Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 38
Pitt’s young WRs Che Nwabuko, Kenny Johnson put talents on display in quest for playing time
Che Nwabuko kept everyone waiting, but no one questioned his reason for being a bit tardy to his first interview session. Pitt’s redshirt freshman wide receiver was staying after practice to put in some extra work. Football comes first. Who could argue? Then, after arriving at the appointed spot, he...
West Mifflin’s Nahki Johnson finds right fit on Pitt’s defensive line
In the locker room and weight room (perhaps even to his face), some of Charlie Partridge’s players refer to him as Hulk. “Coach P is hard on you,” sophomore defensive end Nahki Johnson said. “He’s cool. He’s chill. Then, when you get up here, he just transforms … I wouldn’t...
Alliance 412 set to expand NIL opportunities beyond pay for play
If you need proof that name, image and likeness dollars already have been distributed to some Pitt athletes, Jeff Goldberg suggests looking back a few months. “You see it on the rosters already,” said Goldberg, chief operating officer of Alliance 412, the collective created to help Pitt compete in the...
Panthers observations: 1st day in pads increases intensity level at Pitt practice
Pitt practice looked like what actually happens in games Tuesday morning when players put on their big-boy pads in the first live session of the summer. Turning it up a level today!! First day in full pads! ????????#WorkAndEffort #BAM #WeNotMe #H2P pic.twitter.com/136Xlt9Qeu— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) August 8, 2023 During the...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi laments ‘money-driven’ realignment in college footballVideo
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi used the words “crazy” and “sad” when asked Monday morning about the current realignment trend in college football. With UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington joining the Big Ten that is rooted in the midwest and east and future Big 12 members Arizona State, Arizona and Utah...
Ranking the top 20 Pitt football players of the 21st century … what’s your opinion?
The question raised over the weekend by veteran Pitt reporter Chris Peak was a good one, with an easy answer: Where does Darrelle Revis fit among the top Pitt players of the 21st century? Where does Darrelle Revis rank among the top Pitt players of the 21st century? Competition includes:FitzgeraldDonaldMcCoyPickettConnerBoydAddisonO'NeillKanceyJonesWeaverMcKillopPalko—...
In retirement, Duquesne’s Dave Saba will measure his sports information career by ‘Forrest Gump moments’
Dave Saba calls them “Forrest Gump moments,” those unforgettable interactions with sports celebrities and one future U.S. president that surfaced during his four decades in athletic administration at two institutions of higher learning, Texas and Duquesne. Landmarks of a lifetime, they come rushing back to him now, especially after he...
Pitt’s M.J. Devonshire, cornerback teammates learn to ignore ‘press clippings’
Pitt’s senior cornerbacks Marquis Williams, M.J. Devonshire and A.J. Woods aren’t afraid to speak what’s on their minds. It could be spreading a little trash on the practice field to irritate teammates and coaches (playfully, you understand); or, on social media, when they might feel disrespected by those preseason prognostications...
Pitt running backs coach Andre Powell has corralled Pitt’s stable of ball carriers
Rodney Hammond remembers his freshman training camp — before he rushed for a total of 964 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons at Pitt. Not long out of high school, he needed someone to show him how to succeed in college football. “When I first came here,...
Pat Narduzzi’s plea to reporters: Please, don’t ask about injuries
There is a running joke among Pat Narduzzi and reporters who cover Pitt football. Don’t ask about injuries. Of course, reporters often break the rule, causing Narduzzi to drop his eyes, shake his head and say, “(insert reporter’s name here), you know better than that.” So, when LSU coach Brian...
Pitt assistant Dave Borbely assembles another set of seasoned offensive linemen
Dave Borbely prefers experienced offensive linemen as opposed to those who need to be taught how to take the first step off the line of scrimmage. Yes, something as simple as that matters when 300-pound defensive tackles are tying up traffic in the trenches. Pitt’s offensive line coach has a...
Defeats from long ago still weigh on Pitt’s Phil Jurkovec as he carries ‘grit, moxy’ into his final collegiate season
Through two transfer decisions, three schools, a few injuries and eight years of ups and downs, Phil Jurkovec said he has no regrets. Actually, maybe a few. But they aren’t what you think. When a reporter asked what 23-year-old Phil Jurkovec would tell his 16-year-old self, Pitt’s quarterback was quick...
