Clemson’s experience makes Tigers the ACC favorite … Can anyone challenge them?Video
No. 4 Clemson won so much over more than a decade that it felt like a step back when the Tigers didn’t reach 10 wins two years ago in the first of back-to-back four-loss seasons. Still, the Tigers are the reigning ACC champions and coming off a trip to the...
Pitt punter Caleb Junko aims to conclude college career on a high note this season
Caleb Junko would not be offended to learn that at times over the last few years on fourth down, when he’d be sent on the field to punt, some Pitt fans were crossing their fingers and hoping for a good result. Junko, primed to serve as the Panthers’ full-time punter...
QB transfer Cole Gonzales has edge to back up Eli Holstein this fall at Pitt
Unless it’s garbage time and Pitt is leading by a considerable margin, Pat Narduzzi doesn’t want to think of a scenario in which he would have to replace Eli Holstein at quarterback. That situation arising at any point this fall would be an ominous development for the Panthers, who saw...
Leechburg grad Braylan Lovelace aiming to be more vocal, violent in switch to Mike linebacker
From the moment he arrived on Pitt’s campus in early 2023, Braylan Lovelace knew he was going to have to turn things up a notch if he was to succeed as a Division I football player. Not that Lovelace wasn’t proud of what he did in high school at Leechburg,...
Offense bests defense in Pitt’s weekend scrimmage; Pat Narduzzi names standoutsVideo
As Pitt’s players filed out of UPMC Rooney Sports Complex to take the field for Monday’s fall camp practice, a trend in their attire quickly became apparent. The Panthers’ offensive players were sporting blue practice jerseys, compared to the whites worn by the defense. That meant only one thing: Pitt’s...
Pitt receives 3 votes in preseason AP Top 25 poll
The Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll was released Monday and Pitt garnered three votes to begin the 2025 campaign unofficially as the No. 46 team in the nation. Texas (25 votes) slightly edged Penn State (23) for the No. 1 ranking, with Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia rounding out...
Pitt volleyball’s revamped roster aims to get up to speed for another deep NCAA run
There’s a paradox about the Pitt women’s volleyball team: The Panthers are coming off their fourth consecutive appearance in the national semifinals, yet that source of pride also is a source of pain. Being so consistently strong is nice, but the Panthers long to kick in the door to the...
‘We’ve got explosive receivers’: Expectations high for Pitt’s wideouts this fall
In seven years as a coordinator, Kade Bell has never overseen an offense that has failed to throw at least 25 touchdown passes, a benchmark he takes much pride in reaching annually. Last year was no exception, as Pitt, behind Eli Holstein (17) and the since-departed Nate Yarnell (10) and...
Weekend scrimmage to serve as measuring stick for Pitt individually, as team
Though Pitt’s opening depth chart has yet to be released, it is actively in the making. Friday marked the Panthers’ eighth fall camp practice, with a live scrimmage looming Saturday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side. For coach Pat Narduzzi and his assistants, it will soon become...
Pitt AD Allen Greene discusses revenue-sharing strategy, Panthers’ positioning in new college sports landscape
In the aftermath of the House vs. NCAA settlement in June, which greenlit direct revenue-sharing between universities and student-athletes, Pitt athletic director Allen Greene painted an optimistic picture as to how the Panthers are ready to meet the moment. Two months later, Greene again projected confidence in Pitt’s positioning within...
Pitt, Penn State players picked for Sporting News preseason All-American team
Football players from Pitt and Penn State continue to be recognized among the best in the nation as the 2025 season inches closer. Members of the Panthers and Nittany Lions were picked for the Sporting News Preseason All-American team released Wednesday. Pitt redshirt junior linebacker Kyle Louis and senior running...
These 3 Pitt players aim to secure larger roles this fall
As Pitt hits a week of fall camp practices, the Panthers are just getting settled into wearing full pads, having done so for the first time Tuesday. Pitt’s camp atmosphere is rife with competition, but already clues — some more subtle than others — are emerging as to the makeup...
Pitt notebook: Panthers put on full pads for 1st time; Pat Narduzzi unveils new slogan for 2025Video
Outside of UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, a few feet from the practice fields where Pitt is conducting its fall camp, a mystery acronym “EGK” has been painted on the sidewalk. On Tuesday, coach Pat Narduzzi educated local media as to its meaning. “Everybody’s gonna know,” Narduzzi...
