Opposing ACC Coach Praises Pitt's Recruiting, Development

The Pitt Panthers have earned respect for how they recruit and develop within the ACC and nationally.

PITTSBURGH -- As the Pitt Panthers have embarked on a steady rise over the course of Pat Narduzzi's tenure - winning an ACC Championship, a pair of Coastal Division titles and 20 games combined over the last two seasons on the way to ranked finishes in both years - they've gained a new level of respect in their conference and nationally. 

According to a report from Rivals' Adam Gorney, an anonymous ACC coach has lots of respect for how the Panthers find talent and mold it into productive players. 

“This is maybe the most slept-on staff for recruiting because they’re not hauling in five-stars but they’re always recruiting very well to fit their needs and culture," the coach said. "They’re good evaluators. The secret here is that they adopt [Pat Narduzzi’s] mentality or they get run off.”

Gorney agreed with that assessment. The way Pitt has found NFL diamonds in the recruiting rough has him thinking that the recruiting services are prone to misevaluate the prospects they add. 

"Whichever coach said this has his finger on the pulse of the Pitt program and could not be more right," Gorney said. "So much so that I often look back at Pitt’s recruiting class to wonder if some players are ranked too low, if the coaches are seeing something, whether it’s about size or determination or sheer will to be successful, that we’re missing. ... Narduzzi understands his own DNA and the DNA of the city and it exudes through his players."

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