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Pitt’s secondary has been a vulnerability this year, but if one future Panther has a clear view of the future, that will change soon.

“If Narduzzi gets a couple more guys, a couple more players, I think we can turn this thing around,” safety commit Paris Ford said Friday before receiving his jersey for the 2017 Under-Armour All-American Game.

Ford is one of two Pitt commits who have been selected to play in the game, which will be held Jan. 1 in Orlando. Running back Todd Sibley is the other future Panther, but Ford is hoping another Under Armour All-American will be wearing a Pitt uniform:

Five-star Clairton cornerback Lamont Wade, who announced a top five on Thursday made up of Pitt, Penn State, Tennessee, West Virginia and UCLA.

“I try to FaceTime him here and there, just to stay in his ear,” Ford said of Wade. “That would be huge if we could get him, too.”

Adding Wade and Ford to the group of young players currently redshirting - or, in the case of freshman cornerback Damar Hamlin, seeing playing time - could give Pitt a very talented defensive backfield, Ford said.

“DBU. No fly zone, man. If we get ‘Mont, I think we can really turn this program around again.”

Wade would be a big addition to Pitt’s recruiting class, but Ford will bring quite a bit to the secondary. At 6’2” and 190 pounds, he is a center-field free safety who uses his athleticism and speed to cover virtually the entire field and has scored 19 touchdowns this season in all three phases of the game.

The coaches would certainly like to bulk him up a bit - “In college, it’s about putting on that poundage, but I’m solid in the heart, man,” he said - but Ford thinks he has a lot of the necessary tools to see the field early.

“I think I can come in and make a huge impact as soon as I step foot on campus,” he said. “As long as I keep my mind right and stay humble, I think can make a huge impact.”

Ford added that Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has talked about multiple positions where the four-star prospect could potentially play, whether it’s cornerback, safety or maybe even some snaps on offense.

“He wants me to follow around the best receiver or just free roam like I do, like I play my game now,” Ford said. “Whatever he wants me to do.”

Of course, Ford’s exploits on the field this season at Steel Valley have only drawn more attention, and he said coaches from other colleges still attempt to flip him from Pitt. But the Panthers’ first commitment in the 2017 class intends to stand by his pledge.

“Yeah, a lot of coaches are trying to contact me and stuff like that, but I’m 1000% solid with Pitt. I think Coach Narduzzi has something up his sleeve to try to turn this program back around. I hope I can be a big part of that.”