Panther Cubs: Pitt Seals Perfect Signing Day
Report by Matt Schmidlin | February 5, 2020
After losing 8 starters to graduation and the NFL Draft,
Pat Narduzzi had a tall order in front of him to replace the score of defensive talent that roamed the Pitt Panther defense. He made sure to do so, with a number of defensive studs helping to comprise the 2020 Pitt recruiting class.
The Panthers signed 8 defenders in their starting class, with four or five potentially slated to receive immediate playing time. Pitt also brought in a pair of highly ranked receiving targets after losing three senior receivers as well. Not often do teams recruit solely for need, but Narduzzi made sure that he filled in any holes in the Pitt squad heading into the 2020 season.
Pitt secured a few gigantic signings going into Signing Day as WR
Jordan Pugh and DE
Mike Lee both spurned interest from in state rival Penn State to sign with the Panthers. Both players are expected to have the opportunity to immediately compete for playing time, with Pugh providing a big body with excellent jumping ability and speed that can work on the outside and Lee being an excellent pash rusher and player in pursuit, though he does need to work on his body control. OT
Nick Harris also signed with the Panthers on signing day, picking Pitt over interest from BYU and Washington in order to stay close to home.
The signings netted the Panthers the 6th overall class in the nation, with 13 signings and 5 preferred walk ons choosing Pitt (interestingly the walkons seemed to just disappear into oblivion). The biggest key in this class will be the defensive backs that should make an immediate impact, with
Billy Jacobs, Bill Butler, Bryan Fisher, and
Scott Whaley all expected to have significant chances throughout camp to win a starting job. DT
Ryan Jacobs should also contribute as well after the departures of both of the Panthers' starters on the inside from last season.
For a full look at the incoming recruits, check out the table below.
