Commit No. 1 for 2016: It was perfect
Pat Narduzzi landed his first recruit for the class of 2016 on Saturday, as Lakewood (Oh.) St. Edward athlete Tony Butler committed to Pitt.
As the first commit in the class, Butler is a notable prospect for Narduzzi, but the head coach is pretty significant for Butler as well.
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"They were recruiting me really, really hard, and it was between them and a couple other schools," Butler told Panther-Lair.com shortly after leaving Pitt. "They were always high up for me, especially once Coach Narduzzi got there. Once that happened, it was perfect."
Narduzzi was the key ingredient for Butler in considering Pitt, but Saturday's visit showed the three-star athlete that there was a lot to like about the Panthers.
"I just felt like I was at home when I was there," he said. "They have a great atmosphere and Coach Narduzzi is a great guy. I saw what he did at Michigan State with the defense, and I just felt like I could make big things happen there.
"That was my first time there and I liked it a lot. It's tradition-based, and that was something I wanted to focus on. The education is really good, too, and they are No. 1 in physical therapy, which is what I want to major in. It's just a perfect place for me."
Butler also got to watch Pitt's first scrimmage of spring camp on Saturday, but he had a rather unique perspective on the event: he got to watch it with the defensive coaches on the catwalk above the Panthers' indoor practice field.
"I was the only recruit up there with the coaches, and that was pretty cool," he said. "I got to hear their terminology and see how they do things. They actually let me call a couple plays. I called a blitz and they got a tackle for loss on it, so I guess I did pretty good."
Butler, 6'2" 190, said Pitt is recruiting him as a defensive back, so his focus was on the secondary and he liked what he saw.
"You could really see it well from where I was standing, and Coach (Josh) Conklin was telling me all about what they were doing," Butler said. "I could see their work ethic and tell that they were well-coached. It was definitely something I could fit in with."
Butler chose the Panthers over offers from Arizona State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Miami (OH), Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Toledo and Western Michigan.
He initially didn't plan to commit this early, but the visit - and Narduzzi - convinced him.
"I was going to wait until after the season, but you can't really plan that kind of thing, really," Butler said. "Once I got there, it was just amazing and I knew I wanted to be there. I'll be back again a lot.
"We were about to leave and taking a final tour and Coach Narduzzi walked past and invited me in his office. We talked for 10 or 15 minutes and then I committed. He was really excited."
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