ACC’s quartet of new coaches adds wrinkle to wild division
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tony Elliott waited years before he felt it was the right moment to leave the Clemson staff and become a head coach. The timing gave him plenty of company as he takes over at Virginia. He’s one of four new coaches in the Atlantic Coast Conference, joining...
‘College GameDay’ set to visit Pittsburgh for Backyard Brawl on Sept. 1
The hype machine for the renewal of the Backyard Brawl hit another gear Thursday when ESPN announced it will bring its popular “College GameDay” show to Acrisure Stadium on Sept. 1 for the West Virginia/Pitt game. The special, one-hour show goes on the air at 6 p.m. and will include...
From academics to NIL, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips tackles college athletics issues of the dayVideo
Jim Phillips’ voice was full of pride and joy Wednesday morning when he spoke of the first games of the 2022 ACC football season, when all 14 schools will be in action in a span of 10 days. “I’m going to try to make every one of those games,” he...
Mariners select Pitt catcher Tatem Levins in 8th round
Pitt junior catcher Tatem Levins was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the eighth round of the MLB Draft on Monday, earning the distinction of the Panthers’ highest draft choice since 2018. In the process, Pitt coach Mike Bell can add another name to his resume. Levins is the 94th...
Pitt’s John Hugley IV, Butler grad Ethan Morton will join East Coast All-Stars in Spain
Before Pitt center John Hugley IV makes his final preparations for the 2022-2023 season, he will join Butler High School graduate and Purdue junior guard Ethan Morton on a trip to Spain. Hugley and Morton are among 14 collegiate players who were named to the East Coast All-Stars that will...
ACC helped kickstart the conference expansion race which now threatens its survival
On the other end of the phone, Mike Tranghese sighed quietly. It was a sound that conveyed a sense of empathy, if not resignation. The emotions returned, almost 20 years later. Back then, as the commissioner of the original Big East Conference, Tranghese watched with a sense of helplessness while...
Pitt secures verbal commitment from Miami wide receiver Lamar Seymore
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi continued reaching into the fertile Florida recruiting territory Monday when he landed a verbal commitment from Miami Northwestern High School senior wide receiver Lamar Seymore. Committed to the University of Miami for more than two years, Seymore visited Pitt last month and decided to choose the...
Luke DeCock: Where does ACC go from here? Here are 5 options
Remember when deciding whether to move the conference office out of Greensboro was the trickiest question ACC commissioner Jim Phillips had to answer? Seems like a long time ago that was the ACC’s hot-button issue … in part because that decision has been marinating for a year. It’s small potatoes...
Pitt DB A.J. Woods has grown, wants more
With 13 minutes, 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter Dec. 4, Pitt was closing in on its first ACC championship. The Panthers led 31-21 against Wake Forest. On third-and-13, Demon Deacons quarterback Sam Hartman wanted to connect with wide receiver A.T. Perry on a four verticals route. Pitt defensive...
Luke DeCock: As Big Ten, SEC consolidate their power, the ACC finds itself under existential threat
RALEIGH, N.C. — When Oklahoma and Texas announced their intention to jump to the SEC last summer, it felt like distant thunder on the horizon in ACC country. Concerning, maybe even menacing, but not imminently threatening. But when the Big Ten poached UCLA and Southern Cal from the Pac-12 last...
After historic Pitt career, Kenny Pickett named ACC Male Athlete of the Year
Kenny Pickett signed his Pittsburgh Steelers rookie contract more than two weeks ago, but one more honor from his remarkable Pitt career rolled in Friday. Pickett was named the 2022 ACC Male Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced. He is Pitt’s first ACC Athlete of the Year since...
Basketball Backyard Brawl highlights Pitt’s non-conference schedule
The basketball version of the Backyard Brawl headlines Pitt’s 11-game nonconference schedule for the 2022-2023 season, released Thursday by the university and coach Jeff Capel. Pitt will play West Virginia on Nov. 11 at Petersen Events Center, the 189th all-time meeting between the Panthers and Mountaineers. West Virginia won 100...
How ACC went from one of most successful in college sports history to uncertain future
RALEIGH, N.C. — In an instant late last week, the ACC went from a period of relative stability — yet one not without significant questions about its long-term future — to prognostications of doom and visions of worst-case scenarios. Pick a related metaphor and they all fit the perception that...
