Pitt to host Sun Bowl watch party at the Pete after basketball meets North Carolina
Pitt officials are hoping their fans will spend all afternoon at Petersen Events Center on Dec. 30. The university’s athletic department will serve as host for a Sun Bowl watch party after Pitt basketball plays North Carolina. Basketball tips at noon, followed by football vs. UCLA from El Paso, Texas,...
3 Pitt soccer players selected in MLS SuperDraft
Three members of the Pitt men’s soccer program had their name called Wednesday during the 2023 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Junior forward Bertin Jacquesson, senior midfielder Valentin Noel and fifth-year midfielder Jackson Walti were selected. Jacquesson, Pitt’s highest draft pick in program history, was taken 16th overall by Real Salt...
After signing 19-man class, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi says recruiting road ‘a mess’
While assembling Pitt’s 22-man recruiting class — 19 high school seniors, three seasoned transfers — Pat Narduzzi enjoyed some light moments with their families. He beat quarterback Ty Dieffenbach of Agoura, Calif., and his dad in a backyard basketball game of P-I-G. “I think they let me and coach (Tim)...
Steel Valley’s Cruce Brookins signs with Pitt
It didn’t take Cruce Brookins long to find a new home after he de-committed from Kent State last month. Brookins, a three-star prospect who played quarterback and defensive back at Steel Valley, signed a letter of intent Wednesday morning with Pitt. He committed to Kent State this summer, but wavered...
Pitt basketball alum Curtis Aiken recalls friendship with Franco Harris, how he’d want to be remembered
Pitt basketball alum Curtis Aiken was supposed to see his friend Franco Harris on Thursday — a day in advance of celebrations to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Steelers legend’s “Immaculate Reception.” On Tuesday, Aiken was on the phone with Harris’ wife, Dana Dokmanovich. Aiken could hear the NFL...
Offensive tackle Isaiah Neal kicks off Pitt signing day, first of 19 to send letters of intent to Pat Narduzzi
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi received the first of what he hoped would be at least 19 signed letters of intent shortly after 7 Wednesday morning when offensive tackle Isaiah Neal of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore made his six-month-old verbal commitment official. Neal (6-foot-3, 270 pounds) is one of three...
Pitt loses most of its 20-point lead, but escapes with 84-82 victory against Syracuse
On the surface, there was nothing cute about Pitt’s 84-82 victory against Syracuse on Tuesday night. It was thrilling, intense in the final minutes and nearly devastating for a Pitt team that almost lost a 20-point lead in the second half. But cute? That’s how Blake Hinson described one postgame...
WR Zion Fowler changes mind again, rejoins Pitt’s 2023 recruiting class
Zion Fowler visited Pitt’s campus five times during the recruiting process. So, even after the three-star wide receiver prospect decommitted from Pitt on Nov. 18, he never stopped thinking about a career with the Panthers. On Tuesday afternoon, the day before national signing day, Fowler of St. Peter’s Prep in...
Florida defensive end Maverick Gracio commits to Pitt
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi landed the 17th member of his 2023 recruiting class Monday when defensive end Maverick Gracio announced his plans to enroll next year. Straight business. AGTG???? ????????#H2P #Committed @Pitt_FB @CoachDuzzPittFB @CoachPartridge @CNHS_Athletics @JackDan55847282 pic.twitter.com/jw5osvRyX7— Maverick Gracio (@MaverickGracio) December 19, 2022 Gracio (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) recorded 22 sacks...
End of nonconference season signals nothing but ACC opponents, tougher games for Pitt
Every game is important in Pitt’s rebuilding process, but its season will take a significant turn toward relevancy Tuesday when the Panthers begin their grueling, 19-game stretch of nothing but ACC opponents. The Panthers visit Syracuse (8-4, 1-0) at the JMA Wireless (formerly Carrier) Dome, carrying confidence into the 9...
With 4 more opt-outs, Pitt will go to Sun Bowl without 8 of its best players
Dramatic change is coming to Pitt football and not at the traditional time when we used to expect it. You know, after the last game. It’s happening now, 11 days before Pitt plays UCLA in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Eight of the best players who helped Pitt...
Burrell grad Nikki Scherer back to close book on roller-coaster track career at PittVideo
Nikki Scherer will be the first to admit it. Her track and field career at Pitt hasn’t gone the way she had hoped. After winning the PIAA Class AA title in the 400 meters as a senior at Burrell, Scherer figured she would go to Pitt and pick up right...
