Ranking the top 20 Pitt football players of the 21st century … what’s your opinion?
The question raised over the weekend by veteran Pitt reporter Chris Peak was a good one, with an easy answer: Where does Darrelle Revis fit among the top Pitt players of the 21st century? Where does Darrelle Revis rank among the top Pitt players of the 21st century? Competition includes:FitzgeraldDonaldMcCoyPickettConnerBoydAddisonO'NeillKanceyJonesWeaverMcKillopPalko—...
Pitt’s M.J. Devonshire, cornerback teammates learn to ignore ‘press clippings’
Pitt’s senior cornerbacks Marquis Williams, M.J. Devonshire and A.J. Woods aren’t afraid to speak what’s on their minds. It could be spreading a little trash on the practice field to irritate teammates and coaches (playfully, you understand); or, on social media, when they might feel disrespected by those preseason prognostications...
Pitt running backs coach Andre Powell has corralled Pitt’s stable of ball carriers
Rodney Hammond remembers his freshman training camp — before he rushed for a total of 964 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons at Pitt. Not long out of high school, he needed someone to show him how to succeed in college football. “When I first came here,...
Pat Narduzzi’s plea to reporters: Please, don’t ask about injuries
There is a running joke among Pat Narduzzi and reporters who cover Pitt football. Don’t ask about injuries. Of course, reporters often break the rule, causing Narduzzi to drop his eyes, shake his head and say, “(insert reporter’s name here), you know better than that.” So, when LSU coach Brian...
Pitt assistant Dave Borbely assembles another set of seasoned offensive linemen
Dave Borbely prefers experienced offensive linemen as opposed to those who need to be taught how to take the first step off the line of scrimmage. Yes, something as simple as that matters when 300-pound defensive tackles are tying up traffic in the trenches. Pitt’s offensive line coach has a...
Defeats from long ago still weigh on Pitt’s Phil Jurkovec as he carries ‘grit, moxy’ into his final collegiate season
Through two transfer decisions, three schools, a few injuries and eight years of ups and downs, Phil Jurkovec said he has no regrets. Actually, maybe a few. But they aren’t what you think. When a reporter asked what 23-year-old Phil Jurkovec would tell his 16-year-old self, Pitt’s quarterback was quick...
As camp opens, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi says talent level ‘night and day’ from when he took over
Pitt opened the on-field version of summer training camp Wednesday, giving coach Pat Narduzzi the opportunity — when prodded by reporters — to compare the team he inherited in 2015 to what he has built as the 2023 season begins. Keep in mind, Pitt was coming off four years of...
Pitt offensive tackle Matt Goncalves named to Preseason All-ACC team
Senior offensive tackle Matt Goncalves is Pitt’s lone representative on the 27-member, All-ACC Preseason team, released Wednesday morning by the conference. Goncalves, who is listed at 6-foot-6, 330 pounds (15 more than at the outset of last season), started all 13 games last season — eight on the right side,...
Panthers observations: Pitt opens training camp with 120 players
Pat Narduzzi welcomed a full complement of 120 players Wednesday morning to the first day of Pitt’s summer training camp (at least the first day of practices). Players actually reported Tuesday before they began trampling the Beano Cook Fields adjacent to the South Side facility the Panthers share with the...
Pitt picked to finish tied for 6th with Duke in ACC preseason poll
Pitt is projected to finish in a tie for sixth place with Duke in the ACC, according to a vote conducted by a panel of 176 media members. The conference released results of the vote Tuesday morning. Pitt was similarly disrespected in 2021 when it was projected to finish fourth...
First Call: Cam Heyward’s NFL top-100 ranking; tough injury for former Steeler; update on Calijah Kancey
Tuesday’s “First Call” has Cameron Heyward’s ranking in the NFL’s top 100. An ex-Pittsburgh Steeler suffers an unfortunate injury. A former Penguins goalie gets a new contract. And we have new info on the injury to former Pitt star Calijah Kancey. Where’s Cam? The NFL Network is slowly rolling out...
Pitt lands Penn Hills quarterback Julian Dugger for class of 2024
Pitt found a quarterback for its class of 2024 on Monday when Penn Hills’ Julian Dugger committed. Dugger, who has thrown for more than 2,400 yards the past two seasons, is ranked the No. 40 overall prospect in Pennsylvania, according to Rivals.com. He led Penn Hills to a Northeast Conference...
