Jerry DiPaola stories, Page 8
Kyle Louis, Desmond Reid named 2nd-team All-Americans by The Athletic, CBS Sports
Kyle Louis and Desmond Reid, who were Pitt’s most consistent performers during the football season, were named second-team All-Americans on Wednesday by The Athletic and CBS Sports. Louis, a first-time All-American, offered a little bit of everything from his outside linebacker position, compiling 96 tackles, 15½ for a loss, seven...
Beach volleyball is king in Dan Fisher’s hometown, but he has carried collegiate version to great heights at Pitt
Dan Fisher grew up in Santa Barbara, Calif., where residents play beach volleyball like Pittsburgh kids play Wiffle ball or Little League. “It is mainstream there,” he said. But it wasn’t on the beach where he learned the collegiate game of volleyball that has lifted him to the top of...
Pitt kicker Ben Sauls named to PFF All-America team
After a season of reliability, Pitt senior kicker Ben Sauls was named Tuesday to the Pro Football Focus All-America Team. He is the only kicker on the 27-man squad. With one game to play — the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26 in Detroit — Sauls has converted a team-high...
Pitt Take 5: After long road stint, Panthers return for 1st home game since Nov. 18
Under normal circumstances, Pitt men’s basketball plays eight games in a month. That’s what the schedule will demand in January and February and how it was structured in November. But this is December, and there must be allowances made for final exams, family and, realistically, an opportunity for players to...
Pitt defensive linemen David Ojiegbe, Thomas Aden enter NCAA transfer portal
The number of departing players from the Pitt football roster climbed to 12 on Monday, the first day the NCAA transfer portal officially opened. The two most recent players to announce their intentions to leave are reserve defensive linemen David Ojiegbe and Thomas Aden. Ojiegbe, a redshirt freshman, will be...
Pitt accepts invitation to play Toledo in GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit
No matter how poorly Pitt played in its final five games of the regular season, that 7-0 record at the outset matters, too. The Panthers were rewarded Sunday for their 7-5 record when they were invited — and accepted the bid — to the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field,...
Jeff Capel’s timely timeout helps Pitt rally to victory, come home with 8-2 record
The second half was only 101 seconds old, and Pitt already had started whittling down Virginia Tech’s eight-point halftime lead to six. But this game — this moment — was not about Pitt shaving a couple points off its deficit. Jeff Capel wanted physicality. He wanted rebounding, defense and pressuring...
Jaland Lowe carries Pitt to 2nd-half rally in victory at Virginia Tech in ACC opener
Before Pitt found its shooting touch, before the Panthers started to play with the necessary physicality and focus, before Jaland Lowe decided the floor was his, Pitt looked like a team headed for defeat. Suddenly, the momentum shifted and Lowe scored 15 points in the second half Saturday to lead...
QB Nate Yarnell reveals transfer plans after up-and-down Pitt career
In four seasons at Pitt, Nate Yarnell has served four distinct roles at the game’s most important position. He has been a quarterback-in-waiting, hope for the future, an afterthought and, finally, an insurance policy. But all of that will end for Pitt’s bowl game and in 2025 after he revealed...
Pitt has something to prove, and process begins at Virginia Tech
Pitt fans have seen this act before, or at least something similar. What’s worse, it’s back after first revealing itself less than a week ago. Two of the fans’ favorite teams won seven games to start the season, with the help of late dramatics that only served to heighten the...
Pitt wide receiver Daejon Reynolds reveals plans to transfer
Wide receiver Daejon Reynolds, whose role in Pitt’s passing game diminished this season, decided to place his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Reynolds, 21, will have one season of eligibility. Reynolds spent the past two seasons with the Panthers after transferring from Florida where he caught a total of...
Pitt can’t keep up with Mississippi State, suffers blowout loss in SEC/ACC Challenge
In the wake of Pitt’s 90-57 loss to Mississippi State on Tuesday night in Starkville, Miss., Jeff Capel couldn’t help thinking what his father, Felton Capel II, a longtime coach himself, might say. “When I was younger when he was coaching, (he said), ‘Sometimes, you’re the bug. Sometimes, you’re the...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi pleased with 2025 recruiting class, calls it ‘a doozy’
Pat Narduzzi uttered his best line of the season at the outset of Pitt’s signing day news conference when he told reporters, “I think we have a doozy for you.” Name puns aside, Narduzzi and his coaches believe they signed a strong 2025 class of 21 high school seniors, some...
