Former Gateway gymnast Olivia Miller sets high bar athletically, academically at Pitt
Olivia Miller went from misfortune to good fortune this spring as her collegiate academic and athletic tenure at the University of Pittsburgh came to a close. The Gateway graduate saw her 17-year gymnastics career come to a sudden end at the Eastern Atlantic Gymnastics League championships March 19 at George...
First Call: Pitt’s possible partners in proposed ACC football scheduling changes; Capitals blow lead, on cusp of elimination
Thursday’s “First Call” provides some updates about potential changes to the ACC football conference. The Penguins-Rangers game at Madison Square Garden wasn’t the only crucial result to track in the NHL playoffs. The upcoming Pirates-Reds series this weekend has a different tone to it than the one they played last...
ACC mulling division-free football scheduling model by 2023
The Atlantic Coast Conference is mulling a change to its football scheduling model that could include the elimination of divisions by 2023. Discussions are taking place among league schools during the ACC’s annual spring meetings in Amelia Island, Fla. Commissioner Jim Phillips told reporters there Wednesday that the league also...
NIL attorney: Jordan Addison’s name in transfer portal helped trigger new NCAA regulations
When the NCAA Division I Board of Directors set up the first guardrails intended to regulate boosters emboldened by name, image and likeness legislation, Jordan Addison’s presence in the transfer portal was one of the tipping points, a sports attorney said Tuesday. “I think the Jordan Addison situation clearly was...
Former Pitt quarterback Davis Beville transfers to Oklahoma
Davis Beville’s decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal after three seasons at Pitt looked like a sound choice Monday when he committed to Oklahoma, where he has a chance to be the Sooners’ No. 1 backup quarterback. Betting on myself! B⭕️⭕️MER ????#OUDNA #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/fj4yHMduH6— Davis Beville (@DBthaQB11) May 9,...
Coach says Franklin Regional’s Caden Smith ‘will open some eyes’ as Pitt walk-on
Caden Smith didn’t choose football. Football chose him. “Football is the most fun,” the Franklin Regional senior said, comparing the game to his other sports (basketball, baseball). Smith has excelled in all three, earning first-team all-conference/section in each one. He had college interest in those sports, too. But football will...
Pitt women add 2-time West Virginia Player of the Year Marley Washenitz to roster
Pitt women’s basketball coach Lance White added a fifth new face to the roster Friday when two-time West Virginia Player of the Year Marley Washenitz signed a national letter of intent. Washenitz, a 5-foot-10 guard, played at Fairmont High School, scoring more than 2,000 points in four years and earning...
Steelers GM Kevin Colbert’s revealing take on how NFL ready Kenny Pickett may truly be
As I look ahead to Pittsburgh Steelers training camp this summer, my brain actually goes back to Saint Vincent College in 2010. That’s when we knew Ben Roethlisberger was going to be suspended for at least the first four (and perhaps six) games of the season. So we were all...
Pat Narduzzi: Kedon Slovis transferred to Pitt ‘the real way, the right way’
Pat Narduzzi didn’t mention the big news — Jordan Addison entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal – while speaking this week at the Peach Bowl Challenge, a charity golf event outside Atlanta. But when he was asked about Kedon Slovis, Narduzzi wasn’t shy about discussing how his transfer...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans launch all sorts of opinions on Kenny Pickett, draft strategy, Devin Bush
This week’s “U mad, bro?” has all manner of heated reactions to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ selection of Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett. Others question the overall draft strategy. There is some push back to a column I wrote about Devin Bush. Plus, we have gratuitous shots at the Pirates … …...
Pitt lands twin Canary Islands big men Guillermo, Jorge Diaz Graham
When Pitt assistant coach Tim O’Toole first saw the Diaz Graham twins — Guillermo and Jorge — play basketball at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., he immediately knew how he wanted to recruit them. “He didn’t blink,” IMG post-grad coach Jimmy Carr said. “It wasn’t, ‘Which one should I take?...
Pitt women’s basketball adds Big Ten transfers Channise Lewis, Gabby Hutcherson
While rebuilding his roster after winning only two of 18 ACC games in 2021-22, Pitt women’s basketball coach Lance White has added two transfers from Big Ten programs in the past two days. Maryland transfer guard Channise Lewis is the fourth member of Pitt’s ‘22 signing class. Lewis, who has...
