The links have piled up something fierce. Time to dump some.

First up. Social media. If you are doing the twitter thing, here’s the list of follows for Pitt football. The coaches, the support staff, etc.

The flurry of activity on Twitter by Head Coach Pat Narduzzi and the assistant coaches, has been noticeable enough to fire up a few reactions. There’s a couple stories on the usage from ESPN.com.

His constant updates serve as a refreshing change of pace, especially when you consider the way former coach Paul Chryst used Twitter.

That would be exactly never.

But when Narduzzi was hired, he decided to change the social media strategy. He changed the handle he used as a Michigan State assistant to @CoachDuzzPittFB, and away he went.

“The main thing is that he realizes this is how people communicate now,” said Dann Kabala, Pitt’s director of player personnel. “This is how recruits communicate, and he wanted to be a part of that. He’s excited about Pitt and he wants to put it out there as much as he can.”

Increasing that presence has required a group effort. Every single Pitt assistant coach has a Twitter handle and tweets almost daily. The focus of nearly every tweet is on recruiting, for obvious reasons. Sometimes, friendly banter with an in-state rival ensues.

They all have adopted hashtags, including #OntheProwl. When they secure a commitment, Narduzzi tweets “PITT IS IT!” — otherwise known as the “Pat Signal.”

Narduzzi decided to adopt that as a catchphrase after assistant player personnel director Mark Diethorn mentioned it to him during a meeting. Narduzzi and Diethorn have worked closely to come up with nifty info graphic maps. The idea was Narduzzi’s, and Diethorn crafted multiple maps with various themes.

One info graphic that has been widely used shows where Pitt coaches are recruiting at any given time. And it also includes everyone’s Twitter handle.

What jumped out at me was that the energy and effort behind the scenes came from Pitt football personnel already in place. Some assumed the graphics and such came from the support staff Narduzzi brought with him from Michigan State, but instead they sprang from those already at Pitt. It’s almost like Dann Kabala and Mark Diethorn have been straining against the constraints to start letting things go, and now they have been turned loose as much as the assistants going recruiting.

Both Kabala and Diethorn are Western PA guys, but spent time working at SEC programs (Arkansas and Florida, respectfully). They know about how big programs operate, but have not been able to use some of the stuff they learned until recently. They were good behind the scenes hire by Chryst, but are now getting a chance to do more.

Then there is just the silliness of Penn State coaches feeling… let’s go with threatened. Or maybe insecure. The new staff hasn’t taken any direct shots at them in the media, but suddenly the PSU coaches feel the need to push back against the buzz. Whether it is James Franklin calling in to the local Pittsburgh stations when Pitt is the main topic. Or their O-line coach feeling the need to go after Coach John Peterson. It’s weird, but since Narduzzi has a little experience at his prior job at being considered the “second” program, he’s not going to have problems.

When Narduzzi was a guest on Hines Ward’s WPXI-TV show, Ward asked about Franklin’s quest to dominate the state.

Narduzzi was quick to shoot back, referencing his former rivalry with Michigan when he was at Michigan State.

“I’ve been at a state where they thought they owned it,” he said. “They thought.”

This should be a lot of fun for recruiting the 2016 classes.

Following the Armed Forces Bowl, I made a brief joke about how Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez would not let Chryst bring former DC Matt House to Wisconsin in any capacity. Then it came out less than a week later that House, indeed would not be part of the Badger staff. I almost felt bad, because it really seemed like his career was completely derailed.

Now it turns out he lands the DC job at FIU — basically swapping spots with now Pitt DC Conklin. You know what? Good for House. He deserved a lot of the grief, but the real problem was Chryst putting him in that position in the first place. There was no way he was qualified for the job, but in no small part because Chryst put such a premium on things like “fit” and staff continuity, House got the job. Here’s to hoping the new opportunity at a lower level gives him a chance to get back on track.

P.S. Barry Alvarez really is a bit of a dick.

UW athletic director Barry Alvarez confirmed Friday he interviewed former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano as well as former Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi for the opening that was created when Gary Andersen left last month for Oregon State.

Schiano, who also coached Tampa Bay in the NFL, remains on the market. Coincidentally, Narduzzi is now the head coach at Pittsburgh, a job that became available when Chryst came back to his alma mater.

Alvarez said there were others interviewed, including an African-American, but he declined to identify them because they’re currently head coaches.

“That’s where it gets touchy because then you jeopardize their job because they’re looking (for a different job) or their agent’s looking for them,” he said.

But, hey, let’s make an exception by naming Narduzzi.

It’s also a fair point that Narduzzi has a better budget to use for has assistants than Chryst had. I have been very pleasantly surprised at how supportive Chancellor Gallegher is for the athletic department. As much as many want to blame every ill on former AD Steve Pederson, the budget wasn’t nearly as cut and dry. There were a lot of restrictions and controls beyond the AD’s.

Feel like doing a quick recap of the season? Here you go.

Grading coaching hires less than a month after they are made is practically a tradition. At least Pitt is grading out well.