Natural athlete Carter Warren tasked with protecting Pitt QB’s blind side
Trying to identify Pitt’s most naturally gifted athlete is a process without a right answer. The cornerbacks, running backs and wide receivers run faster than anyone else, but the linemen on both sides of the ball pack the most punch. Dave Borbely’s money is on left tackle Carter Warren. “He...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi says he tries not to meddle with offense
It’s not often you hear a head coach admit he’s not capable. But Pat Narduzzi said Thursday morning he stays away from the offense for that reason. Plus, as the Pitt coach pointed out, “Offensively, Whip’s going to run it. It’s his show.” Narduzzi played linebacker at Youngstown State and...
Pitt’s Jaylen Twyman learned by playing free-for-all football on streets
The game is called Throwback Tackle, and Jaylen Twyman isn’t going to lie. He wasn’t the best at it. Played on a concrete parking lot or any open space, the game begins when someone throws a football high in the air, behind his back and toward a crowd of 10...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi knows how to handle players who lose focusVideo
When his team loses focus — such as what happened at practice Tuesday — Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi knows of an old-school technique that has worked for coaches for years. “Size 12 and a half,” he said. He was joking, of course. There’s no proof he even wears a 12½....
Pitt’s Kirk Christodoulou ready to shoulder dual role of punter, holder
When Pitt conducted its first scrimmage of the summer, Kirk Christodoulou didn’t meet the standard he set last season. Coach Pat Narduzzi noticed during Saturday’s session, of course, and wasn’t afraid to talk publicly about it Tuesday. “I expect more out of him,” Narduzzi said. “He’s not a rookie anymore....
Pitt women’s volleyball team 12th in preseason poll
The Pitt women’s volleyball team, the two-time defending ACC champion, begins its season Aug. 30 with the Panther Challenge at Fitzgerald Field House, and the Panthers will head into that event with a No. 12 national ranking. The American Volleyball Coaches Association released its Division I preseason poll Tuesday afternoon,...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi praises Deslin Alexandre, ‘the next man up’ at defensive endVideo
Perhaps Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi was focused more than usual on the vacated defensive end position. But he did have praise Tuesday for Deslin Alexandre, who gets first shot at replacing injured Rashad Weaver. “That guy played his tail off,” the coach said, referring to the first scrimmage of the...
Pitt kicker Alex Kessman sets lofty goals while sweating details
Alex Kessman was a boxer in high school. David Kessman, his father, is a Marine. And, admirably, he wants to hit at least 90 percent of his field-goal tries this season. Anyone questioning Kessman’s attention to detail, toughness and ambition need not worry. “Kess is a perfectionist, as we all...
Pitt finishes tour of Italy with a 3-0 record after 104-41 victory
Pitt assistant coach Jason Capel’s return to Italy was a triumphant one. The Panthers concluded their three-game tour of Italy on Monday with a dominant 104-41 victory against the Vicenza All-Stars. Pitt was 3-0 in Italy, with victories against Vicenza, Florence, 103-53, and The Netherlands B team, 60-55. “This trip...
Pitt O-linemen inexperienced in football but not young in life
Those on the outside of the Pitt training facility look at the Panthers offensive line and see inexperience. Junior Jimmy Morrissey, who is inside those walls every day, looks at it another way. “These young guys, they’ve been waiting,” said Morrissey, Pitt’s starting center since 2017. “They’re really not that...
Pitt continues tour of Italy with 103-53 victory against the Florence All-Stars
Freshman Justin Champagnie filled up his stat line Saturday while leading Pitt to a 103-53 victory against the Florence All-Stars in Livorno, Italy. Champagnie scored 16 points, which would have been good enough for a player fresh from high school. But he also added eight rebounds and two assists and...
5 storylines from 1st week of Pitt training camp
The first week of any training camp typically is packed with plenty of happy talk and unfettered hope. That’s how it was at Pitt, even after the discouraging news Friday of defensive end Rashad Weaver’s season-ending knee injury. Coaches don’t want it any other way. Sour faces and attitudes won’t...
