Pitt’s biggest challenge for this kid. 😅
https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2019/dino-tomlin-78843
LikeLike
Tomlin is a very intelligent young man who the University would love to have to uphold the coveted mission statement.
LikeLike
The Tomlin kid is borderline d1. My best friends kid plays at SSA.
The qb at SSA is a d1 player.
LikeLike
Now we are doing a favor to a fellow coach. This recruiting is a train wreck in slow motion.
Nate – You do want to try to win right?
LikeLike
I want to win incredibly bad. I have been following Pitt since I was 8 and now I’m 45. Mediocrity to poorness the entire time watching. But the school doesn’t want to win and only wants conference revenue checks.
I’m disgusted with how Pitt doesn’t take football serious when there is money to be made now and in the future with alums giving back after a great experience going to Heinz to cheer on teams that are competing for ACC titles and possibly for the playoffs. I still daydream about Gottfried never being fired and wondering what could have been in the 1990s. Not 3-8/2-9 records that we were treated to.
I attended Ohio State from 1992-97 and watched first hand the school double down in football and is now an incredible superpower, while also becoming just as great academically as Pitt, if not better. E. Gordon Gee did for tOSU when I was there what Nordy did for Pitt as I’ve read so often. Only Nordy fired a football coach over an SI article.
Leadership at its finest.
What a joke!
LikeLike
Hey, I know we’ll get a bunch of three star kids when the dust settles and probably a four star or two. But in HCPN’s 4th full class now he should be getting much better kids and those kids should be committing early because they want to play and be at Pitt.
For instance if you look at DW’s fourth and fifth classes you’ll see that we had these kids commit in June or even earlier:
2008
1 – 4*
3 – 3*
1 – 2*
2009
2 – 4*
2 – 3*
1 – 2*
And that is where we should be now or even better given PN’s first two 8 win seasons. Remember DW’s first 3 years? Pretty bad all around yet he got better and better recruits the longer he stayed at Pitt.
Narduzzi will get some commits after this weekend’s official visits from recruits and parents…but there is no denying the fact that he’s off to a slow start and offering kids who, if they accept the offer, are not kids you want in your 2-deep a few years from now.
When he got his first class of his own commits everyone was predicting stardom for some of them…which happens every class, but none have done so. That is scary to me as I firmly believe Pitt needs star players to win games.
LikeLike
We Will be eating another contract soon. 4-7 in 2018. There is no way he is the answer. His recruiting proves it. That is 75% of the job. When Moose outsells you there are problems my friends.
LikeLike
I just added a photo of Bernie (BigB) with the WUP flag we saw at the golf outing to the main body of the article…please scroll up to see it..
LikeLike
I don’t see him or the flag… He must be out recruiting.
LikeLike
Oh there he is… Now that’s a sweet flag… Bernie is a one of a kind with emphasis on the word KIND!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not sure how this years class will shake out, but one glaring problem remains. I do not think the Duzz thinks there is any problem with his recruiting style. I do think he is a very stubborn man who becomes snarky if questioned or challenged. I can’t see this changing. He will continue to make the same errors over and over. The meeting between he and Heather should be epic!
LikeLike
It’s pretty sad when the Trib must write about Pitt offering recruits rather than getting commitments. I appreciate that Trib sports wants to have something to write about where Pitt is concerned, but given that a typical program offers 150 kids to get 25, offering is nothing to write home about.
LikeLike
Narduzzi had made a few adjustments to his coaching staff over the past 3 years so he is capable of changes but I as well feel he’s too stubborn and needs to lighten up and listen more to the advice being given to him by people who know how this works. (EJ)
LikeLike
I like Bernie and the Western University of Pennsylvania (WUP) Flag. Is that where the expression “open up a can of wup ass ass” came from?
We need a Pittsburgh Academy Flag 1787- 1908.
LikeLike
Just read that Pitt has lost TWO recruiting coordinators in the past couple of years (one went to the Nitters). What is going on here? Is the recruiting situation so bleak that these guys are bailing out? Are they paying these guys enough? Reed, are you getting any inside info on this?
