Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi calls sign-stealing in college football ‘crappy sportsmanship’
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Pat Narduzzi said sign-stealing “happens all the time” in college football, specifically pointing to his time at the University of Cincinnati from 2004-2006 when he heard reports of a Big East opponent filming during games.
Narduzzi declined to identify the Big East school in question, but he said it wasn’t Pitt, a member of that conference at the time. “Dave Wannstedt (Pitt’s coach from 2005-2010) would never do that,” he said.
Pitt’s coach made his remarks Thursday during his weekly chat with reporters in answer to a question about the NCAA investigating the University of Michigan for alleged sign-stealing. That would be a violation of NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which states: “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited.”
“It would nice if someone put a stop to it because it’s not good for the game,” he said.
Narduzzi said he’s not accusing any specific program, adding, “I think it’s ridiculous what goes on. That doesn’t shock me if it happened.”
“But, to me, that’s been happening for a while. I think it can happen with someone going to other games and watching stuff and stealing stuff. You can sit in Acrisure Stadium in Row 5, 50-yard line, and take (a camera) and video their sideline the whole time.
“I’ve heard of people doing this where they match up the video. Here’s the signals for play one; here’s play one. Here’s the signals for play two; here’s play two. (They say) when he taps his nose, it’s an inside zone. When he taps his ear, it’s an outside zone. Hey, outside and inside. There is a lot of that going on.
“If you go play at (Whatever) State and you have a home game where you’re up in the press box — we played Louisville last week — we could have a camera facing and video (taping) everything they got. So, for the next year when we go there, we have all their stuff.
“I’ve heard of that stuff going on. There have been other teams that have gotten busted for that. It’s crappy sportsmanship. It’s not what’s supposed to happen. Whether you travel to a stadium and do it. Whether you do it in your own stadium.”
Narduzzi said he continually worries about opponents stealing his team’s signals. That’s why there are huge tarps hanging on the fences surrounding the fields where Pitt and the Steelers practice.
“We change our signals up,” Narduzzi said. “We change who’s signalling (using multiple people wearing different colored hats where only one has the right call). I think we have a pretty good bead on that. That’s why offensively, we do wristbands. It’s hard to steal a wristband number, I think. Maybe I’m a knucklehead and I don’t know they’re stealing numbers, but there are a lot of numbers.”
During former Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple’s time at Pitt (2019-2021), he brought the quarterback over to the sideline and verbally gave him the signal. He liked the security that system provided.
”Unless they get somebody to read my lips, they can’t steal signals,” Whipple said.
Whipple also said he hoped to see the NCAA eventually start putting receivers in helmets. Narduzzi said he has become aware of preliminary plans to possibly use them in bowl games this season.
Building a resume
Cornerbacks in Pitt’s defense must learn to play press, man-to-man coverage, and Narduzzi believes that can attract interest from the NFL.
“In the NFL, you have to press,” he said, noting former Pitt cornerbacks Damarri Mathis, Dane Jackson and Avonte Maddox have carved out careers in the league. “It takes a different animal to be out there … when you can press up and you’re not scared. There are guys who are good players, maybe faster, bigger, stronger, playing in different conferences, when they get to the NFL, they don’t want to go up there and press. People are going to draft guys who can press and play man and feel comfortable.”
Keep an eye out for …
Narduzzi said he moved redshirt sophomore Nate Yarnell to No. 2 on the quarterback depth chart, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he would be the first choice if Christian Veilleux comes out of the game.
“It can be anything we want to do,” the coach said. “He’s been good in practice every day, and it’s kind of where we’re moving.” Senior and former starter Phil Jurkovec is listed third. … Narduzzi said he has plans to give freshman linebacker Rasheem Biles snaps with the defense Saturday at Wake Forest.