Pitt notebook: It takes more than a little rain to chase Pitt inside
Pat Narduzzi pulled on gray sneakers and left his nice, white ones inside Thursday morning when Pitt practiced in a light, intermittent drizzle. “Which is perfect,” Narduzzi said. Games are played in the rain, of course, and Pitt claimed one of its most significant, all-time ACC victories in a downpour....
ACC keeps Stanford, Cal in limbo as presidents choose not to vote on western expansionVideo
The ACC presidents chose not to vote Wednesday night on whether to add Stanford and California to the league, keeping the schools in limbo as they look for an escape from the crumbling Pac-12, two people with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press. The people spoke on condition...
After touring the Canary Islands, Pitt defeats a team of Spanish pros, 86-80
After three days of travel and sightseeing, Pitt’s basketball team overcame a slow start, a clock malfunction and sweltering heat in the gym to record an 86-80 victory Wednesday against the Tenerife All-Stars in the first game of its 10-day trip to the Canary Islands and Barcelona, Spain. Blake Hinson...
Pitt’s young WRs Che Nwabuko, Kenny Johnson put talents on display in quest for playing time
Che Nwabuko kept everyone waiting, but no one questioned his reason for being a bit tardy to his first interview session. Pitt’s redshirt freshman wide receiver was staying after practice to put in some extra work. Football comes first. Who could argue? Then, after arriving at the appointed spot, he...
Dave Wannstedt: ‘They see Kenny Pickett as a Super Bowl-type quarterback’
When it comes to praise for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett, fellow Pitt alum Dave Wannstedt has plenty. The former NFL and Pitt Panthers head coach is now a football analyst with the Fox family of networks. He joined FS1’s Colin Cowherd for a guest spot on Cowherd’s “Volume” podcast...
West Mifflin’s Nahki Johnson finds right fit on Pitt’s defensive line
In the locker room and weight room (perhaps even to his face), some of Charlie Partridge’s players refer to him as Hulk. “Coach P is hard on you,” sophomore defensive end Nahki Johnson said. “He’s cool. He’s chill. Then, when you get up here, he just transforms … I wouldn’t...
Alliance 412 set to expand NIL opportunities beyond pay for play
If you need proof that name, image and likeness dollars already have been distributed to some Pitt athletes, Jeff Goldberg suggests looking back a few months. “You see it on the rosters already,” said Goldberg, chief operating officer of Alliance 412, the collective created to help Pitt compete in the...
Panthers observations: 1st day in pads increases intensity level at Pitt practice
Pitt practice looked like what actually happens in games Tuesday morning when players put on their big-boy pads in the first live session of the summer. Turning it up a level today!! First day in full pads! ????????#WorkAndEffort #BAM #WeNotMe #H2P pic.twitter.com/136Xlt9Qeu— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) August 8, 2023 During the...
Tim Benz: Like him or not, Rick Pitino is right about the state of college sports’ conference meltdowns
Here’s a classic case of “listen to the message, even if you don’t like the messenger.” Rick Pitino has certainly done a lot to make many college basketball fans dislike him during his highly successful yet highly checkered coaching career. But on the topic of nonstop conference realignment chaos, Pitino...
Reports: ACC considering westward expansion, with eye on Stanford and CalVideo
The four remaining Pac-12 schools still aboard for next season — California, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State — have options if they are looking for another conference. The ACC is exploring the possibility of adding the West Coast schools, with an emphasis on California and Stanford in the San...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi laments ‘money-driven’ realignment in college footballVideo
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi used the words “crazy” and “sad” when asked Monday morning about the current realignment trend in college football. With UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington joining the Big Ten that is rooted in the midwest and east and future Big 12 members Arizona State, Arizona and Utah...
Ranking the top 20 Pitt football players of the 21st century … what’s your opinion?
The question raised over the weekend by veteran Pitt reporter Chris Peak was a good one, with an easy answer: Where does Darrelle Revis fit among the top Pitt players of the 21st century? Where does Darrelle Revis rank among the top Pitt players of the 21st century? Competition includes:FitzgeraldDonaldMcCoyPickettConnerBoydAddisonO'NeillKanceyJonesWeaverMcKillopPalko—...
