Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 132
Arizona State QB Joey Yellen transfers to Pitt
Joey Yellen, who was a freshman quarterback at Arizona State last season, has transferred to Pitt and will start classes Monday, a source close to the situation told the Tribune-Review. In his only season at Arizona State, Yellen started one game – a 31-26 loss to USC – and completed...
Pitt plunging back into ACC, preparing for ‘dogfight’Video
The script has flipped in the ACC this season. After six teams finished among the top 23 in the final KenPom rankings last season, only four — No. 1 Duke, No. 4 Louisville, No. 20 Florida State and No. 30 and defending national champion Virginia — are in the top...
Pitt volleyball coach Dan Fisher signs 7-year contract through 2026
With three consecutive ACC championships in his recent past, Pitt women’s volleyball coach Dan Fisher has signed a seven-year contract that runs through the 2026 season. Fisher compiled a record of 178-49 in seven years at Pitt, including 106-29 in the ACC and league titles in 2017, ‘18 and ‘19....
Penn State fires offensive line coach Matt Limegrover
The look of Penn State’s coaching staff continued to change Tuesday when coach James Franklin announced he will not renew the contract of offensive line coach Matt Limegrover. The move followed the departure of offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne, recently named the new head coach at Old Dominion. Franklin replaced Rahne...
Paris Ford says he’ll defer NFL plans, return to Pitt for 2020 season
Paris Ford made it three for three Monday when he announced his plans to return to Pitt for his junior season. Ford, who was named a first-team All-ACC strong safety in his first season as a starter, joins defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman and defensive end Patrick Jones as Pitt players...
Pitt ends nonconference schedule with win against CanisiusVideo
Pitt put holidays, mom’s home cooking and days off in the past Monday, closingthe nonconference portion of its schedule with good news and bad. With bigger, more significant days ahead. While defeating Canisius, 87-79, before a crowd of 8,035 at Petersen Events Center, Pitt set a season high for points...
Top-20 prospect Jalen Hood-Schifino verbally commits to Pitt
Pitt coach Jeff Capel landed the school’s most decorated basketball prospect in eight years when sophomore guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, a native of Penn Hills, verbally committed on his Instagram post. Pitt hasn’t successfully recruited a top-20 prospect since Jamie Dixon signed future NBA star Steven Adams in 2012. Hood-Schifino, 6-foot-4,...
Penguins survive Predators’ rally in 6-4 victoryVideo
When Bryan Rust was asked about the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 6-4 victory that almost turned into a loss Saturday night, he was as accurate without a stick in his hands as he has been holding one on the ice. The question: “Was that a good win, a bad win or it...
Matt Murray will be in goal Saturday night when Penguins meet PredatorsVideo
Matt Murray, who has played in two games this month, will start in goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night when they play the Nashville Predators at PPG Paints Arena. It’s the second of two games in two nights for the Penguins after Tristan Jarry was in the net...
Pitt’s Patrick Jones says he won’t declare for NFL Draft
Pitt received more good news for next season Saturday when defensive end Patrick Jones announced on Twitter he plans to return for his senior season. Good news for Pitt Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) December 28, 2019 That means Pitt’s two best defensive linemen last season decided to defer the possibility...
Pat Narduzzi, Pitt ready to ‘reload and go’ after bowl victory
In the minutes after Pitt’s Quick Lane Bowl victory Thursday night, Pat Narduzzi said he, his staff and players will enjoy it for more than 24 hours (a luxury they only experience at season’s end) but get back to work Jan. 2. And let’s not be fooled by the dramatic...
Pitt’s Heather Lyke helped rebuild Eastern Michigan’s programVideo
DETROIT – The Quick Lane Bowl between Pitt and Eastern Michigan on Thursday night held special meaning for Heather Lyke beyond the Panthers’ 34-30 victory. How could it not? She hired one coach (Chris Creighton at Eastern Michigan) and extended the contract of the other (Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi). Lyke, Pitt’s...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi hopes NCAA allows senior Damar Hamlin one more season of eligibilityVideo
DETROIT – Free safety Damar Hamlin is listed as a senior, but coach Pat Narduzzi said Thursday night Pitt officials are petitioning the NCAA about getting a fifth year of eligibility for the Central Catholic graduate. The basis for their petition is Hamlin’s freshman year in 2016 when he was...
Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman ‘110%’ committed to returning to Pitt next season
DETROIT — After three years on Pitt’s campus, defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman is eligible to leave school early and enter the 2020 NFL Draft. And he has the resume to interest any team. • He’s a second-team All-American and first-team All-ACC performer. • He recorded 10½ sacks as an interior...
Pitt ends bowl losing streak with 34-30 victory against Eastern MichiganVideo
DETROIT — Down three, with only two minutes, 43 seconds left in the Quick Lane Bowl, Kenny Pickett broke the huddle, stepped behind center Jimmy Morrissey and surveyed the scene. It wasn’t pretty or encouraging. In front of Pitt’s quarterback stood 11 Eastern Michigan defenders guarding 91 yards of green...
Pitt AD Heather Lyke: Coach Pat Narduzzi improving, more work to doVideo
DETROIT — Heather Lyke said Thursday night Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi “continues to become a better head coach every year,” but she added the quest to lift the Panthers to a desired level of excellence is far from finished. “I think we’ve got a lot to do in the offseason...
Pitt’s Mike Ditka, Bill Fralic, Larry Fitzgerald, Hugh Green named to ESPN’s all-time All-America team
Four Pitt greats, all of whom have had their jerseys retired by the university, are first-team selections on ESPN’s All-Time All-America college football team announced Wednesday. Named to the team were tight end Mike Ditka, offensive tackle Bill Fralic, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and defensive end Hugh Green. Ditka, who...
Pitt bowl game matters, especially to those coming back for more
There can be reasonable debate about the importance of bowl games that don’t involve ranked teams. So let’s review the arguments: • If Pitt defeats Eastern Michiganon Thursday night in the Quick Lane Bowl, will anyone remember? Coach Pat Narduzzi surely will. It would be his first bowl victory in...
Habakkuk Baldonado’s long journey from Rome to Pitt’s defensive line
The Italian Club has been active on Pitt’s campus for 106 years, but until the day Charlie Partridge walked Habakkuk Baldonado through the front door, it never was used as a recruiting tool for the football team. Partridge, Pitt’s defensive line coach and assistant head coach, said it’s an experience...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi on Kenny Pickett: ‘He’s a great quarterback. He’s our quarterback’
Kenny Pickett’s collegiate career, so fresh with hope when he boldly led Pitt to an upset of No. 2 Miami as a freshman only two years ago, has been reduced to one season and one game. “He’ll be a senior next year,” coach Pat Narduzzi said, almost sadly. “We wish...
Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman finds his name on a 5th All-America team
There are few guarantees in college football, but Pitt sophomore defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman has found one. His name is listed on all five All-America teams announced since the end of the season. The most recent organization to recognize Twyman on its All-America team is the Football Writers Association of...
Pat Narduzzi looking for a buzz from Pitt’s class of 2020Video
When Pat Narduzzi looks back on Pitt’s 2020 recruiting class, he will remember awaiting receipt of paperwork from Liberia; a meal of oxtails, salmon and Jamaican rice and how much assistant Tim Salem enjoyed it; and a series of good-night text messages from the best defensive lineman in Pennsylvania. Those...
Pitt football letters of intent roll in on national signing day, reaches 15 by mid-morning
Defensive end Sam Williams, one of two Pitt recruits from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was the first to send in his letter of intent Wednesday morning. Pat Narduzzi acknowledged receipt at 7:05 a.m., and the process of restocking the roster began. Pitt started the day with 17 verbal commits, but wide...
Pitt flips safety on the eve of signing day
Safety Buddy Mack, who was committed to Charlotte for the past three months, changed his mind Tuesday night and announced on Twitter he will sign with Pitt. ?? #H2P pic.twitter.com/5hpqKU6GjL— Buddy Mack (@TMack_14) December 18, 2019 Mack, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound three-star prospect from Duncan, S.C., is the third defensive back...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi said he prefers Detroit’s dome to bright lights of Manhattan
In New York City, Pat Narduzzi could have caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, perhaps basked in the glow of Christmas lights in Times Square. In Washington D.C., maybe Pitt’s coach could have invited President Trump, who once owned a professional football team, to practice. Photo-ops everywhere, but...