LikeLike
Not to nitpick gc but The Pittsburgh Academy was the official name between 1787-1819. Plus WUP is > than the The PA 🙂
LikeLike
Right
LikeLike
gc… next project.. “Make Pitt FB Great Again” hats …already can visualize it…
LikeLike
Wow
LikeLike
JoeKnew… I think you are right on in your assessment of Duzz.
Hoping for the best but do we have a career DC as our CEO… that could all change with a couple of star power recruits and an OL that performs well this year on game 1.
LikeLike
It looks to me like Narduzzi is hitting the panic button on recruiting. We are now offering guys with offers from Duquesne and Bucknell. Seem to be going downhill fast. Recognizing that offering all the four stars isn’t working. Just looking for warm bodies at this point. Looks like a 5-7 year even with a Miami upset is a tough act to follow.
LikeLike
Please don’t think I’m all up in the Holler kid from Latrobe but I do have to report he did get an offer from West Virginia right after PITT’s offer. Just an FYI.
LikeLike
They like the hollers in WV.
LikeLike
Good one, gc.
Go Pitt!
LikeLike
Recruiting should be a multi-year effort so that one down year doesn’t hurt so bad. One would think that PN and staff were building some relationships with players in high school the past few years. This is when those relationships with players and coaches should matter. And what are the assistant coaches doing to bring in players?
LikeLike
^^Good one gc
LikeLike
BigB, sweet flag! Prominent! Well played!
NAte is absolutely correct in that OSU nailed it by doubling down on all sports as it increased brand awareness across the globe and attracted better students who want to be a part of something special. It’s the entire student experience, not just sports and not just academics. Both. Every student at OSU has been to football games. They bond at games because of the traditions at the games, on the campus. The players stay in the hotel across the street so they can be paraded in front of thousands of fans on game day.
They have a battle of the bands across the street from the stadium in the old basketball arena. It is a pep rally and hugely successful. Urb and team says a few words each time and they are off to the stadium for the game. Every time! Tradition. Bond. Future Giving!
The reason I don’t blame Narduzzi for recruiting is because his recruiting is no better or worse then the last 10 coaches. As such, the Administration is hiring the wrong folks and not doing the right things for the program.
Ike, listening to EJ can be part of the bigger problem at Pitt. Look, I don’t know him at all. You and Reed speak highly of him which is great, but for me, if he has been with the program for the last 30 years, he may be part of the problem not the solution. Maybe I am dead wrong on this but are part of his duties to manage media relations? If so, why are we seen in such a poor light by the media for all these years? Not being mean here, just trying to understand the operation because that part puzzles me. He may be a great historian and know the place inside and out, but…..
LikeLike
Ah oh.. Reed knows EJ I do not. Never met the man. Of course knowing and trusting Reed like I do I’ve heard what and how EJ thinks and his dedication to his job but more importantly to PITT. He sure isn’t the problem and I’m also sure Reed will straighten that out better than I can. Truthfully, EJ puts me in mind of Radar from “Mash” and I mean that as a compliment.
LikeLike
Huff makes good sense. Maybe a good housecleaning is in order. Staff can’t be kept around just because they are good guys. The PR part of the operation sucks. There is no overriding theme to the program or marketing strategy that I can see. No one seems to know why recruiting coordinators are leaving. It is a tough job everywhere. As things are now going, the AD staff and low level assistants are helping to take down the head coach.
LikeLike
I really don’t think EJ does a lot of talking. What he’s good at and his job is listening and coordinating. EJ is far far from a problem. I do know that much
LikeLike
Not specifically referring to EJ, ike. It’s just frustrating that more attention isn’t being given to the FB program. Narduzzi has his faults, but how much back is he getting? Besides the obvious (such as playing in the ACC), what are they selling these recruits? Get a degree? Nice city? They can get that stuff many different places.
