Garner sees the difference

Bricen Garner is no stranger to Pitt.

After all, the Central Catholic safety prospect is a native of Penn Hills; he has seen highs and lows - some very recently - and he has been close enough to get a feel for what it has been like inside the program. So Garner knows enough to tell if things have changed.

And according to him, they have.

"When you go to the facility and meet with the players, you can see the difference from last year to this year," Garner told Panther-Lair.com. "They're buying into the coaches and what they're saying and what they're preaching."

And Garner has bought in, too, as he committed to Pitt on Thursday night. Garner picked Pitt over 16 other offers, including scholarships from Army, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Eastern Michigan, Fordham, Kent State, UMass, Miami (Oh.), Navy, Old Dominion, Temple, Toledo and Towson.

"It was a combination of the coaching staff and the football program," Garner said. "The coaches are trying to urn everything around, and I like everything about the school.

"I think I decided last week. I went on a visit, took a tour of the campus and it felt like home."

Garner announced his decision on KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh's CBS affiliate, and the hometown angle was a key one for him.

"It's important because your family can come out and you, and you'll have support from your high school and your friends," he said. "It will be nice to play for your hometown team.

"I believe this staff will be able to keep the local guys. They do a good job of recruiting in the WPIAL and the city, and they recruit the local guys hard, so I think they'll keep a lot of the guys home. Of course, I'm going to try to get those guys to Pitt, too."

Garner added that Pat Narduzzi, Pitt's first-year head coach, was also a major factor in his decision to pick the Panthers.

"He's a good dude. He's really nice and he's a good coach. He's known for putting people in the league from when he was at Michigan State, and I like his coaching style a lot. He's knows what he's doing."

Garner, 6'1" 164, is being recruited by Pitt as a safety, and he is the second defensive back to commit to the Panthers in the recruiting class of 2016, joining Lakewood (Oh.) St. Edward cornerback Tony Butler. Pitt also has commitments from Upper St. Clair offensive lineman Brandon Ford and Cincinnati (Oh.) Moeller quarterback Thomas MacVittie.

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