Pitt’s late rally not enough to overcome costly turnovers, hot shooting by Syracuse
In all three of its ACC league games, Pitt has put forth competitive stretches but failed to generate enough steam for a winning result. Saturday at Petersen Events Center vs. Syracuse, the Panthers faced a deficit as big as 18, got within striking range down the stretch but lost 83-72...
Pitt receives commitment from UAB tight end Elijah Lagg
Pitt is in need of a significant positional retool at tight end as a result of graduation and transfer portal attrition. Jake Overman and Justin Holmes burned through their remaining eligibility in 2025, and Malachi Thomas opted to transfer to LSU. That leaves Pitt to replace a combined 51 catches...
Pitt acquires transfer portal help at tight end, special teams
Friday marks the halfway point of the transfer portal window (Jan. 2-16), which began a week ago and remains open for seven more days. So far for Pitt, it’s been a revolving door of new players joining the program and others opting to leave. Heading into the weekend, the Panthers...
Former Pitt RB Randy McMillan, anchor on 1979-80 squads, dies at age 67
Randy McMillan, an anchor and running back on the 1979 and 1980 Pitt football teams, died Wednesday at the age of 67. The Indianapolis Colts announced his passing Friday. McMillan was drafted 12th overall in 1981 by the Baltimore Colts and spent his entire NFL career with the team. McMillan,...
Following 2 narrow losses to open league play, Pitt aims for 1st ACC win vs. Syracuse
It does not take rose-colored glasses to see Pitt wasn’t too far off from starting ACC play 2-0. Instead, behind a 76-69 loss to Miami and a 73-68 defeat to Clemson, Pitt (7-8, 0-2) is winless as Syracuse (9-5, 0-1) visits Petersen Events Center on Saturday. Two close losses following...
Another former WPIAL cornerback, Auburn’s Raion Strader, joins Pitt from transfer portal
As Pitt’s 2025 campaign came to an end with a defeat in the Military Bowl, acquiring additional help at cornerback quickly became a priority. That was due to the team’s two primary corners, Rashad Battle and Tamon Lynum, declaring for the NFL Draft. As the transfer portal window (Jan. 2-16)...
Retool at receiver commences as Pitt lands Western Carolina transfer Malik Knight
The Western Carolina to Pitt pipeline is not a new phenomenon. When Kade Bell, who spent 2021-23 calling plays for the Catamounts of the Football Championship Subdivision, joined Pat Narduzzi’s staff as coordinator at Pitt in 2024, he immediately brought some WCU standouts with him. Now, following in the footsteps...
Pitt lands commitment from speedy 2-sport Slippery Rock standout Kanye Thompson
Kanye Thompson immediately became an incoming player to watch as the Panthers continue tweaking their roster for 2026. Thompson, a McKeesport native, shined brightly as a star in football and track at Slippery Rock over the past few years, earning All-American honors in both sports. He committed to the Panthers...
Pitt defensive tackle Francis Brewu, kicker Trey Butkowski enter transfer portal
Movement in and out of the Pitt football program has continued as the transfer portal window (Jan. 2-16) remains open. So far, the majority of news surrounding Pitt has consisted of players from the 2025 squad entering the transfer portal. Most recently, defensive tackle Francis Brewu and kicker Trey Butkowski...
Pitt DT Sean FitzSimmons plans to stay with Panthers
These days, college players announcing they are not entering the transfer portal and staying put at their respective program is as newsworthy as those who do seek new surroundings. Laxed regulations on the portal have seen to that, keeping coaches everywhere on guard more so than ever before as it...
Jeff Capel acknowledges impact of injuries, limited personnel for Pitt this season
As a season that’s far from over but already has been underwhelming continues, a mid-September practice at Petersen Events Center remains fresh in the memory of Jeff Capel. It was a preseason session and Capel, for the time being, had all the pieces he’d assembled for the campaign in front...
Pitt CB Shawn Lee reverses course, announces return to program for 2026
The prospect of losing Shawn Lee, when the true freshman cornerback entered the transfer portal Jan. 1, was doubtless disappointing for Pitt. However, encapsulating the fluidity and unpredictable nature of the portal these days, Lee has reversed course. On Monday afternoon, the honorable mention All-ACC selection posted to Instagram that...