LikeLike
4 stars want to be treated like 4 stars
they want a 4 star experience
that means division titles and championships
10-11 win seasons
playing time
TV
nice bowl games
nice dorms, training facilities, cafeterias
packed house on game day
LikeLike
You nailed it Tex.
“Packed house on game day” is missing at Pitt.
IMHO, We could have all the others you listed if we had that one…
Hail to Pitt.
LikeLike
Should be how much back up..
LikeLike
VOR, I just don’t think power and influence is in his job description.
LikeLike
ike, I said that I wasn’t specifically referring to EJ. I understand that everyone likes him. But the FB program is struggling, and another 5-7 year would be a disaster.. I’m wondering what Heather is doing about it.
LikeLike
LOL my friend, she’s waiting for PITT to play a game this coming year and maintain herself like she doesn’t read and post on message boards and Blogs and panic. I meant that in a nice way. Recruiting season has a long way to go as well. These people know how it works. Believe it or no,t PITT is still sitting on top of the Coastal division at 0-0, although I get the feeling that many think PITT will be like the basketball team and go 0-for in the ACC……………. Thanks a lot………….
LikeLiked by 1 person
My buddy Tx posted above.
“4 stars want to be treated like 4 stars
they want a 4 star experience
that means division titles and championships
10-11 win seasons
playing time
TV
nice bowl games
nice dorms, training facilities, cafeterias
packed house on game day”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
and Narduzzi can’t promise these things to 4*’s because he’s a lousy recruiter?? << That a question I just shouted out to all the POVer’s. Not aimed at you Tx… (because I think you get it)
LikeLike
Seeing Heather Lyke in action so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if she gave him this year and next (2019), and if the record and recruiting don’t improve markedly, she would make a change. I’d be interested to see her coaching search and hire for football. So far her men’s and women’s BB hires are been received well and she has hired coaches for the non-revenue sports that seem to be improvements over their predecessors.
LikeLike
Funny, I think just the opposite.
She cut Stallings loose with a bunch of years left on his contract and she paid big Pitt money to do so.
One thing to remember is that Pat Narduzzi wasn’t hired by Heather Lyke so she has no ties to him in that sense… if she thinks he’s going to be a failure in the year after this she’ll cut him loose as soon as possible so that she can get someone in their of her own to help her reputation.
Four full years are enough for any HC. If it looks like the program is stagnant or trending south then there’s no need to keep him pass that fourth year.
If we are 5-7 or worse again I think she makes a move. For one reason his recruiting is average at best and if she’s going to keep him in 2019 then the whole roster is Narduzzi kids and next coach inherits squat.
I think the come to Jesus meeting between her and PN happens before fall camp starts and there will be ostrich very short term goals laid out.
LikeLike
But will Pitt have the buyout money again? She’ll only dump Narduzzi if she’s sure she has a great replacement lined up.
LikeLike
Been busy and catching up … the difference is that this hire is Gallagher’s. He was intimately involved in the hire and has a vested interest in it working out.
LikeLike
The FB Coach is not the problem.
I know most kids are excited after a visit, but I keep reading enthusiastic comments from the players who visit, how much they like the coaches…
But then a WR who we offered, and who spoke highly of Pitt, picked VT. What do they have that we don’t? Good crowds at their games.
Don’t you think VT showed him photos of the yellow seats at Heinz during a Pitt game?
Go Pitt!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is Heinz a positive or a negative? We need a new survey of ourselves and a survey from past recruits who rejected us.
LikeLike
That would be interesting. I heard a story last year that a MD recruit had PSU and Pitt up high and he told his coach about the PSU recruited that ‘all he talked about was how terrible Pitt was.’
LikeLike
Actually that’s considered to be poor sales technique….to dis the competition.
LikeLike
“The FB Coach is not the problem.”
That may be true, but he HAS to be part of the solution. Reed asked what we would do if we were the AD and my answer was simple.. I wouldn’t take the job. I don’t feel Pitt would do the things I believe I’d need to be successful– certainly not in the way I’d want to do things.
