Fact or Fiction: Pat Narduzzi's comments will hurt Pitt recruiting
Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman, Chris Peak of Panther-Lair.com, Jacey Zembal of WolfpackCentral.com and Paul Strelow of TigerIllustrated.com tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1. Pat Narduzzi’s postgame comments will impact recruiting.
Friedman's take: FACT. Pat Narduzzi calling his players out after Pittsburgh's loss to Louisville on Saturday generated lots of negative reaction from his players in the immediate aftermath. On Monday, Narduzzi explained during his press conference how he was able to quickly reassure his team and take responsibility for what he said. That type of honesty can be endearing to prospects because players want to make sure that the coaches they're committing to are being completely upfront with them. That being said, there’s no doubt that teams will use these comments and try to negatively recruit against Pitt. There is a lot of talent in Western Pennsylvania over the next few recruiting cycles and it’s going to be vital to the Panthers to make sure they can get as many of them as possible. Narduzzi's comments on Saturday certainly didn’t help in that regard.
Peak's take: FICTION. The key for Narduzzi and the Pitt staff is the same thing it always is when recruiting under less-than-ideal circumstances: control the narrative. Whether it’s attendance or on-field performance or any other of the negative storylines that can emerge in a recruiting cycle, the coaches always have the power to control the narrative. There will be other voices in the ears of recruits, but coaches can make sure they are the strongest voices bringing the narrative they want the recruit to hear. This current situation is not a good one for Pitt, and other schools are certainly bringing it to the attention of Pitt’s commits and targets, but Narduzzi and company can combat that by making sure the recruits hear their side of the story. Present it the right way, and the whole thing blows over. They might not be able to swing it into a positive, but they can avoid it being a major negative by controlling the narrative.
RELATED: Social media's reaction to Narduzzi
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2. Dave Doeren's postgame comments directed at Steve Smith will resonate on the recruiting trail.
Friedman's take: FACT. A win over Clemson always resonates on the recruiting trail, but that's especially true when Dave Doeren fires back at Steve Smith Sr. for picking against the Wolfpack and implying that NC State is a basketball school.
Smith is a huge name in the Carolinas, having played almost his entire career for the Carolina Panthers. Players and parents know him so getting your shots in while standing up for your program is a good move by Doeren. The added attention should be a much needed jolt for the Wolfpack, especially with arch rival North Carolina falling short of expectations this season. Look for NC State to pick up some momentum with in-state players as the 2024 recruiting cycle nears its end.
Zembal's take: FICTION. Doeren can definitely say after this weekend that all publicity is good publicity after speaking out at former Carolina Panthers star wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. for being flippant about the Pack’s chances against Clemson and that fans will be looking forward to basketball season.
TheWolfpackCentral.com video alone is up to 293,000 views on X and 76,000 on Instagram. So the reach to recruits is far and wide on all the socials they likely follow. Toss in parents and coaches, more people maybe saw that snippet of video or on the live TV broadcast than most things in the Doeren era.
Will it lead to a commitment or anything like that? Likely no, but what can is the recruits that watched NC State defeat Clemson 24-17. The offensive players will see there is early opportunity to make an impact, and defensive recruits will like the aggressive blitzing style that shut down the Tigers.
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3. Clemson's loss to NC State will have a profound negative impact on the recruiting trail.
Friedman's take: FACT. With Notre Dame coming up this week, the Tigers need to right the ship or they’ll be dealing with a three-game losing streak. Clemson has a losing record over its last 10 games but the Tigers are just a few pieces away on offense from returning to form. The offense needs to get back on track and the pitch for early playing time for explosive playmakers is strong but if the passing game continues to prove ineffective, then we could see elite playmakers shy away from Dabo Swinney‘s program.
Terrance Moore and Bryant Wesco are already in the fold and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley was given a strong vote of confidence when Wesco reaffirmed his commitment. What, if any, changes on the coaching staff come in the offseason will be directly related to Clemson‘s ability to recruit elite prospects on offense in the upcoming cycle.
Strelow’s take: FICTION. We're admittedly splitting hairs on the wording. But that defeat isn't going to prompt some huge change of complexion for Clemson recruiting. Its current 17-member commitment class is rather stable unless the wheels just come off with the Tigers and there are a ton of unforeseen coaching staff changes. But even with a few, our instinct is that the class stays intact when you go case by case.
Now, Clemson's 2025 recruiting stands to be impacted by the team's overall body of work. And consecutive losses to teams of Miami and NC State's stature this season sets the stage for the Tigers to face a challenge in achieving bowl eligibility.
But how Clemson finishes in its last four regular-season games -- home against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and UNC, followed by the state rivalry at South Carolina -- will dictate its momentum going into junior days, spring ball and ultimately June official visit season.
So that story isn't written yet. But the plot is going to have to take an abrupt turn to mitigate some of the damage done.