Pitt football gets its second 2020 commitment
Pitt received its second commitment from the class of 2020 Saturday when offensive lineman Michael Statham announced on Twitter he will enroll next year. 110% COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/niMc3jL0pI— Michael Statham (@_bigmike57) April 14, 2019 Statham, who attends St. Frances High School in Baltimore, has nine scholarship offers from Power 5 schools,...
Shocky Jacques-Louis, Paris Ford see stock rise during Pitt’s spring game
These players stood out Saturday in Pitt’s Blue-Gold Game: Offense Quarterback Kenny Pickett After a tough ending to last season, Pickett used some new techniques taught to him by offensive coordinator Mark Whipple (footwork, etc.) and looked confident in the pocket. He completed 10 of 14 passes for 125 yards...
Deep passing game emerges in Pitt spring game
Placing too much significance on spring football is often folly, but three Pitt players were so sure in their declarations after the Blue-Gold Game on Saturday that they should not be ignored. • In his own words, wide receiver Tre Tipton is “lovin’ life,” a revelation that actually hit him...
Former Pitt great Aaron Donald wants to remain humbleVideo
When Aaron Donald wants to work out at Pitt’s South Side facility – and that’s almost every day – he calls ahead. “I just want to make sure I’m not in the way,” he said. The two-time defending NFL Defensive Player of the Year and one of the most decorated...
Pitt football announces most improved awards prior to Blue/Gold game
Two Pitt players switching positions, one who has battled a variety of injuries and a redshirt sophomore who moved onto the No. 1 offensive line two weeks ago were named winners of the Ed Conway Award as the most improved players in spring ball. Former safety Phil Campbell, who is...
Pitt players, coaches visit Children’s Hospital, 6 other sites around townVideo
When Pat Narduzzi, his players and coaches visited Children’s Hospital on Friday, he played catch with one patient, colored with another (and stayed inside the lines) and at the end of day was reminded of how lucky he is to coach Pitt’s football team. The visit was part of a...
5 things to watch in Pitt’s spring game
Pitt will celebrate its football program — past and present — Saturday with its spring game at Heinz Field. It’s an opportunity to get a look at what Pat Narduzzi, his coaches and players have worked on for the past month, and to maybe meet the game’s honorary coaches, former...
Aaron Donald makes historic 7-figure donation to Pitt football
Aaron Donald, the two-time defending NFL Defensive Player of the Year of the Los Angeles Rams, is doing more than lifting weights at the University of Pittsburgh Performance center. Pitt announced Friday morning that Donald, a Penn Hills graduate who was the nation’s most dominant defender in 2013, has made...
Pitt’s Jimmy Morrissey out for spring game; recovery from foot surgery going well
Pat Narduzzi said junior center Jimmy Morrissey won’t play in Pitt’s Blue-Gold Game on Saturday at Heinz Field, but his recovery from season-ending foot surgery is going well. Which is good news considering he is Pitt’s most experienced offensive lineman and perhaps its most valuable player on offense who doesn’t...
How strategy played a role in Pitt’s spring game draft
When Pitt senior defensive tackle Amir Watts made safety Jazzee Stocker the first pick in the spring game draft Thursday, he shouted, “You’re the first pick. We want to make you a very rich man.” But Watts’ co-captain on the gold squad, senior wide receiver Maurice Ffrench, had another reason...
Pitt secondary brings necessary experience, leadership to the team
Most mornings this spring around 7 a.m., Pitt safeties coach Cory Sanders expected a text message from sophomore Paris Ford. “Coach, you there?” “He wanted to get some extra work,” Sanders said, “which a lot of those guys do.” With only two of 15 practices remaining this spring, Pitt’s secondary...
Aaron Donald, LeSean McCoy named honorary coaches for Pitt spring game
Aaron Donald will get the chance to improve on his 0-1 record as a Pitt spring game coach when he opposes former Panthers running back LeSean McCoy at 1 p.m Saturday in the Blue-Gold Game at Heinz Field. Donald, a former Pitt All-American defensive tackle who has developed into the...
