This winter, with a storm dumping more than a foot of snow in late January, coupled with sub-freezing daily temperatures for two weeks straight, has tested even the most mentally tough Pittsburghers.
Of course, Steel City natives are better equipped to deal with such conditions, even if Pittsburgh navigates what the local National Weather Service arm has determined to be one of the most brutal winter stretches on record.
Newcomers to the area, however, have had a rougher time over the last several weeks, especially those accustomed to more pleasant weather and milder winters.
“I don’t leave the house very much unless I have to,” said Pitt freshman quarterback Corey Dailey, a Seguin, Texas, native. “It’s pretty cold, so unless I have to, I stay inside. I’ve got probably three layers of clothes when I go outside. But I actually got to wear shorts (Monday) because it felt good.”
Added fellow quarterback Holden Geriner, a Texas State graduate transfer, when asked what he’s liked about Pittsburgh so far: “I think an easier way to answer that is what have I not liked? What I have not liked is the cold,” he joked. “Obviously, I’m from Savannah, Ga., and used to sunny, warm weather. But Pittsburgh’s been awesome.”
Dailey, Geriner and Angelo Renda, a freshman out of Southlake Carroll (Texas), are the new quarterbacks on Pitt’s roster.
Adjusting to a historically unpleasant Pittsburgh winter has been the tip of the iceberg for the Panthers’ new signal callers, particularly young bucks Renda and Dailey.
Getting acclimated into a Power Four program, from the weight room to learning coordinator Kade Bell’s offense to getting settled in the classroom and more, has also occupied their attention.
Renda and Dailey played at a high prep level in their home state, finishing their careers as top-tier performers.
Renda left Southlake Carroll as the high school’s all-time leading passer (8,716 yards), throwing for 4,266 yards and 46 TDs with eight interceptions as a senior.
“I believe Texas high school football is the best in the country,” the 6-foot Renda said. “I came from Southlake Carroll — a pretty prominent school that’s obviously produced some great pros and great college players. We played the best competition in the country, really. You’re going against guys who are probably going to start at the Division I level.”
Dailey, a notably different physical specimen than his new teammate, Renda, in standing at 6-6, departed Seguin High School as its all-time leader in completions (757), passing yards (9,138), total yards (10,009), passing touchdowns (100) and total touchdowns (122).
He put a bow on his prep career by participating in the annual All-American Bowl, held Jan. 10 in San Antonio.
“Getting to play against all five-stars and four-stars all around the field, it was a really cool opportunity,” Dailey said. “The speed of the game I think will help me out in the long run.”
In choosing Pitt, Dailey and Renda selected a program with an entrenched returning quarterback in sophomore Mason Heintschel.
Almost exactly one year ago, Heintschel was in their shoes, having arrived at Pitt when Eli Holstein (who transferred to Virginia in the offseason) was projected to be the quarterback of the future.
So, anything can happen as far as injuries or changes in performance.
Renda was undeterred by Heintschel’s rising star or Pitt securing two quarterbacks in the recruiting Class of 2026.
“Coach Bell told me from the start,” Renda said. “The portal, it’s crazy nowadays. He said they were going to have a couple guys hit the portal, which they did. He told me from the start that there was always a chance they would take two quarterbacks.
“You come here to compete, anyway, so that wasn’t a factor if another guy committed, I was going to leave — there was none of that. You want to compete, and you want the quarterback room to be the best it can be.”
Dailey was also fine with the quarterback situation at Pitt, which Bell was up front about.
“(Bell) kind of told us that we’d come in and that (Pitt) wasn’t going to take anybody from the portal. We were going to have to compete for everything. But I’ve always looked at it like, you’re going to have to come and compete no matter what, no matter who it is. (Schools) are always going to bring in kids from the portal or someone from high school.”
Last January, Renda got Pitt’s Class of 2026 underway, becoming its first verbal commitment.
A year later, he has no regrets.
“Who doesn’t want to play in this type of offense? It’s fast-tempo, fast-pace — you love to play in it and be a distributor of the ball,” Renda said. “That’s the whole reason I’m here.”
As his college career gets underway, Dailey looks forward to forging bonds with Pitt’s skill players, including transfer wideout Malik Knight (Western Carolina) and Panthers leading returning receiver Blue Hicks.
“Just get them the ball and let them go to work,” Dailey said. “That’s our job, is to facilitate and get the athletes the ball.”