You can’t take a job, thinking you don’t have the resources to be successful and then make the excuse that you don’t have the tools to be successful.
As I posted once before, I love Lloyd McLendon’s response after being fired by the Pirates. A reporter asked him if he thought it was fair that he was dismissed because he didn’t win more games, given the Pirates financial constraints. He said, “I knew the situation when I took the job. They hired me to win ballgames. We didn’t win enough. I make no excuses for that.”
We talk, ad nauseam, about Pitt’s liabilities and challenges.. and they are real. But, if the school lays out expectations and you don’t feel they can be met, you don’t take the job. Admittedly, we don’t know what commitments and expectations were set by the administration. Maybe they said, “Be .500 in the ACC, keep the kids out of trouble and graduate them.” If that’s the case, he’s doing fine. Or, maybe the administration made promises regarding facilities and resources that weren’t kept. Absent that, I give him (or any other coach) no excuses for poor recruiting or poor records.
LikeLike
I keep saying this and I just keep scratching this grey head of mine that I just do not understand the mystery and the questions so many have concerning PITT football. Reed outlined the reasons why PITT is behind the eight-ball a few articles ago. They haven’t cared enough for years about football. In fact in my mind, it really looked like to me that a not to long ago the PITT AD seemed hell bent on destroying the football program.
Now this has been on and off over time and I get the sense that PITT may be caring a little more about football at this point but we won’t know for sure for another few years. So I scratch my head in wonderment about the people who don’t get it and not about PITT football. Again, all things being equal, PITT football has done so much more with so much less imo. ike
LikeLike
This is not hard…
Success is gauged as performance against expectation.
If my expectation is 8-9 wins per season, an annual bowl bid and perennial Top 25 ranking.. then Pitt hasn’t been “successful” since the late 1980’s.
If another’s expectation is 5-7 wins per season, solid graduation rates and low levels of player misconduct.. then Pitt has been highly successful during that period.
I agree with ike that Pitt has probably exceeded in relation to the University’s commitment. I just want and expect more. Some here think Pitt can’t do any better than they have for the last 30 years. I think they can.
Maybe that make ME the optimist! (See what I did there? LOL)
LikeLiked by 2 people
Huff111… regarding Ohio State 50,000 would show up to watch their band.. Where has OhHowIHateOhioStae and former PITT band member NOLA69 been… you guys still kickin ?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Being an assistant coach, Narduzzi was not in a a good position to demand certain things like recruiting budgets and upgraded facilities. This may be part of the problem, he may now see what it actually takes to be successful. Heather has to come through with the resources needed to be successful. PN said upon hiring that Pitt was his destination job. Frank, I’ve said all along that much more research is needed as to why players did or didn’t select Pitt. This research has to come from the AD.
LikeLike
By the way, I can’t imagine any AD telling a prospective new coach that .500 is good enough, as long as the players stay out of trouble. We’ve had those results already.
LikeLike
Just an FYI here and to be clear. I expect PITT to win at LEAST 8 games a season and a bowl game. Plus a run at the ACC title game every once in a while, a playoff appearance and a national championship. I’m not in this to not win it. The big difference with me is that when it doesn’t happen…………. my world won’t come to an end… ike
LikeLike
Pitt can be anything it wants to be. If it chooses to continue on a path of football mediocrity, it is just that.. a choice. We chose to be good in the ’70s and ’80s and we were.
You want a more recent example?…
I’m working on a piece (look out for it in your email, Reed) about a school that began playing football in 1896, winning 2 National Championships by 1938. From the 1960’s through the 1990’s, they slipped into sustained mediocrity. They hired a new Chancellor in the late ’90s who “encouraged the resurgence of a nationally respected NCAA Division I athletics program.” Since then, the team has ended the season ranked 12 times and gone to 18 bowl games, all while competing in a P5 conference, having a smaller enrollment than Pitt and being in close proximity to franchises in the NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS.
