Pitt DT Sean FitzSimmons plans to stay with Panthers
These days, college players announcing they are not entering the transfer portal and staying put at their respective program is as newsworthy as those who do seek new surroundings. Laxed regulations on the portal have seen to that, keeping coaches everywhere on guard more so than ever before as it...
Jeff Capel acknowledges impact of injuries, limited personnel for Pitt this season
As a season that’s far from over but already has been underwhelming continues, a mid-September practice at Petersen Events Center remains fresh in the memory of Jeff Capel. It was a preseason session and Capel, for the time being, had all the pieces he’d assembled for the campaign in front...
Pitt CB Shawn Lee reverses course, announces return to program for 2026
The prospect of losing Shawn Lee, when the true freshman cornerback entered the transfer portal Jan. 1, was doubtless disappointing for Pitt. However, encapsulating the fluidity and unpredictable nature of the portal these days, Lee has reversed course. On Monday afternoon, the honorable mention All-ACC selection posted to Instagram that...
Pitt fills 4 coaching vacancies, as Pat Narduzzi rounds out staff
On top of suffering several significant player transfer portal defections over the last month, Pitt also has had to navigate losses to its staff. Defensive coordinator Randy Bates retired, linebackers coach Ryan Manalac was hired as UConn’s defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jacob Bronowski departed for Auburn...
Pitt lands commitment from Penn transfer offensive lineman Netinho Olivieri
As disaster in the Military Bowl turned to the offseason for Pitt, the transfer portal had been nothing but unkind to the Panthers. Standouts such as linebacker Rasheem Biles, receiver Kenny Johnson and center Lyndon Cooper hit the portal, forcing coach Pat Narduzzi and his staff to brace as the...
Pitt can’t close gap late with Clemson, loses ACC home opener
Pitt’s dominant start in the ACC opener Tuesday at Miami was followed by a second-half collapse, spoiling a shot at topping one of the league’s best teams. On Saturday at Petersen Events Center, the Panthers aimed for their first conference win, with Clemson, another top ACC squad, visiting town. Pitt...
Pitt’s 2026 transfer portal tracker
Beginning at midnight Friday, the transfer portal officially opened, with players across college football free to enter their names and formally begin the process of finding new homes. At Pitt, a trickling of portal announcements began early last month, before the Panthers’ eventual loss to East Carolina in the Military...
Pitt forward Papa Amadou Kante to miss remainder of season
Pitt redshirt sophomore Papa Amadou Kante will undergo an arthroscopic right knee procedure and miss the remainder of the season, the Panthers announced Friday morning. Kante, a 6-foot-10 senior from Dakar, Senegal, had been limited to eight appearances for Pitt this season. He most recently played Nov. 28 in the...
Pitt All-ACC linebacker Rasheem Biles plans to enter transfer portal
The Pitt football team could be without one of it’s top “Sharks” next season, as linebacker Rasheem Biles plans to enter the transfer portal, he posted to his Instagram account. Biles (6-1, 220) made 101 tackles this season, including 17 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also returned two...
Pitt men let lead slip away, lose at Miami in ACC opener
The Pitt men’s basketball team appeared ready Tuesday night to emerge from the other side of the enormous hole they had dug themselves with surprising losses during their nonconference schedule. The Watsco Center isn’t a place, however, where the Panthers have ever been able to get themselves right. Pitt led...
2025 in Pittsburgh college sports: Penn State football tries to recover from implosion
The 2025 year in local college sports featured a blend of results on the scoreboard on top of major administrative maneuvering, as athletic directors adjusted to a new revenue-sharing ecosystem. Pitt football, behind a surprise change at quarterback, looks like a team potentially ready to be a legitimate contender in...
Report: Pitt receiver Kenny Johnson plans to enter transfer portal
The Pitt football team will have to plan for life without its top two wide receivers next season. Leading pass catcher Poppi Williams exhausted his eligibility and second-leading receiver Kenny Johnson plans to enter the transfer portal, according a report from CBS Sports. Pitt standout wide receiver and return specialist...
Pitt turns in-house for new defensive coordinator, promotes safeties coach Cory Sanders
Immediately following defensive coordinator Randy Bates’ retirement, Pitt forewent a national search and instead turned in-house in naming his successor. Cory Sanders, on staff since 2018 as safeties coach, will be calling the defensive shots for the Panthers. Sanders, 40, was named assistant head coach in 2024 by Pat Narduzzi,...
