Check out everything Pat Narduzzi had to say before Pitt's practice in the South Side on Thursday.

Narduzzi: Practice number seven, got through a pads day the other day. Just in the grind of building a team, building a football team, in all aspects. I think the month of August is the time you bring 120 kids in here, and you got a bunch of dads in the office, and you're bringing everybody together in every facet, and it's not easy. Bringing all these guys in and trying to get them to do what you want them to do on the field, off the field and all that. That's a challenge, that's coaching, that's what they pay us to do, and that's the fun part, and I think we sometimes forget about it. We sit out here, and I look at the field, and you guys look at this blue screen behind me, but all the things that go on behind the scenes.

But the kids had a nice day. They actually went to the movies on their day off, and they better be ready to go to work today. I'm sure they will. I'm not concerned.

What did you learn from the video from the padded practice on Tuesday?

Narduzzi: Gosh, learned that we got ways to go in every phase, like every team in the football world does, I guess. I think we got some guys that can make some plays. There's guys that show up on tape. You always want more effort. You're always looking for guys to give you more. Dan Marino's quote we kind of read today is, you always got more. And you got to find a way to pull it out of them and get more all the time. Not just any team drill. Some guys show up in team drills. Some guys show up in individual drills. You want to put it all together. So that's what I learned is that we got a ways to go and just continue to build and build and build.

Was there anyone who maybe you didn't notice when they weren't in pads, but wowed you once they put full pads on?

Narduzzi: I would say no. I mean, I tell you, defensively, one of the guys that really stands out to me is Nate Matlack. I just see a smart football player. I see a guy that plays football the way you need a team player to play. I mean, I watch him out there. He can lay out. I've seen defensive ends lay out and tackle people when it's thud. The thing I've been impressed with is that he's smart. He takes care of the details on the field.

He's been very consistent the first six days. It didn't shock me that he came out in the pads and did what he did yesterday. But just one of those guys that stood out, I'd say that's one of the guys.

Kyle Louis made a splash play the other day in Tuesday. Has he been making plays like that?

Narduzzi: Yeah, Kyle Louis, I think if you had someone rank the best players on defense, he'd be in the top three of probably everybody's pick, I would think. And every once in a while we do that, pick the top 15 guys. Make sure you're putting the right guys on. Make sure everybody feels the same way. Don't put your name on it. See where we go, but Kyle Louis is a playmaker.

How important was it to get a guy like Nate, given all the experience that he lost in the defensive line this offseason? It was important. And if we didn't get Nate, we were going to find somebody. And I tell you what, Chief Borders is another guy that's shown some - we just talked transfers and guys you brought in. You're always going to have needs, and you've got to fill your needs. Chief has got one of the best motors I've seen, okay? And you know what, if you put on your Nebraska highlight tape, you're going to see a motor. We lost a guy with maybe a low motor, and we got a guy with a great motor. And Nate Matlack has got a motor as well. It never stops, but he's smart, too.

Both of those guys did different things at their old schools than what they're doing here. The 3-4 at Kansas State, Chief standing up. How did you go through, I mean, how do you project those guys individually? What stood out about those guys that made you believe they could play in your kind of defense?

Narduzzi: You know, I've talked for years and years and years and years prior to coming here just about the evolution of defense, and you're always looking for big athletes on the edge. You move big linebackers to defensive end, you move big d-ends inside, like Nakhi. If you look from year one here to where we are in ten, we're always constantly moving guys around.

And I feel like we wasted time with Nakhi, we could have moved him earlier. I feel it was a bad decision on my part - just didn't, you know, open your eyes, figure it out, and I feel like I didn't figure that out fast enough. I wish I got there fast enough to get that done. He could have helped us a little more last year, which would have been a bigger help this year. But you're always moving those big athletes. I mean, Nate Matlack had just a couple plays where he's on the edge, and I go, that's what we're looking for. It was simple. You gotta believe what you see on tape. And the same thing with Chief. The thing I loved about Chief, I knew he was a big athlete. The guy could stand up and play linebacker - both those guys could stand up and play linebacker for a lot of people.

But it would fit into our speed on the edge is what we need. And again, watch those two guys drop off in coverage, and it's like, I mean, they look like naturals, too.

You had three spring additions from the transfer portal. How different is the spring portal window from December in terms of what's available and the urgency and just, I mean, how do you have to approach it differently?

Narduzzi: You know what, it just comes down to need, and I feel like we can get those guys ready to go. I'll say, Key wasn't, you'd have to tell me who those three are, just so I refresh my memory. I guess Chief was one of them.

Anthony Johnson and Anglin.

Narduzzi: And Anglin, I mean, just like I look at Keye - Keye might as well have been a summer guy. Keye might as well have been a summer guy because he didn't go through spring ball. And I've been really, really pleased with what he's done the last few days. And he's got a motor, he's physical. You're gonna like what - he's gonna hit you on game day. Guy was an all-conference player a year ago, and the year before that, a third-team all-MAC player. He's a football player.

Looking at Anthony, I mean, he was at the FCS level with Youngstown State for a while, do you think he's transitioned well?

Narduzzi: He has, and then he went to Illinois, and shoot, I talked to Bret Bielema. Some people don't call coaches and say, hey, what do you think about that guy? And I talked to Bret, good friends with him, and he got to - they didn't wanna lose him. He's a big athlete that's tough, physical, and I don't care about FCS.

I couldn’t care less. It comes down to - we talked about it the other day: size doesn't matter. We talked about the heart the other day. FCS doesn't matter. Shoot, I had a couple Division I offers. I went to FCS, and it doesn't make me a bad player. There's some darn good football players at the FCS level, and Anthony's got a chance to be really good.

The Big Ten might have mandatory injury reports on game days. Last year, it sounds like the SEC is maybe moving towards that as well. Is that something the ACC should do?

Narduzzi: It’s not my job. I could care less. We used to do it, if some of you guys remember. But there's a lot of lying on it anyway. So they lie on it, and what's the reprimand? So that's great, we did it, and then we got rid of it, because 'He’s doubtful’ and then he plays and he looks great. So what does it matter if you don't tell the truth on the thing, right?