Success is a choice. Do I expect Narduzzi to overcome Pitt’s deficiencies all by himself? No, I don’t. But..
“There is no more neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you’re going to be part of the problem.” – Eldridge Cleaver
LikeLike
I know who
they also have a right sized OCS
LikeLike
We Pitt fans have Bourbon tatstes on a Millet Lite budget.
We all want division titles, 10 win seasons, 4 star recruits, playing bowl games in Florida come January.
But we’re stuck with mediocrity. Some of it is our fault for not attending games, donating and buying merchandise. But the Pitt program gives us fans little reason to consistently do those things.
There is no excitement with the team this year. Pitt will average 46k attendance this year mainly because of the Penn State game. But the house will still be only at 67% capacity.
And we’ll be extremely fortunate to see 8+ wins this season. I’m hoping for 6 and a crappy bowl invite.
LikeLike
New NCAA rules allow football redshirts to play in four games, transfers to leave without permission
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/13757093-74/new-ncaa-rules-allow-football-redshirts-to-play-in-four-games-transfers
LikeLike
Do you feel that….?? I feel the earth underneath my feet becoming common ground. A few ikeism’s
Know where you’re going and what you’re going to do when you get there and above all, know where your feet are at all times.
Understand what you are about to say before you say what’s on the tip of your tongue, then no regrets.
We all have a space beneath us, this space should never be invaded at all cost, if you need help, call me.
Respect should not be earned, trust should and has to be proven.
Variety may be the spice of life but continuity is the glue that holds life together.
What’s all this mean?……… I don’t know… but I drilled it into my family… ike
LikeLike
“The big difference with me is that when it doesn’t happen…………. my world won’t come to an end…”
We all put Pitt football in a different perspective. Being a father and husband and having lost 3 of the closest people in my life in the last 10 years, I can assure you my life “doesn’t come to an end” when Pitt loses.
Making those types of comments are not only unfair but add NOTHING to the conversation regarding Pitt football. This is a site about Pitt football. So, we are collectively sharing positive and negative (and hopefully CRITICAL) thoughts about the past, present and future of Pitt football.
LikeLike
and you think my comment was overly dramatic? I’ll rephrase Jay. I’ve learned over the years to take whatever comes from the PITT football program, appreciate what it is and understand what it isn’t.
Sorry for your losses…
LikeLike
btw Jay…………. Life and World are two totally different words…. The one I used was a metaphor.
LikeLike
Historically, I believe Pitt only cares about sports when they become an embarrassment. A those moments the powers that be seem to step,up,and make a temporary correction. Then, sure as the sun rises, if they become successful, someone on the academic side will say we are becoming a ………name the sport, factory and de emphasize. I think it’s been that way since the early part of the 20th century.
Also, who in the dept. is actually in charge of media relations and getting the coverage? EJ?, Celeste? Inquiring minds.
LikeLike
Fair enough, Ike.
That said, word choice is important. And I do believe you were trying to make a point that you hold Pitt football in it’s “proper” perspective and others do not– simply because you feel they are too critical.
While some may need a “reset” on their priorities, I don’t know any of you enough to make that judgement and certainly not in a public forum. I find it inappropriate for that type of discussion here.
This is a Pitt football (and sometimes basketball) site.
How about we all try to keep our comments focused on that?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I dont think Gallagher is the reset person that Pitt needs for overall sports. The school you mentioned had the support from the board. They realized sports were a good way to ‘market’ the university and a good way to get students engaged (higher engagement means higher donations). They transformed their front porch and didnt just perform paint touch-ups.
At this point taking sports seriously means actions that prove it:
hold every coach accountable
hold people in the AD accountable
start winning and bringing home some hardware
run a balanced budget
stop being cheap
upgrade facilities when needed (like Trees and Fitzgerald)
get students involved
market one heck of a lot better
no excuses for mediocrity
LikeLike
and start raising some serious money. Get out there and fundraise. Dont depend on the 2-3 whales to do it for you. Reach out to the masses and give them a reason.
