Analysis: Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi must keep eyes wide open after putting redshirt freshman QB Eli Holstein in starting lineup
Even though Pat Narduzzi named Eli Holstein his starting quarterback for Pitt’s opener Saturday against Kent State, he said Nate Yarnell will play. You should believe him. Narduzzi said the competition at quarterback remains open. Again, you should believe him. Pitt fans should hope and expect that there will be...
Alabama transfer Eli Holstein to start at quarterback for Pitt against Kent State
Redshirt freshman Eli Holstein will be the starting quarterback for the first snaps of Pitt’s football season when the Panthers meet Kent State at noon Saturday, coach Pat Narduzzi said Thursday. The Alabama transfer was named Pitt’s starting quarterback, though incumbent Nate Yarnell also will play, Narduzzi said. That division...
Report: Northwestern plans to hire Villanova’s Mark Jackson as AD, passing on Pitt’s Heather Lyke
Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke was one of three candidates to become the next AD at Northwestern, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wednesday night that Villanova’s Mark Jackson has emerged from a field of three candidates. A deal between Jackson and Northwestern could be finalized soon, Thamel reported. The Chicago...
Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell has been immersed in quarterback competitions as player, coach
If you believe the old dictum that if you have two quarterbacks you really have none, perhaps you think Pat Narduzzi is wrong to take his two-headed quarterback derby into the season. After all, scrimmages are finished, experimentation is for training camp and game outcomes will matter starting Saturday when...
Pitt’s Randy Bates eager to see what his young, hungry defense can accomplish
Randy Bates was joking when he wondered about his career path and those he has allowed to impact it. “Why I took a job where my life is dependent on 17- and 18-year-old guys being consistent is silly,” he said. Yet he has been coaching for 43 years, seven as...
Source: Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke under consideration to be next AD at Northwestern
Heather Lyke, whose seven-year tenure as Pitt athletic director has included firing, hiring and extending contracts of several coaches, is under consideration for the same position at Northwestern, a source told TribLive. Lyke, whose Pitt contract is due to expire this year, is expected to meet with Northwestern officials this...
Former Pitt QB Chad Voytik says sharing the position can be stressful but still have a happy ending
Pat Narduzzi will start the 2024 Pitt season with a question mark at the game’s most important position. Quarterbacks Nate Yarnell and Eli Holstein will play in the opener Saturday against Kent State, the coach said. He has yet to name a starter. It isn’t ideal. Narduzzi didn’t have this...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi still searching for QB1, will use Nate Yarnell, Eli Holstein in opener
If you’re looking for clues to help uncover the winner in Pitt’s quarterback derby, you’re probably wasting your time. Coach Pat Narduzzi said Monday at his news conference that Nate Yarnell and Eli Holstein will play Saturday in the opener against Kent State at Acrisure Stadium. Someone must take the...
Ravens OL coach, Sewickley native Joe D’Alessandris dies
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Joe D’Alessandris, whose nearly half-century of coaching offensive linemen eventually brought him to four different NFL teams, has died. He was 70. The Baltimore Ravens, D’Alessandris’ employer since 2017, announced that he died Sunday. He was hospitalized earlier this month with an unspecified illness, and that...
Analysis: Examining Pitt’s degree of difficulty in each of its 12 games
A popular query from local college football fans over the past month has been, “How is Pitt looking?” Beyond the unoriginal, not-funny-anymore answer — “big and sweaty” — it’s difficult to come up with a definitive response. The most consequential moments of practice, plus two scrimmages, are closed to the...
Power move: Realignment, NIL have drastically changed the framework of college football
Before kickoff next Saturday when Pitt opens its 2024 season against Kent State, tradition will prevail, and players — properly dressed in shirt and tie — will follow coach Pat Narduzzi into Acrisure Stadium. Inside, more memories will be made over the course of the season, perhaps similar to M.J....
Pitt’s fortunes in 2024 hinge on dramatic changes on offense
When Pat Narduzzi spoke to his team one day early in training camp, he made the 2024 season personal for his players. “I told the guys … ‘This is team 135. This is the 135th edition of Pitt football. The 2024 team will be one team — it’s you. What...
Senior captains look to take a more vocal leadership role as Pitt approaches new season
When he played the game, Pat Narduzzi was a captain. That should come as no surprise to anyone who knows him and watches him go about his daily business as Pitt’s head coach. Narduzzi revealed the names of Pitt’s four captains Friday at the annual Kickoff Luncheon at Acrisure Stadium....