As camp opens, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi says talent level ‘night and day’ from when he took over
Pitt opened the on-field version of summer training camp Wednesday, giving coach Pat Narduzzi the opportunity — when prodded by reporters — to compare the team he inherited in 2015 to what he has built as the 2023 season begins. Keep in mind, Pitt was coming off four years of...
Pitt offensive tackle Matt Goncalves named to Preseason All-ACC team
Senior offensive tackle Matt Goncalves is Pitt’s lone representative on the 27-member, All-ACC Preseason team, released Wednesday morning by the conference. Goncalves, who is listed at 6-foot-6, 330 pounds (15 more than at the outset of last season), started all 13 games last season — eight on the right side,...
Panthers observations: Pitt opens training camp with 120 players
Pat Narduzzi welcomed a full complement of 120 players Wednesday morning to the first day of Pitt’s summer training camp (at least the first day of practices). Players actually reported Tuesday before they began trampling the Beano Cook Fields adjacent to the South Side facility the Panthers share with the...
Young Pirates lead the way in 4-1 victory against Tigers
Reality hasn’t hit Alika Williams yet, but he knows it’s coming — the fact that he’s in the majors with a couple of his buddies, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates win games. “I don’t think it’s really smacked me yet. It’s going to,” he said. That’s OK with the Pirates’ rookie...
Ke’Bryan Hayes returns to clubhouse, eager to rejoin young Pirates lineup
After spending most of July on the injured list, Ke’Bryan Hayes returned to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ clubhouse Tuesday afternoon, finally with a back that allows him to display his special skills with the glove. He wasn’t in the starting lineup Tuesday night, but the Pirates activated him in time for...
Pitt picked to finish tied for 6th with Duke in ACC preseason poll
Pitt is projected to finish in a tie for sixth place with Duke in the ACC, according to a vote conducted by a panel of 176 media members. The conference released results of the vote Tuesday morning. Pitt was similarly disrespected in 2021 when it was projected to finish fourth...
Pitt lands Penn Hills quarterback Julian Dugger for class of 2024
Pitt found a quarterback for its class of 2024 on Monday when Penn Hills’ Julian Dugger committed. Dugger, who has thrown for more than 2,400 yards the past two seasons, is ranked the No. 40 overall prospect in Pennsylvania, according to Rivals.com. He led Penn Hills to a Northeast Conference...
On the eve of training camp, let’s track Pitt football, week by week
The first horn is set to blow mid-morning Wednesday when Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi and his staff get down to the hot, sweaty business of football on the South Side. How long will it take Pitt to reach its full potential? And what is the Panthers’ ceiling? Is Pitt the...
Position-by-position breakdown as Pitt opens 2023 training camp
When Pitt football opens training camp Tuesday, Pat Narduzzi will enter his ninth season as the Panthers head coach, a distinction no one who has followed the program this century should take lightly. Pitt has not had nine seasons of coaching stability since John Michelosen was in charge from 1955-65....
Pitt lands 4-star RB recruit Yasin Willis, top overall player in New Jersey
Pitt’s 2024 recruiting class received a huge boost Saturday night when four-star running back Yasin Willis, ranked No. 1 overall in New Jersey, announced his intention to enroll next year. He chose Pitt from among 22 scholarship offers from some of the top programs in the nation, including Alabama, Michigan...
Ji Man Choi, Connor Joe next men up at 1st base for Pirates
Carlos Santana started at first base in 85 of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first 102 games this season, more frequently than any of his former teammates at other positions. Plus, he batted cleanup in 85 games. Only No. 2 hitter Bryan Reynolds manned his spot in the order more often (87)....
With no specific return date in mind, Pirates Ke’Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz continue to rehab injuries
The left side of the Pittsburgh Pirates infield that started the season – third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and shortstop Oneil Cruz – continue their recovery from serious injuries, but there is no specific timetable for either player’s return to the lineup. Hayes (lower back inflammation) played one game Tuesday in...
Before the hitting starts, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi, 3 players have some fun with ACC media
The calendar says July, but summer is ending for college football players headed to training camp next week. Before they start sweating, tackling and bruising, three Pitt players and coach Pat Narduzzi mixed business with pleasure Wednesday at the ACC Kickoff Media event in Charlotte, N.C. Among the highlights telecast...