LikeLike
Joeknew.
Great observation. History seems to bear that out. There has been great struggles between the academicians and the athletic department back to when Sutherland left over the deemphasis of football.
LikeLike
The BoT is still influencing things with their heavy emphasis on grades, graduation rates and model citizens. You hear these points from Heather repeatedly. But it rings hollow when your sports teams are mediocre or worse. I would trade away a 3.5 grade average for a 2.5 and choir boys for some occasional trouble if it meant going 8-4 instead of 5-7.
LikeLike
Tx, one of the points I’m trying to wrap my head around and want others to realize. Gallagher is not a variable here, he is a constant moving forward. Good or bad he’s what PITT has got, to borrow a phrase from one of my former signature’s and I believe he’s way better then what PITT has had for the past decade or two. I say let’s let it ride and see where it takes us. That’s just imo!
LikeLike
No one will ever convince me that DW’s departure wasn’t orchestrated by the biggest prick to ever be a part of PITT. The man who loved himself too much “the steve”
LikeLike
“Gallagher is not a variable here, he is a constant moving forward. Good or bad he’s what PITT has got..”
That may be true but it doesn’t have to be. All organizations change leadership. And all leadership can be influenced by outside sources.
So many things were once considered inevitable, unchangeable or constant that are no longer so.
Perhaps we should focus our energies on more important things than football but make no mistake.. if enough pressure is brought to bear, anything can change… except maybe SOP! 😀
LikeLike
Gallagher represents the BoT. Easiest way to change what comes out of his mouth is by changing the BoT’s membership. The BoT composition turns over more often than the Chancellor.
But the BoT is huge with over 30 voting members. Many of these members being political appointees, academics and some are actually Nitters. You really need to influence the nominating committee. I doubt there are any business or sports criteria.
LikeLike
Jay91 quoting Eldridge Clever…what other Pitt site do you find that on? Or this:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/skeleton-man-walking-skeleton-dinosaur?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a5c577939b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_06_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f36db9c480-a5c577939b-62918609&ct=t(EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_6_13_2018)&mc_cid=a5c577939b&mc_eid=2f6d4414c5
LikeLike
Statement from Pitt Head Football Coach Pat Narduzzi:
“I think the NCAA’s amendment of the redshirt rule for Division I football is an outstanding decision. It allows a player who may be challenged by injuries to not lose an entire year of his college career. Moreover, our younger players will definitely benefit by having the opportunity to experience live game competition. It will keep them engaged and motivated throughout an entire season.”
LikeLike
It is a good rule. Certainly could help depth over the last four games. Also gives guys a chance to prove what they can do on the field instead of the practice squad. Might have got Pickett on the field earlier.
Does it only apply to injured guys? Lot of phony injury reports coming.
LikeLike
The medical redshirt will essentially go away I heard on the radio here in Austin. Not sure why the NCAA just doesn’t give kids five years to play five. The average football player takes 5.1 years to graduate per a study done last decade. Kids will still turn pro early, transfer out, etc.
LikeLike
I guess the strategy of telling kids they will have the opportunity to play early isn’t working.
LikeLike
This place is just so darn interesting to me. Between the golf outing, the round-table discussions and Fran’s tailgates we can put a face to that name. I know it’s been said but seriously, tell me another place that does one of those things let alone all three?
For those of you who comment and haven’t jumped in yet, think about leaping. For those who just read, you should really consider sharing your thoughts and expressions with all of us I’m sure they will be well received and greatly appreciated. I don’t even read the paper first thing anymore. I grab a cup of coffee and come straight on Reed’s POV. Who would have thought?
ike
LikeLike
dog gone it. Does one of these things. Maybe I should finish my coffee before posting?
Fixed
LikeLike
https://giphy.com/embed/13n4Hd98ewKJsQ
via GIPHY
LikeLike
https://giphy.com/gifs/13n4Hd98ewKJsQ/html5
LikeLike
LikeLike