Tyler Palko tells Pitt seniors they get no ‘do-overs,’ he still cherishes Notre Dame memory
Tyler Palko could be conducting a business meeting, walking through an airport or lining up a putt on the golf course, but that game 20 years ago when he led Pitt to a 41-38 upset of Notre Dame — and the postgame interview on NBC-TV — still follows him. “It’s...
How Pitt defenders Donovan McMillon, Ryland Gandy, Francis Brewu survived summer camp
The last day of Pitt’s summer camp Thursday offered bright morning sunshine, football-like weather more suited for the fall and the opportunity for three members of the defense to reflect on the previous 23 days. Senior safety Donovan McMillon, sophomore cornerback Ryland Gandy and freshman defensive tackle Francis Brewu said...
Panthers observations: Pitt training camp winding down, but work just beginning
Pitt conducted one of its last practices of training camp Thursday morning, but there’s plenty of work to do even before players and coaches begin to singularly focus on Kent State and the opener Aug. 31. Among the so-called “fun” activities over the next few days will be posing for...
Senior P.J. O’Brien, freshman Cruce Brookins help make safety position one of Pitt’s strongest
At the age of 21 and with three seasons and 36 games of collegiate experience behind him, P.J. O’Brien has ascended to a position of leadership on the Pitt defense. He will talk trash with the best of them, but he has grown up since arriving on campus from Pompano...
Pitt basketball’s nonconference schedule includes 7 home games, 5 power conference opponents
Pitt released its men’s basketball nonconference schedule Wednesday, with the hope that it turns out to be challenging enough to help the Panthers return to the NCAA Tournament. The 11-game schedule (seven home, four away from Petersen Events Center) includes five against opponents from power conferences: West Virginia, LSU, UCF...
Pitt notebook: Transfer Lyndon Cooper gains edge over Terrence Moore at center
Everybody wants to talk about quarterbacks at Pitt’s training camp, but there’s a position battle at center that looks to be reaching a resolution. Coach Pat Narduzzi said Lyndon Cooper has a late lead over junior Terrence Moore. ”I think we’re getting close (to naming a starter),” he said Wednesday...
It’s not your imagination: There are players in their mid-20s all over college football, here’s why
Each time he sees his freshman teammates, Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman gets a reality check about the length of his college career. “When I was playing as a true freshman at Texas Tech, they were probably in seventh grade,” Bowman said. Bowman is entering his seventh year of college...
Panthers observations: Pitt offense ‘much cleaner’ in final summer scrimmage, but no clarity in QB derby
For anyone wondering if Pat Narduzzi is taking proper care of his health during training camp, please note that he slept well Sunday night after Pitt’s second and final scrimmage of the summer. “I was disappointed with the offense in the (first) scrimmage (Aug. 10). This one (Sunday at Acrisure...
You may not fully believe what Carmelo Anthony said about his U.S. gold medals. But wouldn’t you like to?Video
The necessary disclosure for this column is that, as a Syracuse University graduate, I’m predisposed to stick up for Carmelo Anthony on just about all fronts. He arrived on campus a few years after I graduated and finally won an NCAA basketball championship for our school during his freshman season....
Pitt notebook: Kade Bell’s offense may help prepare Panthers’ defense for upcoming season
After nearly three weeks of summer camp and with the first game upcoming Aug. 31 against Kent State, outside linebacker Kyle Louis said the new offense is helping prepare the defense for anything opponents might try. “It’s definitely challenging our coverages, our pacing, our conditioning,” he said. “The first week...
With 5 All-Americans in lineup, Pitt women’s volleyball ranked No. 4 nationally in preseason poll
The American Volleyball Coaches Association released its annual preseason rankings, and it’s no surprise that the Pitt women are again among the top 10. Pitt is ranked No. 4 in the nation (after No. 1 Texas, Nebraska and Wisconsin), making it back-to-back appearances for the Panthers in the top 5...
In his 6th season at Pitt, Brandon George leads a young group of linebackersVideo
To hear Brandon George spread the word, Pitt’s linebackers bring the complete package to the field. “We have some athletes,” he said. “We have guys who, for all intents and purposes in other defenses, might be fast enough and quick enough to play safety. It’s not something you see all...
