Inside The Panthers

Pitt's Pat Narduzzi Visits Two Top WPIAL Recruits

The Pitt Panthers' coaching staff is back on the high school recruiting trail after a busy transfer portal period.
Mitchell Corcoran|
Sep 6, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi arrives at the stadium before the game against the Central Michigan Chippewas at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Sep 6, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi arrives at the stadium before the game against the Central Michigan Chippewas at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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PITTSBURGH — With college football season coming to a close and transfer portal recruiting finalized, Pat Narduzzi and the Pitt Panthers are back on the high school recruiting trail.

According to Mike Vukovcan of Pittsburgh Sports Now, Narduzzi and newly-appointed defensive coordinator Cory Sanders spent the morning visiting Class of 2028 Hopewell star quarterback James Armstrong and Class of 2027 Imani Christian four-star hybrid safety Gabe Jenkins.

Since Armstrong is only a sophomore, coaches aren't allowed to speak with him directly yet, so Narduzzi met with Hopewell's head coach, Matt Mottes, for over an hour, per the report.

Narduzzi and Sanders then visited Jenkins later in the morning. Jenkins decommitted from Penn State in October after former head coach James Franklin was fired and is now one of the top available recruits in Pennsylvania.

Armstrong Has Blue-Chip Potential

Hopewell quarterback James Armstrong
Hopewell quarterback James Armstrong releases a pass downfield during the WPIAL Class 3A Western Hills Conference game between Beaver Area and Hopewell at Tony Dorsett Stadium Friday Sept. 12, 2025 in Hopewell Township, Pa. | Ethan Morrison / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Because Armstrong is just a sophomore, he has not received a star rating on the major recruiting site yet. But he has the potential of being a blue-chip recruit.

Armstrong is a dual-threat who stands at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds. As a sophomore, Armstrong had 2,350 passing yards, 760 rushing yards, averaged 6.1 yards per carry and scored 37 total touchdowns in 2025, while missing the last four games due to an injury.

Armstrong also played in 10 games as a freshman, where he recorded 1,344 yards, 787 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns.

According to the report, Armstrong is a priority for Pitt's coaching staff and they believe that he can become the next "hometown hero" in offensive coordinator Kade Bell's system.

Pitt was the first Division I school to offer Armstrong. The offer came over a year ago on Jan. 10, 2025. Pitt currently does not have any commits to its 2028 recruiting class.

Armstrong has since accumulated six more offers from West Virginia, North Carolina, Penn State, Kent State, Akron, Delaware State and Sacramento State.

Armstrong will likely receive more offers over the summer. Per NCAA rules, coaches cannot contact recruits directly until June 15 following their sophomore year of high school, and recruits cannot take official visits until Aug. 1 before their junior year.

Pitt Trying to Keep Jenkins Home

Jenkins garnered plenty of interest the moment he decommitted from Penn State. Just two days later, it was reported that Pitt, Kentucky, Florida State, North Carolina, USC and Nebraska were the top schools standing out to him.

According to Rivals, Jenkins made five unofficial visits to Pitt, three to West Virginia, two to Ohio State and one to Michigan State, UCF, Georgia and Nebraska before his decommitment. Jenkins recently announced that he will visit Penn State this weekend.

Jenkins is coming off an impressive season where he had 1,765 passing yards, 1,409 rushing yards, 41 total touchdowns, 24 total tackles, three for a loss, and one fumble recovery, according to MaxPreps.

Jenkins, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, is ranked as the No. 11 player in Pennsylvania, the No. 27 safety and the No. 261 overall player in the Class of 2027 by the 247Sports Composite, while the Rivals Industry Rankings have Jenkins as the No. 10 player in the state, the No. 28 safety and the No. 263 player nationally.

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Mitchell Corcoran
MITCHELL CORCORAN

Mitch is a passionate storyteller and college sports fanatic. Growing up 70 miles away in Johnstown, Pa., Mitch has followed Pittsburgh sports all his life. Mitch started his sports journalism career as an undergraduate at Penn State, covering several programs for the student-run blog, Onward State. He previously worked for NBC Sports, The Tribune-Democrat and the Altoona Mirror as a freelancer. Give him a follow on X @MitchCorc18.

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