Narduzzi’s staff makes a statement just before signing day

Within the first month of Pat Narduzzi accepting the Pittsburgh job last winter, it became clear that he and his staff would have many heated recruiting battles against Penn State.

In January 2015, there was a Twitter feud between Panthers offensive line coach John Peterson and then-Nittany Lions offensive line coach Herb Hand. There were the late flips of tight end Nick Bowers and linebacker Keith Givens, who each switched their commitments from Pitt to Penn State just before signing day last February. This past fall, there was the not-so-subtle jab Narduzzi took at James Franklin and his staff.

The new Pitt regime has set the bar high for what it wants to do on the recruiting trail, and it’s not looking to settle for being the No. 2 destination for the best players in Pennsylvania. On Monday, Narduzzi and Co. took a major step in the right direction.