Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 7

Quarterback Eli Holstein, who led Pitt to a 7-0 start before injuries derailed much of the remainder of his season, and All-America linebacker Kyle Louis said Friday on social media platform X they will return to the team in 2025. Holstein will lead a quarterback room that will include former...

Nothing about Pat Narduzzi’s 10th season should be shocking news for anyone who has followed the passionate coach throughout his time at Pitt. He loves his players. Sincerely, I believe. Many of them love him back, especially the 14 players who have publicly announced their intentions to stay the course...

After Toledo put a painful exclamation point on Pitt’s first six-game losing streak in 26 years, Pat Narduzzi sat between senior co-captains Gavin Bartholomew and Brandon George and tried to put a positive spin on a six-overtime drama. Not an easy task after Toledo (8-5) of the Mid-American Conference walked...

For the second time in its three most recent bowl appearances, Pitt will turn to a third-string quarterback. David Lynch, a walk-on who enrolled in January 2023, will start for the Panthers on Thursday against Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Detroit’s Ford Field. Three years ago, Davis Beville...

A nonconference game played the day after Christmas against a MAC opponent seems almost beside the point, but the GameAbove Sports Bowl between Pitt and Toledo will be staged, anyway, at 2 p.m. Thursday at Detroit’s Ford Field. A Pitt victory would end its five-game losing streak, but not the...

Pitt received a verbal commitment Monday from transfe offensive tackle Kendall Stanley, who will arrive from Charlotte with three seasons of eligibility. Offensive line will be one of coach Pat Narduzzi’s priorities in the transfer portal this offseason after spotty play created problems this season. That, coupled with the losses...

Pitt coach Jeff Capel and his players will take a 10-2 record into the holiday break, but it’s time for everyone to take a deep breath and relax. At least until they’ve had that last sip of egg nog. After Pitt’s 110-78 victory Saturday against Sam Houston at Petersen Events...

Pitt filled a huge need through the transfer portal when kicker James London pledged to enroll next year. He could be the successor to Ben Sauls, who has been Pitt’s regular kicker the past three seasons. 1000 % COMMITTED ???????? pic.twitter.com/UZMOdwga65— James London 5 ⭐️ Kicker (@JamesLondonJr29) December 20, 2024...

Jordan Bass, a reserve linebacker who played in nine games for Pitt this season as a sophomore, has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Bass (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) started one game over the past two seasons when he replaced Solomon DeShields, who was injured on the opening kickoff at Wake Forest...

In the aftermath of one of the most disappointing defeats for any team in Pitt history, the Panthers’ Olivia Babcock received the expected consolation prize Friday when she was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Player of the Year. She is the first Pitt player to earn the award...

If Guillermo Diaz Graham is seeking help — or even sympathy — while trying to recover from his shooting slump, he doesn’t need to go far. Help is available a few decks above the Petersen Events Center floor, inside Pitt coach Jeff Capel’s office. “It happened to me my senior...

Pitt’s women’s volleyball team had lived the good life this season, experiencing joy, camaraderie and victory in 33 of its first 34 matches. But hopes for Pitt’s first team national championship since 1976 — in any sport — crashed to the floor Thursday night at Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center. Louisville...

Jeff Capel said Thursday he didn’t know he is coaching a team that sits 11th among 363 other Division I men’s basketball programs. “I appreciate you letting me know that,” Capel said when a reporter reminded him where Pitt stands in the crucial NCAA NET rankings. Of course, Capel is...

When Dan Fisher returns to campus — worst scenario Friday, better scenario Monday — he carefully will hang what he referred to as a “really cool” Louisville Slugger baseball bat on his office wall. The bat, a gift from tournament organizers, will serve as a permanent reminder of his Pitt...

It’s a long way from Hawaii to Louisville, Ky., but Katie Schumacher-Cawley has enjoyed every mile of the journey. Schumacher-Cawley, Penn State’s women’s volleyball coach, knows all about what she calls the external “chaos” of the NCAA Tournament Final Four. She was there in Hawaii in 1999 when — as...

Houston Texans wide receiver Jared Wayne left Pitt after the 2022 season with 146 receptions for 2,038 yards and 13 touchdowns. But he also carried something else that will last with him far beyond his playing days and mean more than mere numbers: a sense of accomplishment off the field....

On the day he was named an Associated Press All-American, running back Desmond Reid announced Monday via Instagram and X that he is returning to Pitt for the 2025 season. Let’s run it???? pic.twitter.com/ppfrGEGw5Z— Desmond Reid (@fastboidez) December 16, 2024 The news was not unexpected but qualifies as a significant...

For the second time in three seasons, Pitt has placed two players on the Associated Press All-America team. Sophomore linebacker Kyle Louis and junior all-purpose back Desmond Reid were second-team selections at their positions on the team that was revealed Monday. Louis and Reid previously were named All-Americans by The...

Pitt lost a second scholarship quarterback to the NCAA transfer portal when Ty Dieffenbach announced plans to leave the program. He joins Nate Yarnell, who also entered the portal after the season. Dieffenbach (6-foot-6, 220 pounds) arrived in January 2023, from Calabasas, Calif., where he threw for 4,153 yards and...

When the Pitt women’s volleyball team had a chance to relax Friday, the day after a tense, five-set Sweet 16 victory against Oregon, coach Dan Fisher and players Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Bre Kelley stopped for a moment to express their feelings. With an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament game coming...

Rich Rodriguez opened his second tenure as West Virginia football coach with a volley that went thundering north on I-79. Hired Thursday to return to coach his alma mater — a team he led to four Big East championships from 2001-07 — Rodriguez made an appearance Friday on “The Pat...

Pat Narduzzi was in a good mood Thursday when he met virtually with reporters in advance of the GameAbove Sports Bowl, where Pitt will conclude its season Dec. 26 against Toledo. So good, as a matter of fact, that he made a bad joke when asked how quarterback Eli Holstein...

Pitt sophomore Olivia Babcock stands 6-foot-4, with a right arm that can be intimidating when she moves purposely from the back row and swings it with all her strength. It’s almost as if she’s trying to deflate the volleyball with one massive blow. An All-American and ACC Player of the...

Pitt’s 96-56 victory against Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday night was special for freshman Brandin Cummings long before he scored 30 points and became only the fourth Pitt player to reach that benchmark in school history. Seated courtside at Petersen Events Center, almost close enough to block one of Cummings’ shots,...

After three seasons at Pitt and one at Akron, wide receiver Konata Mumpfield has decided to end his collegiate career and declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. Mumpfield’s decision further depletes the Panthers’ passing game for the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 after wide receiver Daejon Reynolds and quarterback...