Pitt secures 4-star cornerback Mason Alexander of Indiana among 21 recruits on signing day
After the last game of the regular season, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi made a bold statement: “In 36 years of coaching, I’ve never seen so many injuries.” As it turned out, Pitt didn’t have enough depth to compensate for those injuries, and a five-game losing streak ensued. That’s where signing...
After strong start to season, Pitt basketball aims to stay grounded
When there’s no one on the floor at Petersen Events Center and the seats are empty, Pitt sophomore point guard Jaland Lowe likes to grab some basketballs and shoot foul shots by himself. The idea is to see how many he can make in a row. One time recently, he...
Pitt running back Desmond Reid, linebacker Kyle Louis named to All-ACC first team
Pitt running back Desmond Reid and linebacker Kyle Louis were difficult to miss on the football field this season, and their names were equally prominent on the All-ACC football team revealed Tuesday on the ACC Network. Reid was a first-team selection as an all-purpose back and return specialist. Plus, he...
Pitt running back Rodney Hammond plans to enter transfer portal
Running back Rodney Hammond Jr. put an end to his four-year Pitt career Tuesday when he announced on X that he is planning to enter the transfer portal. Thank you for everything Pittsburgh but I will be entering the portal for my last year— Rodney L. Hammond (@RodneyLHammond1) December 3,...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi laments recruiting calendar that limits home visits before signing day
At the age of 58, Pat Narduzzi isn’t shy about admitting he’s an “old-school” coach. Before he signs a player from high school or the transfer portal, he’d like to look that young man in the eye, shake his hand and meet his family. “I want to know where they...
Pitt ranked No. 5 by NCAA NET, 18th in AP, 19th in coaches’ poll
The effects from Zack Austin’s long 3-pointer surfaced Monday when Pitt received significant recognition in two national polls and, especially, in the NCAA NET rankings. The Panthers improved their record to 7-1 with a dramatic overtime victory at Ohio State on Friday, and voters in the Associated Press and USA...
Defensive tackle Nahki Johnson, 2 other Pitt players planning to enter transfer portal
Pitt defensive tackle Nakhi Johnson, center Terrence Moore and cornerback Noah Biglow are planning to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Johnson made his announcement on X and Moore’s agency, 3 Strand Sports & Entertainment, also used X to announce its client’s plans. All three ended the regular season as backups...
Pitt’s bowl projections range from Yankee Stadium to San Diego
The rules governing college football’s postseason make it clear: Pitt is eligible for a 13th game, has been for a long time after winning No. 6 on Oct. 12. The bar for bowl eligibility is set at six victories. Projected locations from various national media outlets include the Pinstripe Bowl...
Pitt’s losing streak reaches 5 in a row as regular season ends in 34-23 loss to Boston College
Pitt’s regular season ended Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Mass., but, really, it dragged itself back to campus in a state of misery. A series of mishaps, penalties and even more injuries led to the Panthers’ losing streak reaching five after a 34-23 Boston College victory. It’s the first time Pitt...
Report: Pitt’s Nate Yarnell will start at quarterback against Boston College
A week after Eli Holstein hurt his leg Nov. 23 early in the loss to Louisville, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi will stick with relief quarterback Nate Yarnell on Saturday at Boston College. Yarnell will start Pitt’s final regular-season game. TribLive news partner WTAE-TV first reported the news. Yarnell has been...
Pitt’s Papa Amadou Kante labeled ‘game-changer’ by teammates after he scores 12 to help defeat Ohio State
After Pitt’s rousing 91-90 overtime victory against Ohio State, Jaland Lowe made sure he hung around the reporters surrounding Papa Amadou Kante. Lowe had something he needed to say, and he wanted everyone to hear it. First, Lowe shook his head and smiled when Kante called him “the best player...
Zack Austin’s 3-point basket lifts Pitt to 91-90 overtime victory against Ohio State
Zack Austin hit the winning 3-point shot Friday afternoon with 0.04 seconds left in overtime to lift Pitt to a 91-90 victory against Ohio State, but there he was in a postgame interview apologizing. The moment inside Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, was not too much for him, but...
