5 years later, how covid has transformed sports and athletes’ lives
Sidney Crosby leaned back on the bench at his locker after a practice last month. The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar shook his head with a smile that expressed an almost-disbelieving nostalgia. Five years to the day from when the previously unfathomable happened, the longtime face of the NHL was marveling at...
After entering portal, Jaland Lowe leaves Pitt for Kentucky
Only hours after getting some good news from the transfer portal, Pitt coach Jeff Capel received the worst news Saturday morning when Jaland Lowe, the team’s point guard and best player, committed to Kentucky. A source confirmed the news, originally reported by ESPN, 247Sports.com and On3.com. NEWS: Pitt transfer Jaland...
Pitt gets commitment from former Iowa State center Dishon Jackson
Pitt coach Jeff Capel began the big job of rebuilding his roster Friday when former Iowa State center Dishon Jackson pledged to join the team next season, a source confirmed to TribLive. Jackson (6-foot-11, 274 pounds) started 33 of his 35 games for the Cyclones this season, averaging 8.5 points...
Pitt notebook: Young linebackers, including Aliquippa’s Cam Lindsey, hope to provide depth
The names Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles and Braylan Lovelace are familiar to Pitt fans as linebackers who made an impact last season as sophomores. But spring football practice is intended to lay a foundation of depth, and that’s where younger linebackers such as sophomore Jeremiah Marcelin and redshirt freshman Cam...
Pitt notebook: Panthers look good in scrimmage, but Pat Narduzzi always will ask for more
The offense committed only one turnover among about 130 plays. Backup quarterback Julian Dugger ran 69 yards for a touchdown. Wide receivers Deuce Spann and Zion Fowler-El made big plays in the passing game. The running game was “solid,” according to Pat Narduzzi. The coach’s overall assessment of Pitt’s closed...
Pitt sophomore guard Jaland Lowe enters transfer portal
A bad piece of offseason news struck Pitt basketball Tuesday morning when sophomore point guard Jaland Lowe announced his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal, a source told TribLive. If he leaves the program, Lowe would be the fifth scholarship player to announce plans to transfer since the end...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi wants to see more than ‘thud’ when offense confronts defense Saturday
The aim of Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi and every college coach during spring football is to keep everyone upright and healthy for the upcoming season. Yet, while understanding football is an inherently rough game, coaches pick their spots when they will allow players to block and tackle like it’s just another...
Kenny Pickett plans return to Acrisure Stadium as honorary captain for Pitt spring game
Kenny Pickett has been on the move since leading Pitt to an ACC championship in 2021, but he’s getting back to his college roots next month before digging deep into his new duties as a Cleveland Browns quarterback. Drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 and...
Pitt’s NFL hopefuls grind through Pro Day with something to prove
Former Pitt safety P.J. O’Brien started playing football at the age of 3 in a league called Super Pee Wee in Pompano Beach, Fla. And there he was Wednesday — 19 years later — still chasing footballs, pass catchers and dreams all over a football field, unwilling to put an...
Pitt loses 3 more scholarship players, including the Diaz Graham twins
The roster spots continue to open up for Pitt and coach Jeff Capel. Three more players, including a starter and two others who were part of Capel’s rotation most of the season, entered the NCAA transfer portal Tuesday, joining little-used forward Marlon Barnes, who previously announced his plans to transfer....
Pitt’s Eli Holstein, Kenny Johnson working on mental, aerial connection
The play during Pitt’s intrasqaud scrimmage Saturday at Acrisure Stadium called for a slant route, but quarterback Eli Holstein and wide receiver Kenny Johnson saw something else. “Eli looked over there and saw that Cruce (Pitt safety Brookins) cheated down a little bit,” Johnson said. “So, he wasn’t really going...
Robert Morris’ Amarion Dickerson, Duquesne’s Kareem Rozier among area players to enter transfer portal
It took a full season, capped by a spectacular performance last week in the NCAA Tournament, for Amarion Dickerson to make his mark on the local sports scene. It took the Robert Morris basketball star barely any time at all to say his goodbyes. Dickerson, a 6-foot-7 small forward, who...
Pitt boosts 2026 recruiting class to 4 prospects after getting commitments from 2
Pitt secured verbal commitments from two members of the class of 2026 over the weekend, giving coach Pat Narduzzi four among prospects who will be seniors in high school next season. ???????????????? @CoachDuzzPittFB @CoachRush_CTFB @CoachDaws_ @Detroit_CTFB lets work. pic.twitter.com/FLxzX3wsY7— Marcus Jennings 3 ⭐️ 2026 DB (@marcusjenn24) March 23, 2025 Defensive...
