Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Pat Narduzzi steps up Pitt social media presence

Need an update on where Pitt coaches are recruiting today?

Check Twitter.

Need to find out whether Pitt secured recent commitments in the run-up to signing day?

There is a "Pat Signal" for that ... on Twitter.

Indeed, new coach Pat Narduzzi has radically increased Pitt’s social media presence since he was hired a month ago, becoming the most active ACC head coach on Twitter almost overnight. 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.

“We all brainstorm, but coach is a big part of those messages,” Kabala said. “We do a pretty good job here of creating our message, and I think now we’re going to have more ways of getting it out.”

Just about every ACC head coach uses Twitter. Jimbo Fisher, Dabo Swinney and Frank Beamer remain the lone holdouts, but assistants on their staffs have a big social media presence. Dave Doeren and Larry Fedora also tweet out specific catchphrases when they secure a commit (the Wolfpack refer to a Red Light; Fedora tweets Heel Yeah!).

But no ACC head coach has put out more tweets since Jan. 1 than Narduzzi. Maybe he should consider adding “social media maven” to his job description.

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