Pitt lands 4-star offensive tackle Ryan Baer
While Pat Narduzzi was welcoming his team into Pitt’s football facility Thursday for the first official day of training camp, he stepped away to accept an important phone call. HAIL TO PITT BABY?? @rledits24 pic.twitter.com/HsPVGs3ElF— Ryan Baer (@RyanBaer2003) August 5, 2021 It came from four-star offensive tackle Ryan Baer of...
Pitt’s defensive players can learn from those who came before them
A thorough assessment of Pitt’s defense needs to start at the locker of defensive end Deslin Alexandre and includes the safe assumption that he was paying attention over the previous four seasons. Alexandre graduated early from Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High School to join the Panthers in the winter of 2017....
Pitt men’s soccer ranked No. 3 in preseason poll
The defending ACC Coastal Division champion Pitt men’s soccer team will enter the 2021 season ranked No. 3 in the nation, according to the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll. Pitt received one first-place vote from the coaches association. Defending national champion Marshall (22 first-place votes) and Indiana are ranked Nos....
How Jimbo Covert ended up at Pitt on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
When Jimbo Covert was a senior at Freedom High School in 1977, he attracted interest from some of the finest college football programs in the land, Pitt and Penn State among them. The truth: The future Pro Football Hall of Famer never seriously considered going anywhere but Pitt. Penn State?...
First Call: Hall of Fame still hopeful Steelers’ Troy Polamalu will attend; Tyler Boyd says Joe Burrow’s knee still ‘iffy’
In Thursday’s “First Call,” we try to figure out if Pittsburgh Steelers legend Troy Polamalu will be able to attend his own enshrinement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Tyler Boyd isn’t 100% sold on Joe Burrow’s knee rehab in Cincinnati just yet. We check in on some former...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi seeks, expects improvement on offense
If you want to start an argument with Pat Narduzzi (OK, maybe just a polite disagreement), question Pitt’s offensive line and how it performed in 2020. He is a bit sensitive to criticism of the unit that might be more important to Pitt’s hopes for an ACC Coastal championship than...
Mark Madden: Pitt needs what college football used to be, not what it has become
College football is beyond screwed up and not worth paying attention to unless you’re a fan of one of the chosen few and can look past being on the grifter’s end of a con game. So it’s a lot like following MLB. College football’s latest carny move is the SEC’s...
Pittsburgh Gaelic Athletic Association hosts hurling; Gaelic football Midwest finals this week in Indiana Township
In Gaelic, the motto on the crest of the Pittsburgh Hurling Club reads “Neart agus Misneach.” Or, in English, “Strength and Courage.” If you’ve seen what the sport of hurling looks like at full speed, you understand why that fits. If you haven’t, you can see it on a championship...
Former Pitt forward Justin Champagnie isn’t drafted, but agrees to free-agent contract with NBA’s Raptors
Former Pitt forward Justin Champagnie wasn’t among the 60 players chosen in the two-round NBA Draft that ended at 12:50 a.m. Friday morning, but he got busy and found a home in the league, anyway. Champagnie said in a text message to the Tribune-Review that he agreed to a two-way...
After committing to Penn State, Perry’s Tyreese Fearbry decides to re-open his recruitment
After verbally committing to Penn State on the Fourth of July, Perry four-star rush end Tyreese Fearby has decided to re-open his recruitment, he announced Thursday on his Twitter account. I will be de-committing from penn state until further notice @RivalsFriedman @Rivalsfbcamps @Evolve2tenths @coachcsanders @210ths @2_10thsRob @CoachWhiteFB @The__Hunt— Tyreese Fearbry...
Pitt’s Deslin Alexandre, Cal Adomitis named to Wuerffel watch list
Two Pitt players have been honored for their off-the-field feats that match what they already have accomplished on the field. Seniors Cal Adomitis and Deslin Alexandre were named Thursday to the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, annually presented to the college football player who is unsurpassed in his community...
Pitt punter Kirk Christodoulou named to Ray Guy watch list
Pittsburgh senior punter Kirk Christodoulou, a Ray Guy Award semifinalist and second team All-American by Pro Football Focus in 2020, has been named to the Guy preseason watch list. Christodoulou, a native of Melbourne, Australia, has been Pitt’s regular punter since 2018, and is coming off his best season a...
