Pat Narduzzi is a busy man.
Browse his Twitter profile, and you'll see the "Pat Signal" shining over and over and over, as his Pitt Panthers just keep getting commitments from the guys they covet. It looks a little something like this:
PITT IS IT.... AGAIN‼️‼️‼️🔥🔥🔥 #PITT2L1TT #H2P pic.twitter.com/CZEddnn8tf
— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) April 23, 2020
Most recently, Narduzzi gave the signal after locking down three-star, 6-foot-4, 217-pound edge rusher Trevion Stevenson from Hampton, Va.'s Phoebus High School.
Blessed To Be In This Position ✞...
Now It’s Time To Take The Next Step
C O M M I T T E D 💙💛
#H2P🔵🟡 pic.twitter.com/XptmGAMXCw
— Trevion Stevenson (@tjstevenson11) April 22, 2020
That marked Narduzzi's fourth commitment for the class of 2021. Among the other commits, Stevenson joins three-star prospect Rodney Hammond, who led his Booker T. Washington High School squad in rushing yards while also registering six interceptions on the other side of the ball, four-star West Mifflin defensive end Nahki Johnson and three-star Philadelphia-based safety Javon McIntyre.
In all, these commitments moved Pitt's 2021 class ranking up to 44th in the nation and eighth in the ACC. For reference, Pitt's 2019 class ranked 59th overall and 12th in the ACC, while its 2020 class is ranked identically at 44th overall/eighth in the conference, via 247Sports.com.
The bigger point here, though, which is highlighted by Stevenson's signing in particular, is that Narduzzi and Pitt are building a desirable landing spot for incoming freshmen.
Stevenson didn't have to come to Pitt. He had offers from dozens of schools, including top-tier programs such as Penn State, Florida State, Michigan, Texas, TCU, West Virginia University, UCF, California and the University of Miami.
"I am truly blessed to be able to bring my hard work and dedication to the University of Pittsburgh for the next few years of my life, where I will continue my academic and athletic journey," Stevenson said in his announcement on Twitter.
Last season, Pitt built the No. 15-ranked total defense, allowing 312.9 yards per game thanks largely to a dominant defensive front featuring All-ACC contributors in defensive end Patrick Jones II and defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman. With their help, Pitt's defense tied for the most sacks-per-game in college football at 3.92 per contest. While many expected both Jones and Twyman to head to the NFL, they both returned for another year in the blue and gold, giving an already strong defense even more appeal for incoming recruits.
Add in star safety Paris Ford foregoing the 2020 NFL Draft for another year on campus, and there's no doubt potential recruits such as Stevenson see plenty to like in what Narduzzi is building with his team.
There's no doubt Narduzzi knows it, a point he highlighted when speaking with local reporters earlier in April:
"Recruiting hasn’t slowed down," Narduzzi was telling us on via Zoom video conference. "It’s actually maybe sped up for us. Although these kids aren’t coming on campus, these great student-athletes out there all over the country, we’re having more phone calls, FaceTimes with players than ever before. Because I’ve got nothing else to do … We’ve got more focus and we’re trying, as coaches, to get out there. As a matter of fact, we even got coaches now playing video games with recruits. We’ve always kind of talked about it, but we’ve got coaches — I won’t mention names — but we got coaches playing some of the Maddens and some of those games just to get around them."
The formula is working, and Pitt is not just getting the guys they want but keeping them around as well. It's a big step, and it's positive momentum for a program looking to improve from its 8-5 (4-4 ACC) finish a year ago.
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