A-K Valley legend Joe Stone, who helped Kiski Area, Pitt to championships, dies at age 70
When it comes to telling the story of the 1976 Pitt Panthers national championship football team, the tales usually begin and end with the kid from Hopewell Township, Tony Dorsett. The story that doesn’t get told is that a lanky, talented offensive lineman from the Alle-Kiski Valley named Joe Stone...
Defensive tackle, end look like positions of quality depth for Pitt
Anchored by returning contributors and bolstered by transfer portal reinforcements, as well as younger players ready to assume larger roles, Pitt’s defensive line has the look of a deep position as fall camp continues. At tackle, Sean FitzSimmons (Central Valley) returns for his fourth season, having made nine starts last...
‘A quarterback’s best friend’: Desmond Reid enhances Pitt’s offense in multiple waysVideo
Desmond Reid already has proved he can hurt opposing defenses in a multitude of ways. His 962 rushing yards last year offered clear evidence of his abilities as a ball carrier. Reid also caught 52 passes for 579 yards, making him the Panthers’ top receiver from 2024, as well. And...
Penn State’s James Franklin could see Pitt back on Lions’ schedule, but there’s a catch
Penn State’s 2025 nonconference schedule is, well, non-threatening. James Franklin’s Nittany Lions open their season with home games against Nevada (Aug. 30), Florida International (Sept. 6) and Villanova (Sept. 13). Big Ten teams all play nine conference games. Not all major conferences do. The SEC doesn’t, and neither does the...
Pitt notebook: Panthers don pads for 1st time; new era begins at tight end
The cracking of helmets and lowering of shoulders in practice gets Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi fired up. That should come as no surprise for a football lifer such as Narduzzi, now in Year 11 with the Panthers and his 36th as a collegiate coach. While Narduzzi was delighted enough to...
As summer workouts end, Pitt men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel likes makeup of roster
A bouncing basketball caught the attention of Jeff Capel this week while the Pitt coach was sitting in his office at Petersen Events Center. What’s so strange about the sound of basketballs bouncing in a gym? Not a thing, unless, of course, no one was expected to be around. “I...
Pitt’s Eli Holstein, Desmond Reid, Kyle Louis earn preseason All-ACC selections, Player of the Year votes
The Preseason All-ACC Team was announced Thursday, and Pitt placed second league-wide with three selections: tailback/punt returner Desmond Reid, who was chosen to the offensive and specialist teams, plus linebacker Kyle Louis, who made the defensive squad. Clemson led the ACC with 11 selections. Additionally, Reid, Louis and quarterback Eli...
For 1st time since Kenny Pickett, Pitt starts season with continuity at quarterbackVideo
Continuity at quarterback has been elusive of late for Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi. In 2024, when Alabama transfer Eli Holstein earned the starting job heading into Week 1, he became the third quarterback in as many years to begin a season for the Panthers since Kenny Pickett’s final campaign in...
Pitt, Penn State to renew basketball rivalry
The Pitt and Penn State rivalry has been a much-discussed and debated topic for years across Pennsylvania. Though the schools’ administrators have not been able to renew the longtime matchup on the football field, they were able to find a spot in the schedule for the men’s basketball teams to...
Pitt picked to finish 9th in ACC preseason poll
Pitt’s football team was picked to be in the middle of the ACC pack this season, according to media members that cover the league. The Panthers were slotted ninth in the ACC football preseason media poll released Wednesday. Defending ACC champion Clemson was tabbed the preseason favorite in a vote...
Pitt’s players, coaches believe special things are attainable in 2025Video
Any college football coach, bitter (somewhat understandably) at the freedom athletes enjoy with the transfer portal, could easily assert that his program is better off minus those who departed after a given season. It wouldn’t be fair to label coach Pat Narduzzi as bitter, but Pitt’s 11th-year head coach undoubtedly...
Pitt renews rivalry with Villanova for next 2 seasons
Pitt men’s basketball has scheduled two matchups with Villanova, renewing a former Big East rivalry. Villanova will host the first game in Philadelphia on Dec. 13. The Wildcats will visit Pittsburgh during the 2026-27 season. Rivalry renewed???????????? pic.twitter.com/EDJ6GnENa3— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) July 30, 2025 “We are excited to add...
