Terrence Moore tackles plank challenge in Pitt weight room test of will, strength
Imagine doing a pushup and holding it as long as possible while leaning on your forearms or hands and staying off the floor with your upper and lower body and butt in a linear position. It’s called a plank, and the typical YMCA athlete uses it to help tighten the...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers reminded daily to put aside 2023, prove it was ‘a 1-year deal’
The words stare at Pitt’s players from the sidewalk every day when they leave their locker room for the practice fields. “PROVE IT.” What does it mean? “We got a lot to prove,” coach Pat Narduzzi said. “Every unit’s got something to prove, and, obviously, this team has something to...
Pitt’s defense tries to adjust to the ‘ton of crazy stuff’ offense throws its way
Fans and, especially, coaches should know enough not to put excessive trust in what happens in training camp. Former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett can confirm that after he went last year from strong outings with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the summer to being traded before the first day of spring....
Panthers observations: Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi expects Saturday scrimmage to ‘tell us a lot’
Pitt will close out its second week of practice Saturday when the Panthers line up on the Beano Cooks Fields for the first intra-squad scrimmage of the summer. “That will tell us a lot about what we have,” coach Pat Narduzzi said. The second scrimmage is scheduled for Aug. 18...
In city where countryman Roberto Clemente is revered, Pitt volleyball’s Valeria Vazquez Gomez seeks her own slice of Pittsburgh history
Long before she was asked to model one of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ promotional T-shirts, Valeria Vazquez Gomez knew all about Roberto Clemente. Vazquez Gomez, a sixth-year outside hitter with the Pitt volleyball team, hails from Puerto Rico, birthplace of the most famous Pirate of all. She said her father is...
Pitt transfers ‘Poppi’ Williams, Tamon Lynum hope to make good in their new neighborhood
When Rachel Sims was a young mother in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., she liked how her little boy’s big eyes seemed to pop out of his head. “Pop eyes,” said Pitt junior wide receiver Raphael Williams Jr., who was that little boy. Thus, the nickname that Rachel bestowed upon her son,...
Panthers observations: Pat Narduzzi has praise for linebackers, but he can do without mandatory injury reports
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi guards his team’s injury information like a general hides his platoon’s next move. But the Big Ten instituted mandatory injury reports for game days in 2023, and there’s talk that the SEC might follow suit at the start of this season. Narduzzi has no use for...
Freshman defensive tackle Francis Brewu unafraid to tackle heavy load at Pitt
Weightlifting is more than just a way for Pitt defensive tackle Francis Brewu to get stronger, win playing time earlier and impress his teammates in the locker room. “It’s like therapy to me,” said Brewu, a freshman from Worthington, Ohio. “Physical therapy. Nothing feels better than when you hit a...
Feeling ‘a little old’ at 21, Pitt RB Rodney Hammond likes sharing knowledge
When Rodney Hammond walks in the Pitt running backs’ meeting room, his teammates call him “Unc.” Not because he’s old. “I do feel a little old,” said the 21-year-old senior. It’s because he’s been there before, all the way back to the Kenny Pickett/Mark Whipple/Izzy Abanikanda days that only seem...
Panthers observations: Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi points to a ‘War Daddy’ at WR, 5-8 RB with big heart
The sixth practice of Pitt’s summer camp Tuesday was a big day for the players who put on full pads for the first time and were permitted to do what most of them enjoy most — hit someone as hard as they can. It also was one of the hottest...
Pitt’s Nahki Johnson not weighed down with transition from defensive end to tackle
Nahki Johnson’s high school career at Steel Valley and West Mifflin was something to remember. He committed to Pitt two months before the start of the 2019 season and went on to become, perhaps, the Big Eight Conference’s best player. He recorded eight sacks, forced four fumbles and earned the...
Panthers observations: Pat Narduzzi gives reporters up-close look at passing drill during 5th day of Pitt practice
When the coach summons you to midfield, you don’t ask questions. You go. That’s what happened Monday morning to reporters at Pitt practice near the end of the media’s viewing window. Coach Pat Narduzzi allowed reporters, who typically stand on the sideline or in the end zone, to stand five...
Belle Vernon graduate Cam Guess’ bond with kicker Ben Sauls brought him back to Pitt for 5th season
Cam Guess won’t lie about his story. “It sounds a little corny,” he said. But he’s proud of it, and he was eager to tell it to reporters Friday at the end of the first week of Pitt’s training camp. Guess, a Belle Vernon graduate, has been Pitt’s regular holder...