Tim Benz: College football conferences may have to die for the sport to rediscover why they were important
I’ve long had a theory about how the shifting landscape of college sports conferences would end. Pretty close to how it started. I consider the constant conference expansion and contraction to be college football nihilism. The existence of conferences as we know them today is unfounded, senseless and useless. Objective...
Pitt lands commitment from Cincinnati offensive tackle Phillip Daniels
Pitt added a fourth offensive lineman to its 15-man class of 2023 verbal commitments Saturday when Phillip Daniels of Cincinnati pledged to enroll. Daniels made the announcement on an Instagram video when he picked up and donned a Pitt baseball cap that was sitting among two others representing Minnesota and...
Pitt senior tackle Carter Warren, teammates hang out with little ones at Millvale’s Boys and Girls Club
When you stand 6-foot-5 and weigh 320 pounds with thick arms and a muscle-bound chest, it might be difficult to look welcoming. But Carter Warren and four of his similarly sized buddies on Pitt’s offensive line pulled it off Tuesday. They greeted, mingled with and even played a game of...
Former Pitt star Dorin Dickerson to join ‘Fan Morning Show’
For the first time since the retirement of Pittsburgh sports radio personality Jim Colony last January, “The Fan Morning Show” has a permanent trio of co-hosts. Former NFL player and Pitt star tight end Dorin Dickerson is joining Colin Dunlap and Chris Mack as a regular host of the weekday...
Pitt lands Florida 3-star DB Jesse Anderson for class of 2023
Defensive back Jesse Anderson announced his plans to enroll at Pitt next year in a unique manner. He wrote an article for USA Today Network. Anderson (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) plays wide receiver and defensive back at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but he will begin his Pitt...
Pitt secures services of wrestling coach Keith Gavin through 2027
Pitt achieved the stablity in its wrestling program that it seeks across all sports when coach Keith Gavin signed a contract Tuesday that carries through the 2027 season. In five seasons at Pitt (his alma mater), Gavin coached 27 NCAA championship qualifiers, 10 ACC champions and seven All-Americans while recording...
ACC eliminates football divisions starting in 2023, allowing each school to play all 13 opponents in 4-year cycle
Pitt and every other school in the ACC has one last chance this season to grab a division championship in football. The ACC announced Tuesday a significantly modified scheduling model that will run at least from 2023 to 2026. The main point is that the Coastal and Atlantic divisions will...
Pitt receives commitment from 3rd offensive lineman
Pitt received a third verbal commitment from a high school offensive lineman when Tai Ray of Apopka, Fla., announced Monday morning on his Twitter account that he plans to enroll next year. 1000% committed!! @CoachDuzzPittFB @CoachBorbs @CoachTimSalem @Pitt_FB #H2P ???????? pic.twitter.com/q5psYpzFze— Tai Ray (@67TaiRay) June 27, 2022 Ray (6-foot-6, 280...
Pitt scheduled for return date with Northwestern in ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Pitt will play Northwestern in the 2022 ACC/Big Ten Challenge, with a visit to Evanston, Ill., scheduled for Nov. 28 when Jeff Capel will compete for the third time against former Duke teammate Chris Collins, the Wildcats’ coach. It will be the Panthers’ second game at Northwestern in three seasons....
First Call: Dan Marino honors Tony Siragusa; Andrew McCutchen’s big night; Pirates position player’s outing on the mound
Thursday’s “First Call” shares memories of former Pitt Panther Tony Siragusa. A Pirates position player has an interesting experience on the mound. Andrew McCutchen has a big night in Milwaukee. And we check in on a few former Pirates who had up-and-down starts with their new teams. Brutal day in...
As Title IX turns 50, Pitt’s 1st women’s basketball star celebrates its impact
Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits gender-based discrimination in schools, turns 50 on Thursday. While the law was in its infancy, Debbie Lewis was experiencing equality — in a painful way — on the playgrounds of suburban Philadelphia. And it didn’t bother her a bit. Lewis, the...
Former Pitt, NFL defensive lineman Tony Siragusa dies at age 55
Tony Siragusa, a free-spirited Pitt defensive lineman who went on to play 12 NFL seasons before launching a career as an NFL sideline analyst for Fox Sports, died Wednesday at age 55. Siragusa’s broadcast agent, Jim Ornstein, confirmed the death Wednesday. The cause of death was not immediately available. “This...