Replacing Pitt’s 1,000-yard backs may be toughest task of the springVideo
Pat Narduzzi makes no promises about his team in April, but it’s safe to say he’s looking for improvement in Pitt’s running game and among those trying to stop it. Asked to gauge his backs’ progress through the 12 practices since March 6, he said, “It depends on who they...
Kevin Gorman: Pitt scores by bringing back colors but must build pride in Panthers
Pitt’s search for an athletic identity started with a switch from its iconic script logo and school colors by turning its uniforms into a Notre Dame knockoff, a poor man’s version of the Panthers. Finally, Pitt is back where it belongs. A change of heart finally led to a change...
Smashing senior season for Norwin grad Connor Perry at PittVideo
Connor Perry is one of the most productive hitters in the ACC, but a few years ago, a significant setback made the Norwin graduate contemplate giving up the sport. Before the senior outfielder became the linchpin of Pitt’s batting order, he was a freshman at Division II Lock Haven. For...
Reveal shows off Pitt’s new school colors and Panther head logo
Pitt revealed a new color scheme and secondary logo on Sunday in a celebration on its Oakland campus, returning to its royal blue and gold roots and introducing a Panther head logo that will be worn on the uniforms of all of its athletic teams. The university also held a...
Florida defensive end Sam Williams is first to commit to Pitt
Pat Narduzzi had a busy Saturday, leading his team through its 11th practice of the spring – a scrimmage at Heinz Field – and getting his first verbal commitment from the class of 2020. While visiting the university and after watching the scrimmage, defensive end Sam Williams announced on his...
Air Narduzzi at Pitt? Maybe not, but passing game undergoes transformation
When Pitt’s coach was questioned about the perceived notion of “Air Narduzzi” that is flying around spring ball, he smiled and quickly cleared up any confusion. “Don’t believe Air Narduzzi,” Pat Narduzzi said. “We’re going to run the ball. Don’t forget that.” Yet, it was a fair question because two...
Pitt’s Carter Warren stakes claim to starting job at tackleVideo
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is constantly searching for good offensive linemen, and he’s not shy about finding them on another school’s roster. Nothing wrong with that. Aside from quarterback, it’s probably the toughest position to master, and it’s difficult to find big guys who have the agility to move laterally...
Pat Narduzzi likes to experiment during Pitt spring drills
With no immediate need to prepare for an opponent, Pat Narduzzi can do almost anything with his roster during Pitt spring drills. To that end, he’s not afraid to use players on both sides of the ball, even if it’s just as a temporary experiment. Redshirt freshman Kaymar Mimes, still...
Malik Ellison becomes latest player to leave Pitt basketball program
Malik Ellison is the latest member of the Pitt basketball program to leave the team. Ellison is expected to graduate this spring and transfer from Pitt, the university announced Wednesday. He has one season of eligibility remaining. Pitt announced on Monday that sophomore guard Khameron Davis also will transfer. That...
Small details in Pitt’s passing game could help the big picture
When wide receivers Aaron Mathews and Taysir Mack enrolled at Pitt, they figured they would be expected to catch the football when it’s within reach, run crisp routes and block. They never figured on Chris Beatty throwing another mandate into the mix. When the daily meeting in Beatty’s office is...
Pat Narduzzi says NFL scouts are ‘awful happy’ to visit PittVideo
After practice Tuesday, Pat Narduzzi defended Pitt’s treatment of NFL scouts in light of a Sports Illustrated story that mentioned Pitt among schools that “aren’t always easy to visit.” The story, written by SI senior writer Andy Staples, used information from anonymous scouts because they weren’t authorized by their teams...
Guard Khameron Davis to transfer from Pitt basketball
Khameron Davis will transfer from the Pitt basketball program, university officials announced Monday. The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard from Denver averaged 2.5 points and 2.2 rebounds a game this past season, and averaged 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 35 percent (35 of 100) on 3-pointers in 58 games over...
Last home match for Pitt tennis a big draw in Wexford
Alex Santos could handle the difficult logistics surrounding his team, even if he had to drive 30 minutes for home matches. Pitt’s women’s tennis coach didn’t complain publicly. He just rolled up his sleeves and went to work, trying and often succeeding to find players on four continents to build...