Pitt Take 5: Meditation, piano playing help Ben Sauls, Nate Yarnell prepare for intensity of football season
The noise level around Pitt football eventually will rise. The stakes will get higher. Coaches’ shouts will pierce players’ ears and enter their brains daily through the end of November. Maybe longer, if they’re lucky. Amidst the chaos, two Pitt football players have found a way to handle the intensity...
Finally healthy, Pitt’s Ryan Jacoby embraces position battle at left guard
Ryan Jacoby was one of the most decorated high school football players in Ohio during the 2018 season, a top-10 overall prospect (fourth among offensive linemen) in a state recognized for its wealth of talent. He sifted through nearly two dozen scholarship offers before settling on Ohio State, enrolling at...
Pitt notebook: Like Mark Whipple 2 OCs ago, Kade Bell will call plays from the sideline
There will be a subtle change to the Pitt sideline this season, with offensive coordinator Kade Bell calling plays from the field. Frank Cignetti was upstairs last season, but Mark Whipple before him was on the field where he had constant, face-to-face communication with quarterback Kenny Pickett. “I’m not micro-managing...
With season 3 months away, Pitt coach Jeff Capel talks contract, Olympics, program pride
With the temperature outside Petersen Events Center hitting 90 on the first day of August, a relaxed Jeff Capel sat down with reporters for 34 minutes Thursday. Topics of discussion ranged from Pitt’s nonconference schedule in the upcoming season to Capel’s contract extension through 2030 to the Olympics. “I love...
‘Love for the game’ keeps Pitt players, coaches hungry to reverse misfortune from a year ago
Every day, Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates gets down on the ground and does pushups and situps in front of his players. He started with 12 on the first day of practice Wednesday. He promises to reach a daily number of “30 or 40” by the end of the season....
Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell isn’t shy about his desire to reach for lofty goals
Kade Bell knows enough about offense, play-calling and the challenges inherent in college football to understand that a goal of averaging 50 points might be unrealistic. But you have to know that Bell, Pitt’s 31-year-old, first-year offensive coordinator, doesn’t allow facts to get in his way of getting a job...
Panthers observations: With 120 players breaking a good sweat, Pitt opens summer training camp
Under bright sunshine and with 120 young men sweating, bouncing off each other and chasing fumbles across the Beano Cook Fields, Pitt opened training camp Wednesday morning on the South Side. If that number sounds high, that’s because there are more players on the roster this season. Coach Pat Narduzzi,...
Pittsburgh Brewing teams with Pitt for blue-and-gold I.C. Light can
A collaboration between Pittsburgh Brewing Co. and Pitt Athletics on a limited edition Pitt I.C. Light can has been brewing for about two years. The can features royal blue and university gold team colors in addition to the recognizable “Pitt” script and “Hail to Pitt.” It is available this week...
Pitt’s potential recovery from 3-9 season leans heavily on ’22, ’23 recruiting classes
Pitt’s 3-9 record from a year ago was only the second losing season among coach Pat Narduzzi’s nine. He’s second all-time in victories (65) to Jock Sutherland (111), and he’s served longer (2015-present) than all but two Pitt coaches since 1890 (Sutherland and John Michelosen). Nonetheless, there has been minimal...
QB Nate Yarnell can’t do it alone, so here are 5 units that need to step up for Pitt this season
Before compiling a list of the most important players who will populate the Beano Cook Fields when Pitt begins prepping for a new season Wednesday, we need to first identify the obvious choice for leader of the class: The quarterback, Nate Yarnell. There are several players who are as important...
Pitt 5 questions: With camp set to open, OC Kade Bell undertakes offensive overhaul while Pat Narduzzi seeks more sacks
When you attempt to identify five questions that fans — and, perhaps, even coaches — might have about the 2024 version of Pitt football, you can look up and down the roster and start your quest almost anywhere. This is a team that lost five defensive starters to the transfer...
Boston College’s Bill O’Brien, Duke’s Manny Diaz make quick push to connect with players after taking new jobs
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bill O’Brien arrived at Boston College with a high-profile resume that included a stint as an NFL head coach, as well as work with some of college football’s biggest brand names in Penn State and Alabama. Manny Diaz was in similar position as the former Miami head...
