Success of current players a key selling point on recruiting trail for Pitt's coaches

Pitt’s coaches undoubtedly utilize a variety of strategies on the recruiting trail when courting prospects.

Team culture, coaching stability, playing time and NIL and revenue-sharing are all pieces of the puzzle relayed by Pat Narduzzi and his staff to potential future Panthers.

Particularly helpful is being able to point to current players thriving on both sides of the ball.

“All along the process, as we look at different guys and identify guys for our fit, when we’re able to sit down and watch film with them, that’s a huge selling point,” linebackers coach Ryan Manalac said. “Look at our guys run fast, hit hard, make plays in the backfield, defensive touchdowns — our aggressive scheme is a huge selling point.”

Of all Pitt’s assistants, Manalac and his linebackers have among the most to tangibly demonstrate to recruits about what they could be doing for the Panthers down the line.

That’s a result of three playmakers — Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles and Braylan Lovelace — who make up one of the more impressive linebacking outfits in the nation.

Biles, Louis and Lovelace are Pitt’s three leading tacklers, with a combined 21 tackles for loss and six interceptions between them.

Lovelace’s 100-yard pick-6 vs. Georgia Tech and Biles’ two interception returns for touchdowns this year are sure to have shown up when Manalac recruited the three linebackers who ended up signing with Pitt Wednesday: Marcus Jennings, Isaiah Simmons and Desmond Johnson.

From involvement in the defensive scheme to a propensity for making splash plays, Manalac saw how recruits could easily picture themselves making those plays.

“You want a guy who wants to come in here, be aggressive and you see guys light up when they see those plays and envision themselves making those plays in the future,” Manalac said. “That’s huge. Our guys in the linebacker room do a great job of selling that.”

Tailbacks coach Lindsey Lamar had a similar experience in recruiting the Panthers’ lone signee at his position: 4-star Damon Ferguson.

A 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back from Gwynn Oak, Md. (Milford Mill Academy), Ferguson remained committed to Pitt despite eventually attracting over 40 offers, signing Wednesday with the rest of the 2026 class.

While injuries cost Desmond Reid a considerable portion of the 2025 campaign, his explosive 2024 and multi-dimensional usage within Pitt’s offense provided Lamar with much to sell.

Now, heading into 2026, when Ferguson joins Pitt’s tailbacks room, he’ll strive to be a similar downhill threat and major factor in the passing game as was Reid.

“Des did a great job for us and he was a great example of what you can do in this offense,” Lamar said. “When you go to these schools and show all the stuff that he did, it gets them excited. ‘Man, I could see myself doing that.’ A guy like Damon, he can do it all, as well. He has great ball skills, he can run and he’s bigger. That’s why he provides so many great things.”

At Pitt, cornerbacks are expected to fend for themselves in man coverage, leading to a surplus of one-on-one assignments.

Archie Collins told Kentrail McRae, the lone defensive back (of four) in Pitt’s class projected to play corner, that players at his position undergo baptism by fire with the Panthers.

Those who can hack it are better positioned for the rigors of the NFL, should they perform well enough in college to get drafted.

“You’ve got to be a dog to be put on that island,” Collins said. “Coach Narduzzi’s system has been proven and proven. A number of great corners on the outside have come through this system. One thing about it — the people at the next level understand that they’ve been battle-tested. There’s nobody that’s going to come out of these four walls who haven’t been battle-tested and do not respond with anything they do.

“It’s a complex system and they’re able to respond very, very quickly with checks within a second. That’s why they translate well at the next level.”

Highlighting how past recruits have developed at Pitt will continue to be a key element of the pitch to the latest wave of Panthers prospects.

But Pitt’s coaches also make a point to stress that achieving star status isn’t easy.

Narduzzi and his assistants will be there every step of the way to assist players achieve their full potential, but once they step foot on campus, much of that responsibility rests on their own shoulders.

“These next guys, they’ve earned their own path,” safeties coach Cory Sanders said. “They’re on their own journey. What those guys did have no impact on what these guys do. We’ve just got to move at their pace and move them along how they need to be moved along, understanding our defense and getting them up to speed here.”