Panthers continue to struggle on the local recruiting front
When Pat Narduzzi was hired to be Pitt’s head coach in 2015, he made a point early on to emphasize the importance of having a strong recruiting presence in the WPIAL and City League. As the years have gone on, Narduzzi has echoed this sentiment, even at times pointing back to his original claim he made nine years ago.
“When I sat here in 2015, I said how we are going to recruit is [through] our backyard,” Narduzzi said during his press conference on national signing day last December.
But while Narduzzi and his staff have helped produce more than a few hometown success stories, as of late, Pitt has had little success at landing the high-end talent in Western Pennsylvania. And more often than not, the Panthers have lost out to one of their biggest rivals.
On Feb. 4th, Alex Tatsch, a four-star linebacker prospect from Latrobe, announced his verbal commitment to Penn State. On Feb. 7, Dayshaun Burnett, another four-star linebacker prospect from Imani Christian, did the same. Tatsch and Burnett are two of the three four-star prospects in the WPIAL’s junior class. The other four-star talent is Aliquippa’s Tiqwai Hayes, who is also a Penn State verbal commit.
Should Tatsch, Burnett and Hayes remain committed to the Nittany Lions, Penn State will have signed seven of the area’s last 10 four-star prospects. Pitt, meanwhile, managed to land just one member of that group: Cameron Lindsey, a four-star linebacker out of Aliquippa.
Central Valley’s Henry offered
Although Pitt has struck out when it comes to high-end talent in the WPIAL’s junior class, some of the best prospects in the area remain available. As things currently stand, the Class of 2027 is shaping up to be one of the deepest talent groups the area has seen in years.
So far, seven WPIAL players who just finished their freshman seasons have at least one Power Four offer to their credit, with the latest being Central Valley’s Jance Henry Jr., who picked up an offer from Pitt earlier this month.
Henry, who measures 5-foot-8, 195 pounds, has other offers from Akron, Toledo and UNLV. He is now the third freshman running back from the WPIAL to earn an offer from Pitt, with the other two being West Mifflin’s Armand Hill and McKeesport’s Kemon Jones.
Larry Moon (Aliquippa), Carter Bonner (Imani Christian), Khalil Taylor (Seton LaSalle) and Gabriel Jenkins (Imani Christian) are the other four WPIAL freshmen who currently boast an offer from the Panthers.
Panthers land first 2025 commit
One of the few pieces of good news for Pitt this week was the announcement of the program’s first verbal commitment from the Class of 2025: Trevor Sommers, an edge rusher out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Sommers, who measures 6-foot-3, 245 pounds, is rated a three-star prospect by Rivals. His other Power Four offers include Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Syracuse and West Virginia. Last fall, Sommers played with Allen Bryant, a three-star defensive back from the Class of 2024 that signed with Pitt in December.