Look at what Pitt has accomplished over the past two years under Pat Narduzzi.
The 2021 ACC Championship. Twenty wins overall. Back-to-back seasons of finishing with an Associated Press Top 25 ranking. Retaining an entire coaching staff from year-to-year, entering this season.
And, as of Saturday morning, the fastest Football Bowl Subdivision program to gain 20 recruiting commits to the 2024 class.
As Pitt's football coach tweets with each verbal commit: Pitt is it.
PITT IS IT‼️🟦🟨😎🔒🏝 #H2P #TheHunt24 pic.twitter.com/RLKnPNij1Z
— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) June 10, 2023
It's hard to argue: Yes it is. And it is only growing.
The 2024 class reached that mark Saturday morning with Narduzzi's "Pat Signal" drop around 11:45 a.m., as a part of a hot month of June to help boost the future of the program. As of this posting, five players committed to Pitt's 2024 class on Saturday and 10 have committed since June 1 alone, giving Pitt the No. 18 overall class, according to Rivals. Overall, the number of 2024 commits to Pitt, as of this posting, is 21, after Narduzzi dropped another "Pat Signal" just after 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Of those 21 commits, though, seven have not yet publicly announced their commitment, as has become the norm in the social media age. The recent-most player we learned of as the latest to this class is Maryland three-star offensive lineman Mason Lindsay, who announced his commitment Wednesday.
According to Rivals' tracker of recruiting visits, Pitt was set to host 13 players on the South Side over this weekend. Five had previously committed, leaving eight more left uncommitted. Consider the likelihood that all five of the commits from Saturday visited campus this weekend, and make it 10 out of 13 visitors having committed.
That speaks wonders to not only Narduzzi, but also to his staff in an entirety.
While Pitt did not have the dream 2022 season it experienced in 2021, it absolutely has set itself up for the potential to have more seasons like the 2021 run to the ACC Championship.
And, here is what makes this scenario sweeter: Consider the amount of four- and five-star players who were members of that 2021 ACC Championship team. It's safe to note without getting too specific: There weren't many, if any.
Look at this 2024 class, as of Saturday afternoon. Per Rivals, only two current commits retain a four-star rating: Defensive tackle Jahsear Whittington and wide receiver Ric'Darious "DayDay" Farmer. That doesn't mean other four stars haven't committed just yet -- as mentioned, there are still seven players who haven't come public with their verbal commitments -- but that also doesn't mean Narduzzi and his staff aren't chasing any players of that caliber. Per Rivals, two more four-stars visited the South Side this weekend: Outside linebacker Cameron Lindsey and running back Yasin Wells, and neither have made any sort of announcement, one way or another, as of this posting.
Aside from Whittington and Farmer, the rest of the known 2024 commits are tabbed as three-star players.
Just inside of Narduzzi's wheelhouse.
Look at the small-sample track record: Calijah Kancey, Kenny Pickett, and Jordan Addison -- three first-round draft picks over the last two seasons to have suited up at Pitt -- were all rated as three-star prospects by Rivals. The bottom line about Narduzzi's style and method to recruiting is selling the development and having a staff capable of doing so.
The methodology is well intact, the vision he is selling is evidently working, and the proof has shown over the last two seasons. Pitt might not have repeated as ACC champion in 2022, but a nine-win season to follow up -- with shoddy quarterback play all year, at best -- is still nothing to scoff at. Narduzzi has taken tremendous momentum from that title victory, even in an age where the transfer portal is running rampant and name, image, and likeness collectives are making players' pockets deeper than ever.
At the end of the day, winning is still an important factor in college athletics. Pitt has done a lot of that. It is sure to say that each of the 21 prospects thus far are not fully guaranteed to develop into stars, contribute as depth options, or even stick around to begin with, but having a strong base line of prospects is always a fine well to dip into.
That will only keep the winning culture alive.