Who the **** invited you here? I wasn’t aware there was an award for who gets recruits the quickest.
UPS's "More Commits Than Pitt in June" trophy will right next to their "Spring Game Attendance" trophy.
Remember, not a rival.
Not A Rival and most definitely Irrelevant, but they'll keep tabs on Pitt's recruiting nonetheless. They're so cute, those Nitters.
Also, in terms of the trophies comment - we have a B1G title and a Fiesta Bowl win in just the past 2 seasons. Being a realistic Pitt fan, when do any of you honestly think Pitt will stand a chance at winning their conference or a New Year’s bowl game?
Honestly, I think it could happen as early as 2019.
I've said before that if Narduzzi's track at Pitt follows the same general track that Dantonio's did at MSU, Pitt will make a leap in Year Four or Year Five. I use MSU/Dantonio as a benchmark for a number of reasons. First, Narduzzi was with Dantonio at two programs and he's seen the blueprint. Second, Pitt & MSU each play in conferences that spotlight three or four blueblood programs. Both Pitt and MSU have to recruit geographically against blueblood programs, some in-conference and some OOC. Finally, if you look at MSU's 15-20 year history prior to Dantonio's arrival, you'll find it very similar record-wise to the 13-20 years Pitt had before Narduzzi.
For Dantonio, the leap happened in Year Four. Year Four for Narduzzi would actually be this coming 2018 season so I suppose it COULD happen this year but I don't expect it to. This is still a young team at some crucial spots (QB, WR, some OL) and the OOC schedule is tough.
Narduzzi has received some (justifiable) criticism for his recruiting, but he's brought in more players with more P5 offers than his predecessors ever did, and it's really not close. A lot of that talent was just too young until now. That's why I'd put my money on 2019.
In 2019, Pickett will have a full year as a starter. Offensive playmakers with pedigree will be entering their third full seasons in the program. They'll bring back almost the entire 2018 defense and most of those players will be four or five years into the program in 2019. Many of those players on defense are the Narduzzi's players that I cited above...the kids that saw more offers from P5 schools than the kids that Chryst, Graham and even Wannstedt was recruiting.
As MSU always has to deal with tOSU, UPS, Michigan (still a blueblood no matter how much Harbaugh effs things up) and - to a lesser degree - Wisconsin, Pitt will always have to deal with the a conference that features Clemson, FSU, Miami and VT. Those programs will always be factors on the field because they will always recruit well.
Over the last three years, Pitt has proven they can play with VT & Miami. Narduzzi is 1-2 against VT but every game has been decided by less than six points. They proved last year they can beat Miami.
To get a conference title, Pitt HAS to continue to stay head of GT, Virginia, & Duke. They have to find SOME way to beat UNC. They've beaten VT and Miami with lesser teams than the ones they'll presumably have this year and next. If they win the Coastal, they're likely looking at Clemson or FSU. That's a tough win for anyone, but the same truth holds; they've already beaten Clemson with less. Would they consistently be favored in that game? Probably not. Did it matter in 2016? Absolutely not.
It's more of an uphill battle for Pitt, on and off the field. Franklin deserves credit for his recruiting; he's going toe-to-toe with blueblood programs for every recruit he gets, and he has to win those battles, too. To that end, though, he's aided by a program that's commands attention as the only game in town, one whose name, logo, colors and traditions sell themselves to a large degree. It's a much different sell to recruits for UPS than it is for Pitt.
I've said before that Pitt's expectations should be at about 9-10 wins per year; that's an 8-win or 9-win regular season and a bowl game. In any four-year span, you hope it comes together for a year or two straight, you beat VT and Miami and get to 11 wins. You have a down year due to attrition (even blueblood programs do at some point), but that lasts no more than a year or two and you start the cycle again.