Pitt FB Recruiting
Pat Narduzzi Breaks Down Pitt Class of 2024 – Offense Edition
It was a very successful National Signing Day for Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt coaching staff, and while a lot of the top-ranked recruits are on the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers still landed some talented players on offense.
Pitt loaded up on the offensive line, securing commitments from five linemen, and there’s a new quarterback, new running back and a new wide receiver in the mix now, too. The Panthers brought in four recruits from Pennsylvania, one from Virginia, one from Georgia and one from Maryland.
Nine of the Pitt signees are arriving in January as early enrollees, and offensively, Julian Dugger, Juelz Goff, Cameron Monteiro and Moritz Schmoranzer are the early arrivals. The chance to come in early and learn new Pitt OC Kade Bell’s offense is a major factor in the potential for early playing time.
Narduzzi is proud of the intangibles of the Pitt signees, too, not just the football prowess.
“Of the 19, 14 were team captains, which I expect them to be in our Eagles, you know, just kind of build that and we’ll find out who they are there,” Narduzzi said Wednesday. “And overall, 3.0 in core GPA, which, you know, with the NCAA, you know, we averaged a 3.0, which I think is pretty strong.”
He offered his thoughts on the Pitt class of 2024 Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
National Signing Day ✅
Thrilled to add 19 new Pitt Panthers today from the Class of 2024 👏#H2P ✍️ #TheHunt24 pic.twitter.com/J575nwc2tu
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) December 20, 2023
Julian Dugger — QB, 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Pittsburgh, PA/Penn Hills
“Julian is a mid-year quarterback that we’re really, really excited about. Things happened for a reason. You know, we kind of waited. We thought we had somebody, didn’t really have somebody, all of those things that happen in recruiting. But we saw Julian in a 7-on-7 a year ago coming out of his sophomore year, I guess, and he looked really good. We’re like, ‘We’d like to get better.’ And when he came out in summer campe, here for 7-on-7, this guy’s on fire. This kid can throw the ball. He makes great decisions. He’s smart. And we’re excited to get a Pittsburgh guy in our quarterback room. So, he’s made some major developments throughout his senior, and I think that’s something that doesn’t happen in college football anymore. Those guys that develop in their senior years, sometimes you miss on them, and luckily, we’re not going to miss on Julian Dugger. So, we’re happy to have him and his family here in Pittsburgh.”
Juelz Goff — RB, 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, York, PA/Central York
“Juelz Goff, running back from Central York High School. Outstanding football player. You know, at one point we had two, but there’s no question this was the guy. His dad will tell you, he’ll tell you, I’ll tell you, if we were going to lose one, this is the one we did not want to lose. He’s a 10.8 100-meter guy, he’s the all-time leading rusher in that school district there. He’s got that breakaway speed, you talk 10.8 and he’s only a senior in high school. He’s explosive, and it’s one of those guys if you give him a crack, he’s gonna take more than you blocking, and that’s what we need — another one of those guys in the backfield.”
Cam Monteiro — WR, 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Brockton, MA/Brockton
“Cameron Monteiro, kid from Brockton High School. I’ve recruited two other guys through my years. It’s a tough high school up in Massachusetts, south Boston area. Mid-year wideout, played quarterback a lot of his career, there’s nothing better than having an athletic quarterback in your program that’s smart enough to do that stuff. So he’ll be a really smart receiver for us. He’s athletic, he’s tough and can’t wait to just focus on the wide receiver position.”
Adham Abouraya — OL, 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, Downingtown, PA/Downingtown East
“Adham Abouraya, Adham is from Downingtown East High School. He’s a tough dude, a wrestler. Big offensive lineman, was on our campus several times. Just a super, super kid. He’s detailed, he’s focused on what he wants to do. I can’t wait. I told him this morning, I want to see some of his — I wanna see people forfeit when he’s wrestling in his senior year. That’s how tough he is. I wanna see that. I’ve also go video on my phone, I don’t know if I’ll share it with you, he’s a big dude. There’s not many big guys, I don’t know many — this guy did a cartwheel in the hallway of his academic counselor’s office, so he’s really athletic. We’re happy to have his family.”
Jiavani Cooley — OL, 6-foot-4, 305 pounds, Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep
“Jiavani Cooley, Cathedral Prep up in Erie. Played both ways for them up there, obviously he’s an offensive lineman — offensive tackle. All-State guy. That, again, is just a big, rangy guy. And after we offered him, it didn’t take long for him to say, I’m coming to Pittsburgh. I mean, he came down with his mom and some family members as well. But he’s laid back like most offensive lineman. But he’s all Pitt, and we’re excited to have him.”
Moritz Schmoranzer — OL, 6-foot-4, 285 pounds, Roanoke, VA/North Cross
“He goes by the nickname of Schmo, so we’ll call him Schmo. I got that one down. Schmo is obviously from North Cross High School down in Virginia. Again, from Germany. FaceTimed him from Germany at 1:44 this morning. I got the first text message, ‘Coach, I’m all in. It’s official.’ And then he was eating salmon, you know, a salmon lunch today. He was having lunch there in Germany, I think they’re six hours behind, but he was having lunch — salmon special there in Germany, mom and dad were there. They are excited. He came over here in 10th grade because he loved football. He’s done a great job down there in Virginia at that private high school, North Cross. The thing I love about this guy is he’s a team guy. He watches D-line, I mean he comes off the ball, he can play defense, too. He’s an offensive lineman, but he can play defense. We talked when he came up for a game with his family, mom and dad came for a game as well. Talked about, ‘Coach, I’ll be on the punt team.’ He sees David Green out there on the punt team, he wants to be on the punt team as well. So he’s one of those guts that you’ll love.”
Mason Lindsay — OL, 6-foot-6, 305 pounds, Hyattsville, MD/DeMatha Catholic
“Mason Lindsay from DeMatha Catholic. Great high school. And another athletic, long offensive tackle. He got to DeMatha, transferred in there, and has been starting ever since he got there. Had a little injury as a junior, which I think hampered his recruiting maybe a little bit, but we saw through that. He’s a big, athletic — he’s tough, he’s mean and he’s got a real strong mom and dad there at home.”
Caleb Holmes — OL, 6-foot-3, 285 pounds, Fairburn, GA/Creekside
“The last offensive lineman is Caleb Holmes, came from Creekside High School, home of BJ Williams and Rashad Battle, so a lot of familiarity down there. Great football. This is one of those guys that, you sat with him and you’re like, ‘This dude loves football.’ And you hear about it all season when we’re trying to get a hold of him. We’re allowed to talk to him on the phone and all that, but you can’t ever get a hold of him because he’s at practice, he’s watching tape, he’s with his team. He’s always doing something for football. When you talk to him, it’s all about football. He doesn’t want to talk about anything else except football. So, we appreciate his love for the sport. The other thing that hit me when I was on his home visit was when I said, ‘Hey, okay, football, I get it. What else do you love?’ Ane he said, ‘Coach, I love to go out and help other people.’ … I’m like, that’s the first thing he said. I’m like, this is the kind of guy that we want here in Pittsburgh. That’s not just worried about himself but worried about others.”
