Vukovcan: Top WPIAL Recruits Should Take Stronger Look at Pitt Before Committing Elsewhere
The Pitt football program is almost a month away from the start of high school recruits taking official visits with the Panthers, which means commitments will be sure to follow.
However, it’s starting to look as though it’s going to be another recruiting season with very few commitments from top targets in the WPIAL, if any. Unfortunately for Pat Narduzzi and Pitt, this has become a common theme and something that I feel as though I comment on every year.
Pitt was successful in landing 2026 4-star defensive end Reston Lehman from Peters Township High School, but unfortunately, he seems to be the exception and not the norm.
So, let me start by getting this out of the way and it’s a narrative from Pitt fans that seems to go with this topic, and it has zero truth to it, yet it’ll create a life of its own.
Yes, Narduzzi and Pitt have and are trying their best to recruit and land the top players from the area. With most of these players, Pitt was the first or one of their first Division I or Power Four offers. However, as some with previous ties to Pitt told me over the weekend, “Everybody wants a Pitt offer until they have a Pitt offer.”
On Sunday, Central Catholic 2027 3-star offensive lineman Jon Sassic committed to Penn State and new head coach Matt Campbell. Sassic is the younger brother of Pitt walk-on Jake Sassic and was scheduled to have an official visit to Pitt from June 18-20 but that likely won’t take place.
Prior to this news, two of Sassic’s teammates at Central Catholic also passed on Pitt and committed elsewhere. 3-star defensive back Zachary Gleason also gave a commitment to Penn State, while 4-star offensive tackle Jimmy Kalis joined Ohio State.
Kalis heading to Columbus came as no surprise as he never really considered staying home. However, Gleason was someone that the Pitt staff wanted and thought they had a chance of landing, so his commitment was disappointing.
Like Kalis, McKeesport 2027 5-star running back Kemon Spell, who has committed to Georgia, was someone that never had Pitt on his radar.
Spell and Kalis are rare exceptions and aren’t the type of recruits I’m referring to in regard to this column.
I can go back over the last handful of years and list other names of WPIAL players that Pitt aggressively recruited but weren’t successful in landing them, but I won’t waste the time doing so because you get the point.
The point that I’d like to get across here is that Narduzzi and Pitt should in no way get criticized for failing in local recruiting. Trust me, Narduzzi, Cory Sanders and other members of their staff are doing everything within their power to receive a commitment from the players they prioritize.
When examining the situation, it seems to be coming down to two things: 1.) when we’re talking about Penn State, it’s the Terry Smith factor. Smith is a tremendous recruiter and has the magic wand with being able to draw players from Western Pennsylvania. 2.) the second factor may sound harsh but it’s reality and has been for a number of years, lack of respect for Pitt.
When I refer to lack of respect, I’m not saying that these players don’t respect Narduzzi and his coaches or don’t think that Pitt is a good program. It just comes down to when receiving offers from certain programs, players feel as though they’re better than Pitt and no longer consider them as seriously as they once did.
To me, it’s sad when players from Georgia, Florida and other recruiting hot beds respect and think more of an offer from Pitt than most hometown kids do.
Once again, that sounds harsh and isn’t a knock on WPIAL players but it’s reality.
Here’s something else this is true and it’s not my opinion, as their on-field statistics (or lack thereof) and number of players entering the portal back this up; a large majority of players passing on Pitt and going to ‘bigger’ or ‘higher profile’ programs later regret it.
When I say regret it, I’m talking about not getting onto the field or on the two-deep depth chart until their junior or senior seasons. Reason for this is because of the amount of quality competition on the roster or that their skill level isn’t as advanced as they think.
Like with the players that have passed on Pitt coming out of high school, I could also give a long list of ones that fall into the category of players I just described. In most cases, after a couple of years, a majority of these players enter the transfer portal after growing frustrated with their situations.
Without naming the player, one of the more frustrating examples involves one of the more talented players I’ve seen locally in years. He was a big-time national recruit but went to a school that was loaded at talent at his position. This player has yet to get any meaningful snaps in three seasons and might get moved to another position.
If I had to lay down money, I’d guess that he would’ve been a starter already at Pitt.
I’m not trying to knock players for passing on Pitt because they’re making the choice that they feel is best for them. However, a large majority of these commitments are head-scratchers and have very little chance from the start of working out.
Simple common sense, looking at a program’s depth chart is needed. Unless it’s a tremendous NIL deal and one that couldn’t be passed on, why would you commit to a program that has two or three other 4-star players at your position and are bringing in other highly rated players with you in the same recruiting class?
I realize every player is confident in their own ability but simple common sense and doing some research is all that’s needed. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen and a decision is based on the helmet or conference.
Here’s a look at some statistics regarding WPIAL players and success they’ve had beyond high school. The hit rate takes a look at WPIAL players who have had high level production, average production and no production at said school.
WPIAL Signees Production with Signed School (2015-16)
Signed Players Hit %
Pitt: 38 players | 47%
Penn State: 20 players | 42%
WVU: 11 players | 33%
Notre Dame: 7 players | 29%
Michigan: 4 players | 33%
Syracuse: 4 players | 0%
Duke: 3 players | 0%
N. Carolina: 3 players | 0%
Ohio State: 2 players | 0%
Does every WPIAL player that commits to Pitt have success? No, and I’m not trying to imply that. However, there’s a strong track record of players that do. Once again, doing some research will tell you that.
While Pitt hasn’t been able to land the top local players yet, there are a few more players in the Class of 2027 that they’re heavily pursuing so there’s a chance they won’t get shutout.
*4-star athlete Gabriel Jenkins (Imani Christian)
*3-star offensive lineman Ryan Robbins (Upper St. Clair)
*4-star wide receiver Javien Robinson (McKeesport)
In the event these players make the decision to accept an opportunity elsewhere, Pitt will continue to pursue and bring in talent for the 2027 class and beyond from Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, Texas or elsewhere.
Would they like to keep more kids home? Sure, but until WPIAL players are able to see the true value of attending Pitt and the benefits and pluses that come with it, don’t look for this unfortunate situation to change anytime soon.
