Pitt lands Georgia cornerback for its class of 2022
Pitt secured a second defensive back for its class of 2022 when Ryland Gandy, a cornerback from Buford (Ga.) High School, announced on Twitter his intentions to enroll next year. COMMITTED!!!?? #Hail2Pitt pic.twitter.com/G0yasxtPka— Ryland Gandy (@iamrdg10) June 16, 2021 Gandy (6-foot, 170 pounds) holds an impressive offer sheet, with 17...
Tim Benz: Potential hurdles for 12-team College Football Playoff as 2nd round of approval looms
The recently released plan to incorporate a 12-team College Football Playoff was largely met with applause last week. But it’s still a long way from becoming a reality. Remember, the idea was merely crafted by a CFB playoff subcommittee comprised of Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey,...
Pitt’s Justin Champagnie invited to NBA Draft Combine
Former Pitt forward Justin Champagnie will take the next step toward the NBA — perhaps the most significant one — after accepting an invitation to participate in the NBA Draft Combine that starts Monday and continues through June 27 at the Wintrust Arena and Marriott Marquis in Chicago. “I am...
Wide receiver Addison Copeland commits to Pitt; recruiting class grows to 7
Addison Copeland III, a wide receiver from Buffalo, N.Y., joined the recent parade of 2022 prospects to make public their commitment to Pitt when he put the news on his Twitter account Tuesday. 110% committed ??@Pitt_FB @BrennanMarion4 @CoachMcCannERT @wufosports @sportsQUBEtv @CoachDuzzPittFB You can’t even imagine the amount of thought that...
Former Pitt football player Kellen McAlone earns part in movie ’12 Mighty Orphans’
In five football seasons at Pitt, Kellen McAlone did anything coaches asked of him. “He’ll come in here and mop the floors if we wanted,” coach Pat Narduzzi said after rewarding his former walk-on wide receiver a scholarship. That was then (2018). Leave it to the movie industry to bring...
Pitt snares verbal commitment from New York defensive end
The return of face-to-face recruiting this month for the first time since the start of the covid-19 pandemic netted another promise for Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi. Defensive end Jimmy Scott pledged to enroll next year, making the announcement Monday on his Twitter account. Dedication…Hard work + Patience ?#H2P?? pic.twitter.com/RwLBnRD1o9— Jimmy...
Tim Benz: Pitt? Duquesne? Chatham? Who picks up the torch of Pittsburgh DI hockey if Robert Morris folds programs?
Hopes of saving the Robert Morris hockey teams are on life support. So the question needs to be asked if any other local universities might be interested in stepping up and filling the void for Pittsburgh area NCAA DI hockey that would be created if the Colonials can’t stay on...
Pitt football gets 5th commitment for Class of 2022
In the midst of a burst of on-campus recruiting visits after the NCAA lifted the covid-19 ban on face-to-face contact June 1, Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi secured a fifth verbal commitment from the Class of 2022 on Saturday. Jordaan Bailey, a running back from Tampa, Fla., pledged to the...
Mt. Pleasant’s Dayton Pitzer commits to wrestle at Pitt
One of the state’s top wrestlers plans to stay close to home for his college career. Mt. Pleasant junior Dayton Pitzer, a two-time WPIAL and PIAA champion, announced on Instagram Friday he was committing to Pitt. Pitzer joins a 2022 Pitt recruiting class that includes Hempfield junior Briar Priest, a...
Tim Benz: College football playoff expansion idea is good, but don’t go too far
The new college football playoff proposal is a case of a good idea that’s going half a step too far. According to multiple national reports Thursday, the current four-team format would extend to 12 schools. It’d be composed of the six highest-ranked conference champions, followed by the six highest-ranked at-large...
Pitt volleyball coach Dan Fisher to lead U.S. women’s U20 national training team
After guiding the Pitt women’s volleyball team to the NCAA regional finals this spring, Dan Fisher will offer his coaching talents to more of the top players in the country. He was tabbed to lead the 2021 U.S. women’s U20 national training team later this month. “Representing the United States...
Pitt men’s basketball officially adds American East Defensive Player of the Year Mouhamadou Gueye
Jeff Capel and the Pitt men’s basketball team officially added another transfer Tuesday when the Panthers announced the signing of 2021 American East defensive player of the year, Mouhamadou Gueye. The 6-foot-9 forward from Stony Brook averaged 9.7 points and 7.1 rebounds, while recording a single-season school-record 3.1 blocks per...