Pitt continues quarterback facelift, gets verbal commitment from PSU transfer Christian Veilleux
Anyone who believes the Pitt quarterback situation needed an upgrade might be encouraged by coach Pat Narduzzi’s offseason moves. Another new quarterback … Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) December 18, 2022 Narduzzi added a third eventual new player to offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Frank Cignetti’s meeting room Sunday when Penn State transfer...
Pitt safety Brandon Hill opts out of Sun Bowl to prepare for 2023 NFL Draft
Strong safety Brandon Hill, who has been a major element in Pitt’s success on defense since replacing Paris Ford at midseason in 2020, decided to opt out of the Sun Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft. Hill, who played four seasons at Pitt, made the announcement on his Twitter...
Pitt concludes nonconference schedule with 82-56 victory against North Florida
Jeff Capel’s evaluation of his team after nearly two months, 12 games and eight victories has less to do with defeating North Florida on Saturday, 82-56, than what happened before anyone took a shot. With the earliest tipoff so far this season scheduled for 1 p.m., Capel told his players...
Pitt Take 5: Panthers take 1-at-a-time approach, know big-time games will arrive soon enough
Greg Elliott is nearly two decades removed from being a kid on Christmas morning. It’s no surprise, then, that Pitt’s graduate transfer guard is showing plenty of patience with so many tasty treats awaiting him, only days away. Before the end of the year, Pitt will have the opportunity to...
Pitt women’s volleyball bows out of NCAA Tournament in 5-set semifinal loss to Louisville
If a team loses in the Final Four, it first needed to conquer the difficult task of getting there. The Pitt women’s volleyball players — winners of 31 of their 35 matches this season — were trying mightily to wrap their minds around that reality early Friday morning after a...
Pitt gets commitment from ex-Peters Township, Florida safety Donovan McMillon
While losing quarterback Kedon Slovis and facing the possibility of safeties Brandon Hill and Erick Hallett II moving on, Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi did what any college coach would do in this era of free agency — he turned to the NCAA transfer portal. Let’s go Home… time to get to...
During Blake Hinson’s time away from basketball, pick-up games kept him sharp before he transferred to Pitt
When you’re an out-of-work college basketball player and you carry an aggressive mindset — and Blake Hinson has that, whether he’s driving to the hoop or setting up for a 3-pointer — you need an outlet. Hinson found a good one during the two seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22) he was...
4 Pitt volleyball players named AVCA All-Americans
One the eve of Pitt volleyball’s Final Four match against Louisville, Courtney Buzzerio and Serena Gray have been named first-team All-Americans by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. It is the first time two Pitt players were named to the AVCA first team. Also, Pitt’s Valeria Vazquez Gomez and Rachel Fairbanks...
Calijah Kancey named Pitt’s 13th unanimous All-American
Listed among 19 members of Pitt’s 2019 recruiting class — and rated below quarterback Davis Beville, who never rose above third string before transferring — Calijah Kancey found himself Wednesday on another list. This one was different. When Kancey was named a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association,...
Calijah Kancey recognized as Pitt’s 4th consensus All-American in past 3 seasons
Pitt defensive tackle Calijah Kancey is officially recognized as a consensus All-American after he was named Tuesday to the first team by the Sporting News, his fourth separate designation since the end of the regular season. He previously was honored by the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America and...
Bellevue’s Matthew Driscoll keeps North Florida running, all the way to The Pete to play Pitt
Other than another NCAA Tournament berth for his North Florida basketball team, Matthew Driscoll likes nothing better than waking early and running along the Atlantic Ocean. Running anywhere, actually. When Driscoll, who grew up in Bellevue and graduated from Northgate High School and Slippery Rock University, brought the Ospreys to...
Pitt gets verbal commitment from Georgia running back
With third-team All-American Izzy Abanikanda likely ticketed for the NFL Draft and Vincent Davis and C’Bo Flemister finishing up their senior seasons at Pitt, coach Pat Narduzzi needs to replenish his stock of running backs — for 2023 and beyond. To that end, Narduzzi received his second verbal commitment from...
Pitt volleyball’s Final Four trip touches all the bases
Aside from the obvious – bragging rights from coast to coast, a grand feeling of achievement and a chance to play for a national championship— Pitt women’s volleyball’s second consecutive Final Four appearance comes with one more important benefit: The opportunity to reach one of the most elusive goals in...
