MacVittie: It was Pitt for me

Thomas MacVittie thought his recruitment might be drawn out. He thought he might work through the spring evaluation period and the summer prospect camps and maybe even wait until the season started so he could send some senior film to college coaches.

That's what MacVittie thought would happen.

Then he visited Pitt, and that long-term plan transformed into a much shorter timeline. Five days, to be exact, as MacVittie's visit last Saturday turned into a commitment last Thursday.

"The question is, why wouldn't I pick them?" MacVittie told Panther-Lair.com. "Everything was just a fit when I visited and the coaches are amazing. Coach (Jim) Chaney, Coach (Pat) Narduzzi, Coach (John) Peterson, Coach (Dave) Andrews, Coach (Bob) Junko, Coach (Dann) Kabala, Coach (Eric) Thatcher, they all just made me feel at home.

"People say you know where you're supposed to be, and it was Pitt for me. I felt that was my place."

MacVittie's visit to Pitt Saturday was his first, but he didn't have to spend too much time on campus to get a good feeling about what the Panthers have to offer.

"During the day, I knew that it would be Pitt," he said. "I think it was the practice when I got that feeling. I had a tour, and then just seeing how the coaches work together and get along with each other and have fun with each other and with the players, it was good. The team treated me like I was on the team, it was a good feeling.

"I was excited and knew I wanted to commit right then. But I talked to my dad and he said we needed to get my mom and sister up to see it. So we came back out Wednesday night and met with Coach Narduzzi Thursday morning. That was when I committed."

MacVittie acknowledged that Narduzzi probably had an inclination about why the return visit was being made so soon. But that made for a smooth transition into the actual commitment.

"I tried not to give them too much of a hint, but I think he kind of knew," MacVittie said. "We were talking in Coach Narduzzi's office and he was telling my mom and my sister everything about it and he said, 'So what's it going to be, big guy?' I said I want to commit to the University of Pittsburgh."

For MacVittie, that commitment means an opportunity to play in Chaney's offense at Pitt. He got to see what the Panthers' offensive coordinator wants to do on the practice field, but he also heard from Chaney directly about where the offense is going.

"I talked to Coach Chaney about the offense and what they want to do, and he said they're going to be a pro-style offense but he said he wants to adapt to some run-and-gun stuff and some reads in the future," MacVittie said. "I've never played in a pro-style but I'm curious to try it and I feel like I'm a good fit for that. I feel pretty confident about the plays and concepts from what I saw in the practice and in the quarterbacks meeting when I sat in.

"They went over every play in that meeting, and he was really teaching them, pointing out the positives and things they can do better. It was a lot of fun. I'm very excited to be a part of it."

MacVittie said he is also excited to be a part of what Narduzzi is building at Pitt.

"He was saying that right when he got in, he wanted to put in a new locker room and a new players lounge because he wants to put the players first," MacVittie said. "He said he wants to up the ante on the facility and he wants the players to be comfortable. That's the number one goal.

"I feel pretty comfortable there. I know he's going to do great things at Pitt."

MacVittie picked Pitt over offers from Ohio, Cincinnati, Toledo and Miami (OH), but his relatively slow recruitment likely stemmed from the fact that he didn't start as a junior at Cincinnati (Oh.) Moeller. He only attempted eight passes last season, and while he completed all eight of them - including two for touchdowns - most college coaches were looking to see more of him before offering.

That meant the spring evaluation period and the summer prospect camps were going to be significant for his recruitment. But he opted to skip all of that and make an early commitment.

"I went to a couple visits and felt good about some schools and some had offered and some hadn't and some said I was the third guy on their board or something like that, but having Coach Chaney and Coach Narduzzi believe in me even without the film that some schools wanted and me being their number-one guy, it's a great feeling that they had faith in me," MacVittie said. "That's a big thing: how they had faith in me. At Pitt, I was their guy and it was a really good feeling.

"A couple coaches have called me to ask about the commitment, but I don't have much to say. My commitment to Pitt is solid. It's not going to change. I don't care who offers me. It's Pitt. I told Coach Narduzzi straight up: I'm not going to be visiting any schools, I'm not going to be in contact with other coaches or going to camps. It's Pitt."

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