Curtis makes two for Pitt

Shawn Curtis felt good about Pitt after his official visit over the weekend, but when he had an in-home visit with head coach Pat Narduzzi and tight ends coach Tim Salem Wednesday night, the Doral (Fla.) defensive end knew he wanted to be a Panther.

"I've been thinking about it for the last couple days, and after talking to them tonight I made the decision," Curtis told Panther-Lair.com Wednesday night. "I see what they're trying to build and their mindset is what my mindset is. They want to build something and become a family."

On Curtis' official visit, he got to see a lot of what Pitt has to offer, and from the city to the football program, he liked everything that he saw.

"It's a nice city and all of that, and getting around campus seems pretty good," he said. "Really, the whole team, they like the coach and they like what he's about and they like the new staff. They feel like we'll have a successful defense in the future. That made a big impact."

In fact, Curtis said that the feedback he got from Pitt's current players might have had the biggest impact of anything he took from his official visit.

"It was definitely good to hear from the current players," he said. "They seem very confident in the new coaches and they're happy to be part of the football team now. They're all very determined."

Curtis also liked the way Pitt's defense will be playing. The Panthers will keep their 4-3 scheme this season, and at 6'3" 250, he'll be lining up as a defensive end.

"It's a very good fit," he said. "In high school, probably nine out of 10 games I pass-rushed, and that's what I'll be doing at Pitt. I'll pretty much be playing the same position, just a little different. There won't be as much dropping back in coverage, but I'll basically be doing what I always do with the help of the coaches."

Curtis was Pitt's second commitment of the day on Wednesday, following Coatesville safety Jay Stocker, who committed earlier in the evening. Those were Narduzzi's first two commitments as Pitt head coach, and they bring the total number of recruits for the class of 2015 to 12.

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