Pitt Take 5: Panthers hope to put some spring in their 1st steps of 2022
Pitt will take its first public (baby) steps of the 2022 season Saturday in the Blue-Gold spring game at Heinz Field. The goalposts have moved since Pitt won the ACC championship last season. Prevailing in the conference used to be the goal, but players say that no longer is enough....
Here’s what to see — and what you may not see — in Pitt’s Blue-Gold game Saturday
The news emanating from Pitt’s Blue-Gold Game on Saturday will split into two areas: Plays and players seen and unseen. There will be plenty of both. Coaches are eager to see how players carry what they learned in 14 practices — with hardly anyone watching — into Heinz Field under...
U mad, bro?: Readers bubbling over Mitch Trubisky’s future, state of Pirates for Opening Day
I’ve got nothing to be angry about this week. I’m taking off a day early. I’m going to Boston for the Frozen Four. I’ll see some of my family that I haven’t seen since the pandemic hit. I cleaned up at the casino on some Final Four and hockey bets....
First Call: Steelers meet with college safety, see pro safety sign elsewhere; Pat Narduzzi on Kenny Pickett’s preferred team
Thursday’s “First Call” starts with more news about the Pittsburgh Steelers safety position. Pitt’s coach shares some details about Kenny Pickett. We have a look at the Penguins game against the New York Rangers. And another local college athlete is getting into business with the WWE. Search still on One...
Stakes set for Pitt spring game: Steak for the winners, ‘dirty-water’ hot dogs for the losers
If you think there’s nothing at stake Saturday at Heinz Field in Pitt’s intra-squad Blue-Gold Game, let defensive line coach Charlie Partridge set you straight. “Steaks or hot dogs,” said Partridge, who will coach the Gold team against offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti’s Blue squad. “Winner goes to one part of...
Pat Narduzzi short on details while Kedon Slovis, Nick Patti compete for Pitt QB job
If Jordan Addison eludes defensive backs as effectively as Pat Narduzzi deflects questions about his quarterbacks, Pitt will have a back-to-back winner of the Biletnikoff Trophy. Reporters tried different variations of queries Tuesday, hoping to get an idea of how the competition between Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti is evolving....
Pitt QB Kenny Pickett’s stock drops in latest Pro Football Focus mock draft
Former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett had been a consensus first-round pick in most mock drafts ahead of the NFL Draft that begins April 28. At least until Pro Football Focus released its latest mock draft. In the latest mock draft released Monday, Pickett isn’t even selected in the first two...
Julius Pegues, first Black basketball player at Pitt, dies of cancer
Julius Pegues, the first Black varsity basketball player at Pitt who went to serve the U.S. Air Force as a weather forecaster and later was an advisor to the Federal Aviation Administration, died Tuesday at the age of 85 after a long battle with cancer, the university announced. Pegues died...
Pitt loses 2 more to transfer portal, including starting point guard Femi Odukale
Pitt lost a starting point, gained his replacement and said goodbye to a little-used big man Friday when Femi Odukale and Max Amadasun entered their names in the transfer portal. The news came hours after Pitt received a verbal commitment from point guard Nelly Cummings, formerly of Colgate, who led...
Former Lincoln Park star Nelly Cummings transferring to Pitt
Pitt basketball added a local product to its roster with the transfer of former Lincoln Park High School star Nelly Cummings to Jeff Capel’s program. A 6-foot point guard with one season of eligibility remaining for 2022-23 with the Panthers, Cummings started 78 of the 79 games he played for...
From Memphis to Oklahoma City to the Final Four and back, Cam Johnson ready for a busy weekend
Cam Johnson is contractually obligated to be in Memphis on Friday night and Oklahoma City on Sunday as a member of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. He plans to add a third destination Saturday. Thanks in part to a contact his father, Gil, made while playing basketball at Pitt in the...
First Call: Ravens lose out on free-agent target; ex-Pitt star may grab St. Peter’s job; RMU coach tired of ‘Coach K’ coverage
In Friday’s “First Call,” the Baltimore Ravens miss out on a star free agent signing. A Pitt basketball legend may be getting his first head coaching gig. Robert Morris’ head coach is no fan of the hype surrounding Mike Krzyzewski’s last trip to the Final Four. And we recap another...