Pitt fumbles away chances, suffers upset loss to East Carolina in Military BowlVideo
For the second straight year, the Pitt football team ended its season with a bowl-game loss that puts a sour mark on an otherwise positive year. The Panthers put together a strong defensive performance that limited East Carolina to 1.7 yards per rush and less than 250 yards of total...
Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates to retire following Military Bowl
As Pitt’s offseason approaches, coach Pat Narduzzi will have a major hire to make, as the eight-year tenure of defensive coordinator Randy Bates has reached a conclusion. Bates, 65, announced he’ll be retiring from coaching after Pitt’s Military Bowl appearance Saturday against East Carolina. Overseeing Pitt’s defense since 2018, Bates’...
East Carolina hit harder by transfers, staff defections than Pitt leading into Military Bowl
The current landscape of college sports, with the fluidity of movement for coaches and players alike, breeds tumultuous offseasons. Unfortunately for teams and their fan bases across the nation, the tumult is increasingly encroaching upon the calendar. Look no further than Lane Kiffin’s pre-College Football Playoff departure from Ole Miss...
Pitt lineman Jackson Brown to enter transfer portal
Pitt redshirt junior offensive lineman Jackson Brown plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2. He posted the news on his X account Monday morning. “I am incredibly thankful for my time at Pitt and want to thank my coaches, teammates and the entire support staff for...
Pitt throttles Penn State in Hershey, riding career-high 28 points from Roman Siulepa
Three decades-plus of irregular meetings has obscured the historical legacy of Pitt vs. Penn State on the hardwood. The two men’s basketball programs, which have played only 10 times since 1992, own a history that dates to 1906, featuring 148 total matchups. Sunday at the Giant Center in Hershey was...
Rivalry review as Pitt meets Penn State on the hardwood
Behind a 40-point thumping of Binghamton on Wednesday, Pitt’s men’s basketball team managed some stabilization following three straight defeats. Though beating up on an America East foe offered something to build off, a taller task awaits Sunday in Hershey as the Panthers face Penn State for their final nonconference game....
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Pitt volleyball shouldn’t be shielded from criticism
As soon as Pitt’s women’s volleyball team lost in the NCAA semifinals for a fifth straight season, we saw this sort of blather on social media: “(Pitt) should be incredibly proud for representing the school and Pittsburgh like total pros. Keep those heads up.” “I’m proud of Pitt volleyball. I...
Following Kyle Louis, Pitt tailback Desmond Reid declares for NFL Draft
A few hours after his teammate and fellow All-American Kyle Louis did so Friday, Pitt tailback Desmond Reid declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. Like Louis, he will forego participation in the upcoming Military Bowl on Dec. 27 versus East Carolina. Reid played two seasons with the Panthers after transferring...
Pitt’s Olivia Babcock wins AVCA National Player of the Year for 2nd straight season
Following Pitt’s Final Four loss to Texas A&M on Thursday, Olivia Babcock won’t get the opportunity to add a national championship to her extensive list of individual accomplishments. But Friday, the Panthers right-side hitter further etched her name into the Pitt athletics and NCAA volleyball history books, winning her second...
Pitt tailback Juelz Goff enters transfer portal
The biggest news of the day for Pitt football Friday undoubtedly was All-American linebacker Kyle Louis declaring for the NFL Draft. But around the same time Louis made his announcement, redshirt freshman tailback Juelz Goff revealed he will be entering the transfer portal. Goff, a York native who played two...
Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis declares for NFL Draft
One of Pitt’s best football players of the Pat Narduzzi era has put a bow on his college career. Linebacker Kyle Louis, a 2024 All-American, declared for the NFL Draft on Friday. Louis announced his intentions to forego remaining eligibility at Pitt and instead begin preparing to play at the...
Pitt volleyball swept by Texas A&M as Panthers fall in Final 4 for 5th straight year
The national semifinals have been both familiar territory and an insurmountable obstacle for Pitt volleyball every year dating to 2021. Over four consecutive seasons, the Panthers have advanced to and fallen in the Final Four, their seasons ending just short of a shot at a national championship. Thursday night in...
