At the age of 58, Pat Narduzzi isn’t shy about admitting he’s an “old-school” coach.

Before he signs a player from high school or the transfer portal, he’d like to look that young man in the eye, shake his hand and meet his family.

“I want to know where they come from,” he said.

But on the eve of letter of intent day 2024, Narduzzi doesn’t have the luxury of visiting the homes of all 20 members of his current recruiting class. The calendar doesn’t allow it.

The first signing period starts Wednesday, and — if you recall — Narduzzi has been dealing with a five-game losing streak during a season that ended Saturday.

In the past and for many years, the first LOI period began in February, allowing home visits in January that were far enough removed from the day-to-day mechanics of preparing for games. It was changed to late December several years ago and shifted again this year to get ahead of the NCAA transfer portal opening next Monday.

At least in theory, portal signings could eliminate roster holes. But if the portal period comes before signing day and teams meet their needs with veteran transfers, some high school kids’ opportunities might disappear.

“The NCAA wanted to make sure (schools) signed high school kids and didn’t drop kids,” Narduzzi told local reporters during the season. “Last year, there were a few programs that dropped five or six or seven kids that thought they were signing and didn’t. To me, if people can’t do their business the right way, penalize them. It should hurt them in recruiting.

“It shouldn’t be, let’s move it up and mess up the whole recruiting process. I’m hoping next year, at least, the signing day is moved up to the end of June, which is where it should be, and give us an opportunity to go out on the road and, at least, get in these homes. That would make sense.

“It’s the worst recruiting calendar that’s ever been made. We whined about it as coaches in the ACC.”

The day he spoke to reporters, Narduzzi had just come from an academic admissions committee meeting that began soon after he left the practice field. He said that’s the first time he’s had such a meeting in the middle of the season.

“Usually, I go into a committee meeting, and it’s after I’ve gone out on the road and saw these kids,” he said. “I’ve been in everybody’s home, every kid that we signed.

“I will not have been in any of these kids’ homes (before signing day). I have less information for (the committee) about who these kids are, how they live, the support they have at home.”

Narduzzi said he and his coaching and recruiting staffs have built “great relationships” with players who have verbally committed to Pitt. But he said the home visit remains an important part of the process.

“It was always comforting to me to be in that home, meet that whole family, meet the brothers and sisters,” he said. “Aunts and uncles would come over, and it would be a big party when you do those home visits. You always walk out of those visits saying, ‘What a great visit, great people. We want that guy in our program.’ It just made sense that way.

“It always scares me to know that you don’t have that last-minute contact with those kids.”

Narduzzi said he will try to do as many visits as possible in December while in the middle of bowl game prep — but after signing day.

“I want to be there,” he said. “I will spend the time to get out there.”

BREAKING: Four-Star WR DaMarion Fowlkes has Flipped his Commitment from Pitt to Missouri, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 5’11 175 WR from Olney, MD had been Committed to the Panthers since June

“Mizzou I'm home!”https://t.co/K8t0Wtyx65 pic.twitter.com/0x8i8rwP0o

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 2, 2024

Meanwhile, wide receiver DeMarion Fowlkes of Montgomery Village, Md., flipped to Missouri on Monday. He had been verbally committed to Pitt since June.

Pitt’s recruiting class is ranked 42nd in the nation and eighth in the 17-team ACC by Rivals.com.

Among other verbal commits are:

• Defensive back Mason Alexander, the only player in Pitt’s class rated a four-star prospect by Rivals. A student at Hamilton (Ind.) Southeastern High School, he is the No. 6 overall recruit in Indiana and 34th cornerback in the nation.

• Wide receivers Emmanuel Taylor of Virginia Beach, Va., Kha’leal Sterling of Miami, Ja’Kyrian Turner of Wildwood, Fla., and Bryce Yates of Chesterfield, Va.

• Pennsylvania products Shep Turk, an offensive lineman from Thomas Jefferson, and defensive back Shawn Lee of Harrisburg.

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