Justin Champagnie could be 1st Pitt player drafted by NBA team since 2014
These are the moments that drove Justin Champagnie from a place he loves. The NBA Draft is Thursday night, and the former Pitt sophomore forward is among those players under serious consideration to be one of the 60 who are chosen. The 30-team NBA conducts only two rounds. If he...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett approaches name recognition opportunities by paying them forward
When the NCAA loosened restrictions on athletes profiting from their names and reputations, Kenny Pickett said he planned to proceed cautiously. I love this community! Excited to announce I have teamed up with @PGTTrucking & @Ithen_USA to form "Pickett’s Partners" & on Aug. 9 we will donate 200 t-shirts to...
Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey named to Nagurski watch list
Pitt sophomore defensive tackle Calijah Kancey received more preseason recognition Tuesday when he was named to the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, given to the nation’s top defensive player by the Football Writers Association of America. Kancey was previously named to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik...
8 Clemson players named to Preseason All-ACC team; Pitt shut out
Clemson is one of 14 teams in the ACC, but eight Tigers players comprise 30% of the 27-man All-ACC preseason football team, announced Tuesday by the conference. Also, North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell was voted the favorite to win ACC Player of the Year in an overwhelming vote of confidence...
Pitt picked to finish fourth in ACC Coastal
Despite the return of fifth-year senior quarterback Kenny Pickett and 14 other starters from 2020, Pitt was picked to finish fourth in the seven-team ACC Coastal, according to a preseason poll of 147 media voters. The Panthers did receive one first-place vote, however. North Carolina, the preseason choice to win...
Pitt tight end Lucas Krull named to John Mackey Watch List
Once an MLB draft choice, Lucas Krull continues to be recognized as a college football tight end, earning a second consecutive spot on the John Mackey Award Watch List. Krull, 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, was injured and missed most of the 2020 season, with only one catch for 6 yards against...
Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison named to Biletnikoff Watch List
No longer a newcomer, Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison will be asked to hoist a heavier load this year as one of the top pass catchers in the ACC. He’ll enter his sophomore season as one of eight ACC players named to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, presented...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi says players can improve their brand by staying out of trouble
Pat Narduzzi keeps a sheet of paper in his office that he considers just as important as any page in the playbook. On it, Pitt’s football coach keeps track of off-the-field problems that arise involving college athletes around the country. Occasionally, he takes it out and share its contents with...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi looks at the changes in college football and declares, ‘This is crazy’
The boy who used to wait eagerly at the kitchen table for his father to come home from practice so they could talk college football now wonders what’s happened to the game he loves. That boy grew up to be Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi. The 55-year-old son of a coach...
New ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips ready to confront problems of transfers, NIL, covid
In his first five months on the job, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips has been confronted with three unprecedented challenges: • The NCAA transfer portal, and its effect on football and basketball rosters and recruiting. • Dealing with players seeking exposure and financial gain through name, image and likeness opportunities. •...
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, Calijah Kancey named to preseason watch lists for Maxwell, Bednarik Awards
Two Pitt players — one on each side of the ball — attracted national attention Monday when quarterback Kenny Pickett and sophomore defensive tackle Calijah Kancey were named to watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Chuck Bednarik Awards. The Maxwell is awarded to the college player of the year;...
33 years later, Pitt gets a return match with Vanderbilt
Pitt will get another shot at Vanderbilt this basketball season — even if it is 33 years too late. The schools announced Monday a two-game series that will begin this season. The Panthers will host first, welcoming Vanderbilt to Petersen Events Center on Nov. 24. Pitt will visit Nashville, Tenn.,...
Ex-Pitt forward Justin Champagnie said he expects to be drafted, but knows that’s only the beginning
Justin Champagnie said the thought hasn’t crossed his mind. Yet, when presented Thursday with the possibility that he might not be among the 60 players drafted into the NBA on July 29, the former Pitt forward had a well-considered answer. Speaking from the Petersen Events Center on a conference call...