Mt. Lebanon’s Stout brothers make NCAA history by facing off in PhillyVideo
It was a historic night at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Thursday during Day 1 of the competition. It was appropriate that Philadelphia, which is known as the “City of Brotherly Love,” was the site of the first “Battle of Brothers” at the Wells Fargo Center. While brothers...
Penn State goes 20-0, Mt. Lebanon’s Stout brothers square off on 1st day of NCAA wrestling
Three-time defending national champion Penn State went 20-0 and a pair of brothers from Mt. Lebanon stole the show on the first day of the NCAA wrestling championships Thursday in Philadelphia. The undefeated day for the Nittany Lions included the 100th career victory for 174-pounder Carter Starocci, an 18-2 technical...
Pitt notebook: Putting on pads will give Pat Narduzzi opportunity to ‘see what we really have’
Coach Pat Narduzzi and staff will get serious Saturday when Pitt’s players strap on full gear for the first full live practice of the spring. The closed session — scheduled for Acrisure Stadium, weather permitting — will consist of more than 100 plays, the coach said. “Full live is an...
Eli Holstein learned leadership long before he became Pitt’s starting quarterback
Eli Holstein knows the drill. He is Pitt’s starting quarterback and, as such, he is expected to learn the playbook better than he knows his name, get the football out of his hand on time and fight for those extra, precious yards — even when confronted by a taller, heavier...
Madden Monday: When it comes to Steelers’ QB quandary, ‘blowing it with (Kenny) Pickett set them back 4-5 years’
Debate continues to swirl regarding what the Pittsburgh Steelers will do for a starting quarterback in 2025. However, in this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive believes the franchise should have one singular agenda. “The only decision the Steelers need to make correctly in...
Pitt rewards offensive coordinator Kade Bell with contract extension
After a season of improved production on offense, Pitt extended the contract of offensive coordinator Kade Bell, senior associate athletic director Pat Bostick said Saturday on the “Panther Insider” Show on 93.7 FM. Pitt has signed offensive coordinator Kade Bell to a three-season contract extension, a source tells @On3sports. The...
Falling short of the NCAA Tournament, Pitt men’s basketball says it will decline all postseason invitations
After missing out on an NCAA Tournament berth for the second year in a row, Pitt basketball will decline any other postseason opportunities, athletic director Allen Greene announced Friday. Greene, who added that coach Jeff Capel is in agreement, said the immediate focus of the program will be on the...
Pitt’s Khadija Faye declares for 2025 WNBA Draft
Pitt women’s player Khadija Faye, who averaged a double-double and was named All-ACC first team this season after transferring from Texas, announced Thursday night her intention to enter the 2025 WNBA Draft. The draft is scheduled for April 14. Faye, who played only one season at Pitt as a graduate...
Pitt notebook: Spring drills offer Panthers opportunity to move past last season’s losing streak
Ryan Baer used the words “embarrassing” and “unacceptable.” Kyle Louis spoke unashamedly of his “missed assignments … missed tackles … many screw-ups” during his All-American season last year at outside linebacker. Eli Holstein, according to Baer, is making clear improvements as a leader at quarterback while “stepping up” his game...
Important tasks that Pitt’s Jeff Capel must get right lie ahead after deflating loss in ACC Tournament
If you thought life has been tough for Pitt coach Jeff Capel since the first days of the new year, even more difficult issues are on the way. And we’re not talking about unhappy fans. After Pitt lost to Notre Dame on Tuesday in the first round of the ACC...
Pitt bows out of ACC Tournament after 55-54 loss to Notre Dame
Jaland Lowe and Zack Austin spoke through tears Tuesday afternoon inside Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., reflecting on Pitt’s 55-54 loss to Notre Dame in the first round of the ACC Tournament. “I’m just hurt, man. I’m just hurt,” said Austin, who played his last game after two seasons at...
Pitt players, coaches carry on after the death of freshman Mason Alexander
Pat Narduzzi opened practice Tuesday in the same manner that marked his 10 previous spring sessions as Pitt’s head football coach. There were the usual calisthentics, drills and meetings on and off the field, but Narduzzi walked around the Beano Cook Fields overseeing the proceedings with a heavy heart. This...
