Time to glance at some of the coverage.

Pitt did very well with the local talent this year. And it was a steady accumulation of local players. Not all from one visit or another. One here. One there. A few days, a week, a month even would pass between verbals. They all kept coming to the same conclusion that the combination of the coaches recruiting them and the local team were where they wanted to be.

The end result being that with only two exceptions, Pitt kept the best local players. That is a huge change, especially since this year and next are among the better years in terms of quality players coming out of the WPIAL ranks.

One of the last local recruits to verbal to Pitt was arguably the most important one for Pitt to get. Damar Hamlin. There are, arguably, higher ranked recruits in this class. And god knows, you can’t play any level of football any longer and have big success without a good QB — which Pitt appears to have landed as well. But in terms of need, local interest, and beating the big names in college football for his service. There was no one bigger for the coaching staff to land.

The coaches have said that they expect him to compete for a starting cornerback spot this year, and others do as well.

Damar Hamlin, a 6-1, 175-pound cornerback from Pittsburgh picking between Pitt, Ohio State, Penn State and ND: “The loosest hips and the best feet of any cornerback I’ve ever seen,” one longtime defensive coach in a Power 5 conference said. “He’s 6-1. He’s long. He’s physical and he’s fast. He’ll be a first-round corner.”

That quote came before signing day. If you watched the Pitt signing day special on Root Sports last night (or watch here), you might here echoes of that quote when Coach Pat Narduzzi talks about Hamlin and pretty much cops to being the source.

The coverage was very positive for Pitt locally, as the coaches closed strong. Giving a real sense of momentum for the program. No last minute losses, instead gains.

What sets this class apart from others of recent Pitt vintage is that the coaches had to fight off raids from other Power 5 schools and stick with some players who were willing to flip.

For example, Pitt signed three-star defensive tackle Keyshon Camp of Lakeland, Fla., after he had committed to Miami (Fla.) and USC and was on Missouri’s radar.

When Rutgers fired coach Kyle Flood, safety Phil Campbell and 365-pound offensive lineman Justin Morgan became Pitt recruits. Of Morgan, Narduzzi said: “He can hug you, and you might be gone.”

Penn State offered wide receiver Maurice Ffrench of New Jersey, Brashear cornerback Therran Coleman and Central Catholic defensive tackle Rashad Wheeler after they long had been committed to Pitt.

“They just flat-out turned them down,” Narduzzi said, referring only to “such and such school.”

“I don’t need to say which school,” he said. “What’s most important is that the kid gets what they want.”

Cornerback Henry Miller of Kissimmee, Fla., and linebacker Chase Pine of Williamsburg, Va., received late overtures from Miami and Virginia Tech, respectively, listened to them but stayed with Pitt.

Pitt also took Clairton wide receiver Aaron Mathews after he had been committed to Penn State for a month.

“He turned it up a little bit when I committed to Penn State,” Mathews said of Narduzzi. “There were coaches in and out of the school almost every day.”

Pitt’s recruitment of Mathews reached its zenith when a spot opened after Narduzzi soured on former Maryland wide receiver Juwann Winfree, who committed to Pitt in December.

“We traded lack of character for character,” Narduzzi said, never mentioning Winfree by name.

Narduzzi is really, really good at taking direct shots without ever being direct. Like a sniper.

Then adding two more kids who Pitt wasn’t even on from day one, shows how strong this coaching staff is at recruiting.

Just after 9 a.m., three-star defensive tackle Keyshon Camp, who previously committed to USC, called Narduzzi to give him the news that he had chosen Pitt over Missouri, Michigan and the Trojans.

“I can’t wait until you’re playing in this defense,” Narduzzi told Camp on the phone.

A few hours later, just before Narduzzi was set to meet with the media, Cooper City, Fla., defensive end Rashad Weaver called Narduzzi to give him the same news. Weaver previously committed to Michigan, but the Wolverines pulled his scholarship offer to clear space for other prospects.

“They dropped him for whatever reason,” Narduzzi said. “He’s a guy that really adds depth to our defensive line in this class.”

The whole staff deserves a lot of credit. They go in waves. They work together, so the recruit gets comfortable with more than one coach at a time.

Campus Insiders gave Pitt the edge in winning Pennsylvania this year.

Who won the state of Pennsylvania?
Pittsburgh. Pat Narduzzi is making his presence felt at Pitt, on and off the field. The second-year coach outhustled Penn State’s James Franklin in Pennsylvania, picking up gems like LB Kaezon Pugh and CB Damar Hamlin as well as plenty of depth. Franklin did sign two of the state’s premier talents, RB Miles Sanders and OG Michal Menet, so the newcomer cupboard will hardly be empty in Happy Valley.

Of course, momentum is now the next wave. God, junior day (weekend?) starts today.