Without Weaver, here’s what’s next for Pitt’s defense
Two days ago, Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge was praising Deslin Alexandre, a previously obscure sophomore defensive end from Pompano Beach, Fla. Partridge liked what he had seen from Alexandre through the first days of training camp and was encouraged that Pitt’s depth at the position was improving. Partridge...
Pitt sack leader Rashad Weaver lost for the season with knee injury
Like most football coaches, Pat Narduzzi prefers to conceal his emotions. The window into what he’s thinking often is closed to those outside his team. Sometimes, though, it’s just not possible to hide your deepest feelings. Friday morning was one of those times. Quietly, thoughtfully, Pitt’s coach stepped in front...
After two days of sightseeing, Pitt defeats The Netherlands, 60-55, in Rome
For a team that spent the previous two days sightseeing, the Pitt squad responded better than anyone could have expected Thursday to win its first game in Italy, 60-55, against The Netherlands “B” team. The game was played at Fonte RomaEur in Rome after the team had visited the Colosseum,...
Son of ex-NFL QB, Pitt’s Jeff George Jr. embraces backup role, wants more
Jeff George Jr.’s football team was a hit in Carmel, Ind. Fans flocked to the games. He was the talk of the town. “When you throw the ball 40, 50 times a game, it’s a sight,” said his coach at the time and father, Jeff George Sr. (yeah, that one)....
What if Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi could redshirt every freshman?Video
In August, optimism rules the day at football training camps. Everywhere, not just at Pitt. Everyone is a candidate to start; everyone is having a good camp; coaches aren’t sure what to do with all these good players. With depth at most positions looking good after nearly a week of...
Pat Narduzzi offers honest appraisal of Pitt’s passing game
Pat Narduzzi looked at his watch to mark the moment. Apparently, he had something important to say before he blew the whistle Wednesday for the fifth day of Pitt’s training camp. The question posed to Pitt’s coach during his daily media briefing concerned the wide receiver group, perhaps the one...
Pitt gets serious with full pads, live hitting on Day 5Video
The fifth day of Pitt training camp Wednesday meant the team entered into a new phase of practice: They put on full pads. “We have to teach them how to put their thigh boards in, their knee pads, butt pads, hip pads,” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “It’s always a challenge....
Pitt football hopes to get boost from NCAA graduate transfers
Pat Narduzzi has stepped into the portal, not with trepidation, but with a need and a plan. Peering inside the portal — specifically, the NCAA transfer portal — he knew he needed help at linebacker, offensive line and tight end for this season. When he ventured inside and came out...
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi says tackling below par on 1st day in padsVideo
The fourth morning of Pitt football practice dawned sunny and hot Monday, which is the way it’s supposed to be in August, right? With temperatures in the mid 80s, it’s a day seemingly ordered by football coaches trying to get their players in shape. For Pitt, Monday was the second...
Pitt senior Aaron Mathews hopes to increase role in passing game
Pitt senior Aaron Mathews possesses skills none of his teammates can match. He is good with the spatula when his buddies come over for a barbecue. “I tell them, ‘Buy it, I’ll put it on the grill,’ ” he said. And, on the rare occasion someone tries to challenge him...
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi posts message to El Paso after mass shooting
Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi posted a note Saturday to the people of El Paso saying they remain “in our hearts and prayers” after a man opened fire at a Walmart in the city and killed 20 people. Narduzzi posted this message to his Twitter account: “Eight months ago the...
Pitt offensive line coach Dave Borbely builds culture of trust, pride, grit
Dave Borbely had been Pitt’s offensive line coach for only a few months in the spring of 2018 when he walked out of the indoor facility one day after a practice. He was joined by Bob Junko, Pitt’s director of player development who has served the football program in various...
Ex-Pitt QB Nate Peterman, Glennon trying to earn green light from Raiders coach Gruden
NAPA, Calif. — As complex as his offense can be, Raiders coach Jon Gruden still gives quarterbacks the liberty to make whatever changes they want to make at the line of scrimmage. “But you have to earn your freedom,” Gruden said Friday. “You have to prove that you can recognize,...