Pitt’s M.J. Devonshire, cornerback teammates learn to ignore ‘press clippings’
Pitt’s senior cornerbacks Marquis Williams, M.J. Devonshire and A.J. Woods aren’t afraid to speak what’s on their minds. It could be spreading a little trash on the practice field to irritate teammates and coaches (playfully, you understand); or, on social media, when they might feel disrespected by those preseason prognostications...
Pitt running backs coach Andre Powell has corralled Pitt’s stable of ball carriers
Rodney Hammond remembers his freshman training camp — before he rushed for a total of 964 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons at Pitt. Not long out of high school, he needed someone to show him how to succeed in college football. “When I first came here,...
Pat Narduzzi’s plea to reporters: Please, don’t ask about injuries
There is a running joke among Pat Narduzzi and reporters who cover Pitt football. Don’t ask about injuries. Of course, reporters often break the rule, causing Narduzzi to drop his eyes, shake his head and say, “(insert reporter’s name here), you know better than that.” So, when LSU coach Brian...
Pitt assistant Dave Borbely assembles another set of seasoned offensive linemen
Dave Borbely prefers experienced offensive linemen as opposed to those who need to be taught how to take the first step off the line of scrimmage. Yes, something as simple as that matters when 300-pound defensive tackles are tying up traffic in the trenches. Pitt’s offensive line coach has a...
Defeats from long ago still weigh on Pitt’s Phil Jurkovec as he carries ‘grit, moxy’ into his final collegiate season
Through two transfer decisions, three schools, a few injuries and eight years of ups and downs, Phil Jurkovec said he has no regrets. Actually, maybe a few. But they aren’t what you think. When a reporter asked what 23-year-old Phil Jurkovec would tell his 16-year-old self, Pitt’s quarterback was quick...
As camp opens, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi says talent level ‘night and day’ from when he took over
Pitt opened the on-field version of summer training camp Wednesday, giving coach Pat Narduzzi the opportunity — when prodded by reporters — to compare the team he inherited in 2015 to what he has built as the 2023 season begins. Keep in mind, Pitt was coming off four years of...
Pitt offensive tackle Matt Goncalves named to Preseason All-ACC team
Senior offensive tackle Matt Goncalves is Pitt’s lone representative on the 27-member, All-ACC Preseason team, released Wednesday morning by the conference. Goncalves, who is listed at 6-foot-6, 330 pounds (15 more than at the outset of last season), started all 13 games last season — eight on the right side,...
Panthers observations: Pitt opens training camp with 120 players
Pat Narduzzi welcomed a full complement of 120 players Wednesday morning to the first day of Pitt’s summer training camp (at least the first day of practices). Players actually reported Tuesday before they began trampling the Beano Cook Fields adjacent to the South Side facility the Panthers share with the...
Pitt picked to finish tied for 6th with Duke in ACC preseason poll
Pitt is projected to finish in a tie for sixth place with Duke in the ACC, according to a vote conducted by a panel of 176 media members. The conference released results of the vote Tuesday morning. Pitt was similarly disrespected in 2021 when it was projected to finish fourth...
First Call: Cam Heyward’s NFL top-100 ranking; tough injury for former Steeler; update on Calijah Kancey
Tuesday’s “First Call” has Cameron Heyward’s ranking in the NFL’s top 100. An ex-Pittsburgh Steeler suffers an unfortunate injury. A former Penguins goalie gets a new contract. And we have new info on the injury to former Pitt star Calijah Kancey. Where’s Cam? The NFL Network is slowly rolling out...
Pitt lands Penn Hills quarterback Julian Dugger for class of 2024
Pitt found a quarterback for its class of 2024 on Monday when Penn Hills’ Julian Dugger committed. Dugger, who has thrown for more than 2,400 yards the past two seasons, is ranked the No. 40 overall prospect in Pennsylvania, according to Rivals.com. He led Penn Hills to a Northeast Conference...
On the eve of training camp, let’s track Pitt football, week by week
The first horn is set to blow mid-morning Wednesday when Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi and his staff get down to the hot, sweaty business of football on the South Side. How long will it take Pitt to reach its full potential? And what is the Panthers’ ceiling? Is Pitt the...
Pitt coach Randy Waldrum guides Nigeria to round of 16 at Women’s World Cup
BRISBANE, Australia — Nigeria used a scoreless draw against Ireland on Monday to advance to the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup. The pre-tournament underdogs finished second in Group B behind co-host Australia. After a relatively quiet first half, the Nigerians picked up the intensity in hopes of...