Veteran coaches tasked with assembling Pitt’s offensive ‘smorgasbord’
To steal tight ends coach Tim Salem’s word describing Pitt’s offense, spring football has offered a “smorgasbord” of experiences for players and staff on that side of the ball. What else would you expect from a unit that includes four veteran assistants who total 146 years of blowing a whistle,...
U mad, bro?: Football fans attack overtime changes, ‘MNF’ booth; defend Steelers QB strategy; Kenny Pickett’s hands
We have quite the cornucopia of Pittsburgh sports fan complaints this week in “U mad, bro?” Folks are angry about NFL overtime and the new “Monday Night Football” booth. Pitt fans are getting defensive about Kenny Pickett. Steelers fans want to defend the wall when it comes to second guessing...
Without a doubt, former OLSH, Moon star Puff Johnson ready to confront Duke, Final Four
When he was a freshman at Our Lady of Sacred Heart, Puff Johnson made 11 consecutive 3-point shots. A year later, he was named second-team all-state six months before his 18th birthday. Then, as a junior, he averaged 22.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game while leading Moon to a...
Back to work with a new contract, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi demands consistent effort
The ink was barely dry on Pat Narduzzi’s new nine-year contract Tuesday when he decided to blame himself for his players’ subpar effort at Pitt’s 10th practice of the spring. “I wasn’t as excited about it, compared to what we did Saturday (in a scrimmage, won by the defense),” he...
Pitt adds former FCS linebacker Tylar Wiltz from transfer portal
Pat Narduzzi understood the significance of losing three productive linebackers, so he went to the NCAA transfer portal that is becoming a handy tool for Pitt’s coach and added some depth. New Look, Same Mission????‼️‼️???????????????? #H2P #Committed pic.twitter.com/RvQJqixc7z— DeddyKane???????? (@tylarwiltz) March 28, 2022 Missouri State linebacker Tylar Wiltz announced Monday...
Pitt’s 9-year commitment to Pat Narduzzi offers him the opportunity to leave historic legacy
If we’ve read Pat Narduzzi correctly over the past seven years, three months and two days, he is not looking beyond Monday’s coaches meetings in advance of Tuesday’s practice. But all of a sudden, the year 2030 has become a talking point around Pitt football. That’s because Pitt on Monday...
Pitt signs Pat Narduzzi to new contract through 2030
Rewarding him for the stability, success and respect he has brought to the football program, Pitt gave Pat Narduzzi the ultimate vote of confidence Monday, finalizing a new contract for its ACC championship-winning coach that is scheduled to run through the 2030 season. Financial details were not available, but USA...
First Call: Pitt transfer shines in Arkansas’ upset of Gonzaga; high praise for Mitch Trubisky; Deshaun Watson update
Friday’s “First Call” features a Pitt transfer shining in the NCAA Tournament. Deshaun Watson will not face another criminal charge. High praise for new Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky. And the Carolina Hurricanes extend their lead on the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division. Hog wild Pitt transfer Au’Diese Toney put his...
Dayon Hayes carves out prime spot on Pitt defensive line
At various times in the recent past, Pitt defensive end Dayon Hayes decided he no longer wanted to be a vegan. Perhaps he made the choice to resume life as a meat eater for healthy, nutritional reasons. “I wasn’t getting enough protein,” he said. Or maybe there was something else...
Pitt backup quarterback Davis Beville decides to transfer
Davis Beville, who stepped under center in an emergency situation as Pitt’s third-string quarterback during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, has placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal. After eight spring practice sessions, Beville was approaching his redshirt junior season. He said he will be a graduate transfer with three...
After troubled season, Ithiel Horton decides to transfer from Pitt
Pitt basketball lost a starting guard and its most reliable 3-point shooter Wednesday when Ithiel Horton entered the NCAA transfer portal. Horton is the fifth Pitt player to announce plans to leave the program since the end of the season but the first starter. His departure is more striking than...
How Pitt, Penn State, WVU played a role in the Fox-ESPN trade for Joe Buck
We just spent the better part of two weeks debating Steelers free agent signings and Penguins trades. So why not kick around another big deal that went down recently: sports broadcaster Joe Buck getting traded from Fox to ESPN in exchange for one college football game. Oh, and, yes, Pitt,...
Pitt’s new-look linebacker group tackles big challenge
There’s nothing simple about playing defense at Pitt. Cornerbacks must learn to cover wide receivers without safety help. A safety better watch for running plays while making sure the quarterback doesn’t throw the ball over his head. Defensive linemen need to perfect the details preached by line coach Charlie Partridge....