Pitt fills 4 coaching vacancies, as Pat Narduzzi rounds out staff
On top of suffering several significant player transfer portal defections over the last month, Pitt also has had to navigate losses to its staff. Defensive coordinator Randy Bates retired, linebackers coach Ryan Manalac was hired as UConn’s defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jacob Bronowski departed for Auburn...
Pitt lands commitment from Penn transfer offensive lineman Netinho Olivieri
As disaster in the Military Bowl turned to the offseason for Pitt, the transfer portal had been nothing but unkind to the Panthers. Standouts such as linebacker Rasheem Biles, receiver Kenny Johnson and center Lyndon Cooper hit the portal, forcing coach Pat Narduzzi and his staff to brace as the...
Pitt can’t close gap late with Clemson, loses ACC home opener
Pitt’s dominant start in the ACC opener Tuesday at Miami was followed by a second-half collapse, spoiling a shot at topping one of the league’s best teams. On Saturday at Petersen Events Center, the Panthers aimed for their first conference win, with Clemson, another top ACC squad, visiting town. Pitt...
Pitt’s 2026 transfer portal tracker
Beginning at midnight Friday, the transfer portal officially opened, with players across college football free to enter their names and formally begin the process of finding new homes. At Pitt, a trickling of portal announcements began early last month, before the Panthers’ eventual loss to East Carolina in the Military...
Pitt forward Papa Amadou Kante to miss remainder of season
Pitt redshirt sophomore Papa Amadou Kante will undergo an arthroscopic right knee procedure and miss the remainder of the season, the Panthers announced Friday morning. Kante, a 6-foot-10 senior from Dakar, Senegal, had been limited to eight appearances for Pitt this season. He most recently played Nov. 28 in the...
Pitt All-ACC linebacker Rasheem Biles plans to enter transfer portal
The Pitt football team could be without one of it’s top “Sharks” next season, as linebacker Rasheem Biles plans to enter the transfer portal, he posted to his Instagram account. Biles (6-1, 220) made 101 tackles this season, including 17 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He also returned two...
Pitt men let lead slip away, lose at Miami in ACC opener
The Pitt men’s basketball team appeared ready Tuesday night to emerge from the other side of the enormous hole they had dug themselves with surprising losses during their nonconference schedule. The Watsco Center isn’t a place, however, where the Panthers have ever been able to get themselves right. Pitt led...
2025 in Pittsburgh college sports: Penn State football tries to recover from implosion
The 2025 year in local college sports featured a blend of results on the scoreboard on top of major administrative maneuvering, as athletic directors adjusted to a new revenue-sharing ecosystem. Pitt football, behind a surprise change at quarterback, looks like a team potentially ready to be a legitimate contender in...
Report: Pitt receiver Kenny Johnson plans to enter transfer portal
The Pitt football team will have to plan for life without its top two wide receivers next season. Leading pass catcher Poppi Williams exhausted his eligibility and second-leading receiver Kenny Johnson plans to enter the transfer portal, according a report from CBS Sports. Pitt standout wide receiver and return specialist...
Pitt turns in-house for new defensive coordinator, promotes safeties coach Cory Sanders
Immediately following defensive coordinator Randy Bates’ retirement, Pitt forewent a national search and instead turned in-house in naming his successor. Cory Sanders, on staff since 2018 as safeties coach, will be calling the defensive shots for the Panthers. Sanders, 40, was named assistant head coach in 2024 by Pat Narduzzi,...
Pitt fumbles away chances, suffers upset loss to East Carolina in Military BowlVideo
For the second straight year, the Pitt football team ended its season with a bowl-game loss that puts a sour mark on an otherwise positive year. The Panthers put together a strong defensive performance that limited East Carolina to 1.7 yards per rush and less than 250 yards of total...
Pitt defensive coordinator Randy Bates to retire following Military Bowl
As Pitt’s offseason approaches, coach Pat Narduzzi will have a major hire to make, as the eight-year tenure of defensive coordinator Randy Bates has reached a conclusion. Bates, 65, announced he’ll be retiring from coaching after Pitt’s Military Bowl appearance Saturday against East Carolina. Overseeing Pitt’s defense since 2018, Bates’...
East Carolina hit harder by transfers, staff defections than Pitt leading into Military Bowl
The current landscape of college sports, with the fluidity of movement for coaches and players alike, breeds tumultuous offseasons. Unfortunately for teams and their fan bases across the nation, the tumult is increasingly encroaching upon the calendar. Look no further than Lane Kiffin’s pre-College Football Playoff departure from Ole Miss...
