Pitt's position coaches have reputations which precede themselves.
Take it from the early enrollees which are getting acclimated to their respective coaches as they begin their college football careers for Pat Narduzzi at Pitt.
It has not just been about Narduzzi. The recent run of success Pitt has experienced has not only benefitted the program; an inherent branding on turning college football players into NFL hopefuls and stars has rubbed off and earned the trust of prospects which sign their names on the dotted line to play at Pitt.
Incoming defensive lineman and former three-star recruit Isaiah Neal saw this instantly with Charlie Partridge, who was named Football Scoop's Defensive Line Coach of the Year back in January.
Defensive Line Coach of the Year π
β Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) January 6, 2023
Congrats, @CoachPartridge π #H2P Β» @FootballScoop pic.twitter.com/klHGbwVju9
"His name speaks volumes," Neal said on Wednesday on the South Side. "He has products time and time again. He knows what he's doing. Him being who he is and having as much of a role as he has here at Pitt, him being an associate head coach, that was huge for me. We all know coach Narduzzi loves some defense. I came to a team where not only is defense emphasized, but the defensive line room, we have a lot of flexibility because of the trust coach Narduzzi has in coach Partridge. So, I feel like him being who he is was a big reason of me coming here. Without coach Partridge, man, it's a different story maybe."
Partridge has had two coaching stints at Pitt, first from 2003-'07 and then since 2017 after spending three seasons as the head coach at Florida Atlantic. Since 2017, Partridge has seen four defensive linemen get drafted to the NFL, including three getting picked in the 2021 draft: Ejuan Price (Los Angeles Rams in 2017), Patrick Jones (Minnesota in 2021), Rashad Weaver (Tennessee in 2021), and Jaylen Twyman (Minnesota in 2021).
Partridge is soon to be sending off his highest-drafted Pitt defensive lineman since Jones was picked in the third round in 2021. Calijah Kancey is well on his way to being drafted as high as Round 1, with ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. projecting Kancey to go 10th overall to Philadelphia in his initial mock draft. Haba Baldonado earned rave reviews from his time at the Shrine Bowl and has since shot up mock draft boards, as well.
Neal, better known by his nickname, "Ghost," said he wants to be a leader at Pitt -- he sure spoke as if he already was one on Wednesday -- and seeing film from Kancey and Aaron Donald only motivates him more to learn and grow under an established coach like Partridge.
And, getting to know the real person behind the great football player which Kancey is.
"Coming on my official visit, Calijah was the person, my peer, that was watching me throughout the weekend," Neal said. "I was able to pick his brain because he was currently here when I was asking questions. ... You would think that he would be some Hollywood sort of guy because the kind of clout that he has. He's a guy. He goes after it, he gets after it. He gets notoriety for it, but he's super down-to-earth. He's a regular guy.
"He was a big part of me making the decision to commit on my official visit. I wasn't planning to do that, but when I came, him being as open to a newcomer -- not only him, but the team surrounding him. When we were going out or even just being in here throughout the day, just seeing how they interact with each other, everyone is so well-knit. There was no Hollywood aspect of him about to go to the draft. He didn't give me none of that. He gave me Calijah Kancey. He gave me who he was. He's a good guy."
As Neal felt those connections with Partridge and Kancey, so did BJ Williams with offensive line coach Dave Borbely.
"One of the reasons I came to Pitt is because of coach Borbely," Williams said. "He's been coaching offensive line since before I was born, so I know he has every technique, everything to do right to get into the (NFL). ... I really watched Carter Warren and Marcus Minor. They're great offensive linemen, so I just tried to mirror my game across them. They have an edge to them. They're always aggressive, they always know what to do."
Borbely has sent two linemen through the NFL Draft during his four-year tenure at Pitt: tackle Brian O'Neill (Minnesota in 2018) and Jimmy Morrissey (Las Vegas in 2021). Pitt's offensive line in 2023 is, again, going to be a veteran unit anchored by center Jake Kradel and fellow All-ACC tackle Matt Goncalves, but Williams is ready to absorb, learn, and work for his opportunity under Borbely's guidance. Williams said he prefers to play center.
"I feel like I need to stay as long as I need to develop," Williams said. "If I need to develop some more, I feel like I'll stay a little bit longer so I can get to the league."
Williams could one day be blocking for fellow freshman TJ Harvison, who joins a running backs room loaded with veteran players and a veteran coach in Andre Powell, who has already clicked as a mentor to Harvison.
"Nice guy, funny guy," Harvison said. "The jokes he says every time we're in there having the meeting, we're always having a joke about something."
Powell has sent James Conner (Steelers in 2017) and Qadree Ollison (Atlanta in 2019) through the NFL Draft, and one more is on his way.
Pitt, of course, just produced the ACC leading rusher in Israel Abanikanda, who is headed to the NFL and gives way to Rodney Hammond, C'Bo Flemister, and Derrick Davis, Jr. in the backfield alongside Harvison. Of the three new faces we became acclimated with on Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Harvison is likely to have to best chance to play right away, given Powell's knack for deploying multiple running backs.
"What impressed me the most was the way (Abanikanda) finishes runs," Harvison said. "Doing the extra stuff like making people miss, using his off-hand, and finishing through the end zone. ... (Compared to) my ability to keep going through the first contact, my leg drive, not stopping my feet, and attacking them before they attack me."
