Pine sees Pitt as one of the best

Pat Narduzzi is looking to rebuild Pitt's defense, and Chase Pine is buying in.

In fact, the Williamsburg (Va.) Lafayette linebacker is so convinced that the Panthers are improving on defense that he committed to Pitt Monday night.

"They have an upcoming defense that is probably going to be one of the best defenses in the ACC," Pine told Panther-Lair.com shortly after speaking to Narduzzi. "Coach Narduzzi is one of the best coaches in the nation coming from Michigan State, and it's really good there."

Pine was on Pitt's campus two weeks ago for a prospect camp. That experience gave him the opportunity to work with linebackers coach Rob Harley, and Pine cited Harley as another big factor in his decision.

"It's the way that he coaches; he showed me video of how he coaches and when I went there, it was just like that: he's an energetic coach and that's what I like," Pine said. "I was talking to Coach Harley about their defense, and it's a defense where you really can't do anything against it. And the fact that they're getting good players for defense is going to make it good."

Pine picked Pitt over a considerable offer sheet that included scholarships from Buffalo, Cal, Charlotte, East Carolina, Georgia, JMU, Marshall, North Carolina, N.C. State, Old Dominion, Syracuse, Toledo, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and West Virginia.

He said that his top three schools prior to committing were Pitt, Georgia and West Virginia, but he felt like he fit into the Panthers' defense best.

"They want me to be an outside linebacker who plays against the run and rushes the passer and can drop into coverage," Pine said. "And there should be a good chance for early playing time, which was important to me."

Pine was high on Pitt after his visit earlier this month, but he said a few things recently pushed him to commit.

"Some of my family members told me I talked about Pitt a lot, and that kind of got me thinking about it," he said. "And then [on Sunday] I was sitting there looking at all the schools and thinking about it, and Pitt's got a good medical program, which is what I want to study. So that and the early playing time and the coaches all made it right.

"It's a big relief. A lot of people were talking to me about it a lot and always asking where I am going and talking to my dad about it, and it was a lot. I thought I would make a decision in the middle of the season, but the feeling was there."

Pine is the sixth recruit to commit to Pitt in the class of 2016 and the second in the last two days. Bedford (Oh.) running back Chawntez Moss committed to Pitt on Sunday, joining Upper St. Clair offensive lineman Brandon Ford, Central Catholic safety Bricen Garner, Cincinnati (Oh.) Moeller quarterback Thomas MacVittie and Lakewood (Oh.) St. Edward defensive back Tony Butler.

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