On the eve of training camp, let’s track Pitt football, week by week
The first horn is set to blow mid-morning Wednesday when Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi and his staff get down to the hot, sweaty business of football on the South Side. How long will it take Pitt to reach its full potential? And what is the Panthers’ ceiling? Is Pitt the...
Pitt coach Randy Waldrum guides Nigeria to round of 16 at Women’s World Cup
BRISBANE, Australia — Nigeria used a scoreless draw against Ireland on Monday to advance to the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup. The pre-tournament underdogs finished second in Group B behind co-host Australia. After a relatively quiet first half, the Nigerians picked up the intensity in hopes of...
As ACC seeks calm, new beginning, forces in college athletics continue to disrupt
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On the way to Charlotte early last week, and to the ACC’s annual preseason football kickoff, all was quiet off of John D. Swofford Lane. The street, only about 250 feet long, extends a little ways off the Grandover Parkway, which itself runs parallel to I-85 for...
Position-by-position breakdown as Pitt opens 2023 training camp
When Pitt football opens training camp Tuesday, Pat Narduzzi will enter his ninth season as the Panthers head coach, a distinction no one who has followed the program this century should take lightly. Pitt has not had nine seasons of coaching stability since John Michelosen was in charge from 1955-65....
Pitt lands 4-star RB recruit Yasin Willis, top overall player in New Jersey
Pitt’s 2024 recruiting class received a huge boost Saturday night when four-star running back Yasin Willis, ranked No. 1 overall in New Jersey, announced his intention to enroll next year. He chose Pitt from among 22 scholarship offers from some of the top programs in the nation, including Alabama, Michigan...
Before the hitting starts, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi, 3 players have some fun with ACC media
The calendar says July, but summer is ending for college football players headed to training camp next week. Before they start sweating, tackling and bruising, three Pitt players and coach Pat Narduzzi mixed business with pleasure Wednesday at the ACC Kickoff Media event in Charlotte, N.C. Among the highlights telecast...
Pitt’s Jeff Capel releases nonconference schedule, pleased Backyard Brawl with WVU will continue
Pitt released its 11-game nonconference basketball schedule Wednesday, and coach Jeff Capel is pleased that it features four opponents from power conferences. The highlight will be the hardwood version of the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia on Dec. 6 in Morgantown. It will be the 190th game in the series...
From Pitt to Zoo Crew to pros in Cyprus, Nelly Cummings completes basketball circle of life
Nelly Cummings said suiting up for the Zoo Crew in The Basketball Tournament next week won’t be much different from playing for Pitt last season. With one distinct difference. “It’s just you know there’s a million dollars at the end of it,” he said. “If there’s a loose ball, you...
Vikings rookie WR Jordan Addison, former Pitt star, cited for driving 140 mph in Minnesota
Minnesota Vikings first-round draft pick Jordan Addison was cited early Thursday for speeding and reckless driving, after a state trooper clocked him at 140 mph in his sports car in a 55 mph zone. The Minnesota State Patrol said Addison was pulled over without resistance in a Lamborghini Urus at...
Simple assault case for Pitt, Titans LB Rashad Weaver is closed
PITTSBURGH — The misdemeanor simple-assault case against Tennessee Titans linebacker and Pitt product Rashad Weaver is closed. Weaver was charged in 2021 in a South Side incident that occurred days before the Titans drafted him with a fourth-round pick, with the complaint filed a day before his selection. The charge...
Pitt assistant AD Penny Semaia joins Buffalo Bills as vice president of stadium relations
Penny Semaia, who earned four letters on the Pitt football team before rising to the position of senior associate athletic director for the Cathy and John Pelusi Family Life Skills Program, has accepted a job as the Buffalo Bills’ vice president of stadium relations. He will work with Bills vice...
The CW to broadcast select ACC football games, including Pitt-Cincinnati matchup
Pitt’s Sept. 9 matchup against Cincinnati will be one of 13 football games broadcast on the CW Network as part of a new TV deal announced by the ACC on Thursday. In addition to the football games, the CW Network will broadcast 28 men’s basketball games and nine women’s basketball...
Pitt QB Phil Jurkovec launches fundraiser for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Early in life, Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec saw firsthand the kind of impact specialized care can have on young children. Jurkovec’s younger brother, Sebastian, was born 13 weeks premature, weighing 2 pounds, 2 ounces. “His chance for survival was extremely slim,” Jurkovec said. Jurkovec recalled ever-present consternation on the part...