First Call: Kevin Colbert shares background on drafting Kenny Pickett; interesting contract twist for Melvin Ingram
Wednesday’s “First Call” features some background on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ selection of Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett. Former Steeler Melvin Ingram is part of a little-used contract ploy. Ex-Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon has been a big part of the New York Yankees’ torrid start. We check out the Eastern Conference playoff...
Analysis: With Jordan Addison in the transfer portal, can Pitt still be special?
Jordan Addison’s name appeared in the NCAA transfer portal Tuesday, which likely will end the Pitt career of one of the finest pass catchers in school history — after only two seasons. He has not announced his next school, but Pitt “remains a very viable option,” according to ESPN’s Pete...
Tim Benz: Question the Steelers draft strategy if you like, let’s just debate the right things
For the most part, I liked the Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 draft class and the team’s approach to building it. That’s because while I’m not in the “Kenny Pickett, future Hall of Famer” camp just yet, I do think he’s got the potential to be at least an above-average NFL quarterback....
Madden Monday: Mitch Trubisky ‘should feel hoodwinked’ after signing with Steelers
When it comes to who should start at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE feels that the decision is obvious. Who cares if Mason Rudolph has been with the team the longest? Who cares if Mitch Trubisky was signed to be...
Pitt tight end Lucas Krull signs with Saints
Lucas Krull entered Pitt’s Pro Day with something to prove. He did that, but the most important proving ground for Pitt’s former tight end will be in New Orleans. The former Pitt tight end signed a free-agent contract with the Saints after the draft. While scouts from 31 NFL teams...
Pitt long snapper Cal Adomitis signs with Bengals
Former Pitt long snapper Cal Adomitis was recognized as college football’s consensus best at his position, and the Cincinnati Bengals took notice, signing the Central Catholic graduate to a free-agent contract after the draft. Adomitis, who spent the past five seasons as Pitt’s starting long snapper, was so serious about...
Pitt secures verbal commitment from high school quarterback Kenny Minchey
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi likes to add a quarterback to his roster every year, and he received a verbal commitment for the class of 2023 on Saturday when Kenny Minchey announced his plans to enroll next year. CommittedColossians 3:23-24 pic.twitter.com/BRwg7FlfKm— Kenny Minchey (@kenny_minchey) April 30, 2022 Minchey (6-foot-3, 200 pounds)...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: College athletes should do what’s best for themselves
Jordan Addison, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner as college football’s top wide receiver in 2021, will likely transfer from Pitt to Southern Cal. Addison will be a junior. Pitt supporters are apoplectic, which is their preferred disposition. You’d think they’d be grateful for a chance to martyr themselves. Pitt coach...
Damarri Mathis keeps up Pitt cornerback/safety tradition, goes to Broncos in 4th round
Until Pat Narduzzi started recruiting cornerbacks who could learn to cover wide receivers without safety help, the NFL largely ignored Pitt’s defensive backs. For eight consecutive drafts from 2010-17, no Pitt defensive back heard his name called. Then, the doors leading from Pitt’s workout facility sprung open and six defensive...
Reports: Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison considering transfer from Pitt
Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison, the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner who teamed with Kenny Pickett to give the Panthers one of the top passing games in college football, is considering a move into the NCAA transfer portal, according to multiple national reports. Addison’s name did not appear in the portal...
Tim Benz: We’ve established Kenny Pickett’s ‘high floor,’ how high can his ceiling be?
When it comes to writing a sports column or hosting a sports talk show, there should be no easier topic to formulate a hot take about than the local NFL franchise drafting a first-round quarterback for the first time in 18 years. So, here’s mine as it relates to the...
Pat Narduzzi shares ’emotional’ moment of seeing Kenny Pickett selected by Steelers
Normally unflappable no matter the game’s intensity, Kenny Pickett was on the phone Thursday night, bent over, hiding his face, his emotions now in charge. He had been drafted into the NFL. In the first round. But by whom? Pat Narduzzi, whose own emotions were starting to spill over, looked...
Tim Benz: Let’s not kid ourselves about what the drafting of Kenny Pickett means for Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph
Congratulations to Mitch Trubisky. His career as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback has ended without any losses, sacks or interceptions. Or any actual starts. Let’s be honest. Kenny Pickett is going to be the new starting quarterback for the Steelers. He will be the successor to Ben Roethlisberger. He has...