Dozens of states leave athlete compensation on back burner
Now that he has graduated with a major in digital technology and culture, defensive lineman Dallas Hobbs wants an opportunity to profit off some of his graphic designs while he continues playing football at Washington State. He also would like to hold charity fundraisers or youth football camps without worrying...
Amid uncertainty, schools prepare for paid athlete endorsers
There is Arizona Edge and Buffs with a Brand. Oklahoma State rolled out OSU Elite and Texas Tech launched Beyond Verified. Florida State unveiled Apex in April with a social media video that included clips of former Seminoles sports stars from Deion Sanders to Burt Reynolds. The program Alabama created...
Backyard Brawl with Pitt returns to West Virginia’s basketball schedule
West Virginia’s 2021-22 nonconference basketball schedule features meetings with two former Mountaineers, the return of longtime foes Pitt and Connecticut and a spot in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. WVU will open the regular season Nov. 9 against Oakland at the WVU Coliseum. Three days later, Pitt comes to Morgantown for...
Pitt hires ex-point guard Brianna Kiesel as assistant coach on women’s basketball staff
As a point guard, Brianna Kiesel provided on-court direction for the Pitt women’s basketball team. Now, she’ll do the same from the bench. Coach Lance White announced Thursday that Kiesel, who spent the past six seasons playing professionally, will join his staff as an assistant coach. “After a nationwide search...
First Call: Steelers’ Highsmith praised; RMU hockey players unload; Pitt, Penn State Hall of Fame nominees
Thursday’s “First Call” has an odd honor for Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith, Hall of Fame nominations for Pitt and Penn State greats and Marc-Andre Fleury back in the crease for the Vegas Golden Knights. Plus, the Robert Morris hockey teams get to air their grievances against the university president who...
Former Pitt center and NBA 1st-round pick Eric Mobley dies at 51
Eric Mobley, one of only eight Pitt basketball players chosen in the first round of the NBA Draft, has died. He was 51. RIP ? pic.twitter.com/fBKb4lUpcV— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) June 3, 2021 Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Mobley played at Salesian High School in New Rochelle, N.Y., before enrolling at...
LaVar Arrington, 3 Steelers among Western Pa. stars nominated for College Football Hall of Fame
Nominees for the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame class include several Western Pennsylvania stars with roots in Bethel Park, Slippery Rock and many places in between. Plus, there are three who made their mark with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The ballot was emailed Wednesday to more than 12,000 NFF members...
Pitt basketball adds Stony Brook graduate transfer forward Mouhamadou Gueye
Jeff Capel continued rebuilding his roster Monday, adding a fifth new player when he received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-9 Stony Brook graduate transfer Mouhamadou Gueye. The addition of Gueye gives the Panthers some help in the paint for 6-9 John Hugley, who was recently reinstated from a suspension after...
Pitt baseball left out of NCAA Tournament field
Mike Bell embraced his team’s success this season, but he also wanted to address head-on its biggest disappointment. “Collectively and quietly,” he said Monday when Pitt’s baseball team was not included in the NCAA Tournament’s field of 64. So, minutes before the selection show appeared on ESPN2, he met with...
Pitt loses pitchers’ duel to N.C. State in ACC Tournament
Mike Bell didn’t like the outcome Thursday night when his Pitt baseball team bowed out of the ACC Tournament with a 3-2 loss to N.C. State at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C. But he appreciates a good thing when he sees it on a baseball diamond. “It was a beautiful...
Pitt stops 7-game losing streak, beats North Carolina in ACC Tournament opener
After recording the final out of Pitt’s 5-3 victory against North Carolina Tuesday night in the ACC Tournament, Jordan McCrum allowed himself a celebratory shout before putting a finger to his lips. The Pitt relief pitcher’s intent was to quiet the pro-North Carolina crowd, but he had already done that...
Pitt’s Tre Tipton recognized for fighting off physical, emotional injuries
Pat Narduzzi saw the precise route running, the speed and the love for the game that made Tre Tipton one of the first players he signed as Pitt’s football coach. But that was only part of it. The day he welcomed Tipton to Pitt as part of his 2015 recruiting...
City Game between Pitt, Duquesne won’t be part of the 2021-22 basketball season
The Pitt and Duquesne basketball teams won’t play each other this season for the third consecutive year, the longest suspension of the City Game since they didn’t play from 1940-1952. Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot said negotiations have occurred this year, but “the terms weren’t amiable for us at that point.”...
