Ranking the classes 2003-17: No. 13

The 2011 class was the one that Todd Graham cobbled together after he got hired; that class ranked No. 15. The next year’s class was the one Paul Chryst signed when he was hired; that one ranked No. 14. And at No. 13, we find ourselves considering another transition class. This one started with Chryst and ended with Pat Narduzzi.

It’s the class of 2015.

Here’s the group that Narduzzi signed.

The Class of 2015

Player	Position	Hometown	Stars

Jordan Whitehead	DB	Monaca, PA	4
Darrin Hall	RB	Youngstown, OH	4
Alex Paulina	OL	Canonsburg, PA	3
Quadree Henderson	WR	Wilmington, DE	3
Jay Stocker	DB	Coatesville, PA	3
Anthony McKee	LB	Columbus, OH	3
Saleem Brightwell	LB	Paramus, NJ	3
Malik Henderson	DB	Hallandale Beach, FL	3
Tre Tipton	WR	Spring Church, PA	3
Tony Pilato	OL	Greensburg, PA	3
Dane Jackson	ATH	Coaopolis, PA	2
Ben DiNucci	QB	Gibsonia, PA	2
Gentry Ivery	WR	Mansfield, TX	2
Allen Edwards	DE	Franklin, MA	2
Rafael Araujo-Lopes	WR	Reedley, CA	2

Narduzzi’s transition class stands out from those that were signed by Dave Wannstedt in 2005, Graham in 2011 and Chryst in 2012. For starters, it was smaller than the others; there were only 15 recruits in the class, whereas Chryst signed 16, Graham signed 21 and Wannstedt signed 23.

It was also the lowest-rated of the transition classes, and actually is the lowest-rated of any class in the 15 years we’re ranking. Pitt’s 2015 class was No. 65 in the nation, according to Rivals.com, falling below even the Graham class, which was No. 58.

But despite that ranking - which was influenced by the quantity of the class as much as the quality - the 2015 class produced some stars. Jordan Whitehead may not have quite reached the heights that most wished for him, but he was really good in his time at Pitt and parlayed that success into an NFL career.

Dane Jackson went from being an athlete who needed to learn the position of cornerback to one of the best corners in the ACC and an NFL Draft pick. And Quadree Henderson was a consensus All-American.

Behind those three, the 2015 class had a few other players who produced nice careers at Pitt. Darrin Hall had a 1,000-yard season as a senior and put himself in the record books. Saleem Brightwell started 25 games, including most of the 2017 and 2019 seasons at middle linebacker. Rafael Araujo-Lopes was Pitt’s leading receiver in 2017 and 2018 (although he didn’t catch more than 43 passes in that stretch).

There’s not a whole lot after that. Ben DiNucci was a late addition to the class and went 2-4 as a starter before transferring to James Madison. Tre Tipton, Allen Edwards and Jazzee Stocker were career backups.

The 2015 class was a small one that produced some big-name talents but not much beyond that.