PITTSBURGH — Paul Chryst thought about the question, then shrugged his shoulders.

Sure, it hasn’t been the most normal recruiting season for Pittsburgh’s new coach, who spent the first six weeks on the job finishing his work as Wisconsin’s offensive coordinator and introducing himself to high school players that have watched Chryst become the Panthers’ fourth head coach in barely a year.

Unique? Sure. Challenging? Not really.

“You just dive in and do the best you can,” Chryst said. “To sit here and talk about the challenges, no one really cares.”

Certainly not the 16 players who signed with Pitt on Wednesday. The way Chryst looks at it, their commitment says more about their belief in the program than it does his coaching ability.

“It’s a group of guys that because of the situation that was presented to them, chose Pitt because it was the right fit for them,” Chryst said.

Running back Rushel Shell, who set a state record by rushing for 9,078 yards for Hopewell High in Aliquippa, Pa., turned down offers from places like Alabama, Ohio State and Florida to stick close to home. He signed his letter of intent on Wednesday morning despite the coaching upheaval at Pitt during the recruiting process.

Chryst, who coached Heisman Trophy finalist Montee Ball at Wisconsin, believes the 6-foot, 210-pound Shell can make an immediate impact to take some of the pressure off senior running back Ray Graham, who tore the ACL in his right knee in October. Graham’s rehab appears to be on schedule, but Chryst expects Shell to be in the mix next fall.

Shell and quarterback Chad Voytik played the role of recruiter during the search process, keeping in contact with other players trying to keep the group together.

Voytik, who was recruited heavily by Graham, was the first player to fax in a letter on Wednesday morning. Voytik passed for more than 5,000 yards during his career at Cleveland (Tenn.) High and was ranked the state’s top overall prospect by one national recruiting service.

Brothers Chris and Demitrious Davis played both ways at Austintown Fitch High in Austintown, Ohio. Though both were listed as wide receivers on Wednesday, their positions could change down the road, as it could for tight end J.P. Holtz from Shaler Area High in Pittsburgh.

The Panthers landed six players from the Western Pennsylvania.