As we have seen in Pat Narduzzi’s first three years he is transfer happy as any coach. By my count we have had 12 transfers who have played football for Pitt since 2015 and four more who will be starting their initial years at Pitt this season. That is a lot and Narduzzi has come to rely heavily on them. But how has that worked out for us?
I am of two minds about incoming transfers. One one hand they can be immediate help as we have seen with a few of the kids who came to Pitt from other schools. But on the other hand I firmly believe that it plays havoc with not only your recruiting but also with the attitudes and prospects of those who are already on roster and looking forward to contributing.
Obviously there are trade-offs to consider when accepting transfers and a strong risk/reward aspect comes into in play. The question really is how much are you willing to give up for a shot in the dark chance a transfer might actually work out and contribute more than an existing player. Is it worth bringing in a upperclassmen if it means losing a promising underclassmen because of the move?
Before we get into this issue any deeper let’s look at who Pitt has taken in via the transfer route and how they did for us. These are the transfers I can remember us having since Narduzzi was hired and how I though their contributions ranked. Then we’ll look at each player more in-depth.
Right off the bat you have to give our Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney and Pat Narduzzi major kudos for taking Nate Peterman’s phone call when he decided to leave Tennessee and look elsewhere. Peterman had played under Chaney when Chaney was the offensive coordinator for the Volunteers so he knew him rather well. While Peterman had limited playing time at UT he had skills that were unrealized during in-game conditions and truly blossomed after he arrived on the Southside.
Not only did Peterman usurp incumbent QB Chad Voytik as the starter two games into the 2015 season but he then lead the team to eight wins that season and followed that up with one of the best seasons any Pitt QB has had – which lead to another eight win year in 2016.
That big help at that crucial position cemented Narduzzi’s new hire status at Pitt because it had been six years since we had back-to-back eight win season (2009-2010) and, let’s face it, at Pitt eight wins has been pretty rare and is a big deal. I believe it is entirely reasonable to say we wouldn’t have won that many games had Peterman not come to Pitt and we had to start Voytik for the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons.
He was by far the best of the transfer bunch and again – that was a great and valuable move to accept Peterman onto the Roster by Narduzzi. Here is what Peterman did for us while he was a Panther (note his astronomical QB rating in ’16) and his Pitt career 47 TDs to 15 INTs ain’t chopped liver either:
The second best result of an in-coming transfer would be WR Rafael Araujo-Lopes who is now going into his second season as a Panther and has proven his worth as a steady and reliable slot receiver. He was 2nd on the team in receiving last season and has done this so far:
That was about it for the good news – unfortunately I believe all the other transfers played average ball for us or even had below average or poor contributions. There is no one I can point to of the transfers who have played for us save the two mentioned above and the two tight ends we received that I feel couldn’t have had has much production or more by players already on roster. I’ll explain that…
Narduzzi was forced to solicit the two TEs, Chris Clark and Matt Flanagan for one reason – Narduzzi swung and whiffed on all his TE recruiting targets in his first one and a half recruiting classes. In his truncated 2015 class he landed seven recruits without a TE. Then in the full 2016 class he recruited 24 more players without a TE. So – 39 recruits with no TEs.
In that time period we also saw existing players TE Devon Edwards get moved from TE to DL to TE and then graduate and then TE Tony Harper get no playing time and then transfer out – which opened up spots for ex – Air Force Nate Bossory to transfer in for 2015… then the dynamic duo of Chris Clark and Matt Flanagan came onboard soon afterward.
We all know what transpired with ex-5* #1 rated TE recruit Clark before and after his arrival and onto his ignominious “stepping away” from Pitt just a few weeks ago. He was a recruit that, again in my opinion, shouldn’t have been taken on as he took up a scholarship for two years when someone else could have used it…especially in 2016 when he had to sit out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. From the P-G:
“Before arriving in 2015 at UCLA, where he played in one game before leaving the team, Clark had been committed to Michigan and North Carolina during his time as a four-star prospect out of high school. In between the West Coast and Pitt, he was headed to Syracuse before that fell through. Narduzzi was happy to add Clark to the mix instead, and throughout last year he spoke positively about Clark’s improvement on and off the field as he worked his way back from multiple knee injuries.”
The fact is that with no younger TEs in the pipeline we are paying for it again this season by having only one our returning TE, Tyler Sear, with him having the only Pitt receptions with one catch. A very promising TE we did have, Charles Reeves, had personal problems with the coaching staff and left fall camp – only to have Pitt state publicly that Reeves was dismissed. But that wasn’t the case apparently – Reeves left on his own and when Narduzzi reached out to convince him to come back Reeves wouldn’t pick up the phone. That was a big loss for us going into this year I believe and it was due to grabbing another transfer to take the starting job there.
To bolster the TE corps Narduzzi had again reached out for a player who had a nondescript career elsewhere by getting rsJR Will Gragg from Arkansas as a graduate transfer – we’ll see how that goes. Gragg’s past production is minimal with his not having played his first two years then in 2017 having only 5 catches for 61 yards and no TDs.
Bringing in 2017’s starting QB Max Browne was necessary because of poor QB recruiting by Narduzzi over his first two classes. Fans were over the moon excited about PN landing local HS-record setting QB Ben Dinucci in the ’15 class and then even more so when QB Thomas MacVittie signed on in 2016.
Although that excitement for MacVittie seemed to have been based on a single phone call from LSU asking if MacVittie would like to take an official visit to Baton rouge. BTW – I once asked Thomas SR if there was a scholarship offer in that phone call and there wasn’t.
Of course Browne sucked for us and was a big reason we dropped to 5 wins last season. His is a case of stats definitely lying. If you look at his stat line while at Pitt you see this:
But what that doesn’t show is that four of his TDs and 410 of his total passing yards came against non-Power Five school Rice. Take that game away and he didn’t throw for any TDs in regulation time in any other games and carried a QB rating of a poor 115.1 – and that’s basically what he showed us.
Obviously neither of those two Pitt recruited QBs panned out all that well – DiNucci played servicably and truth be told I’d much rather have him as the QB2 going into 2018 than the transfer QB Ricky Town. MacVittie was never given an opportunity to take even a single snap in a actual game so no one really knows what he might have done in a game situation.
Speaking of Town he is another transfer with a troubled past when it comes to the previous colleges he’s either played for or wanted to play for. I’m skeptical of his worth to Pitt based on interviews I conducted with Southern California Sportswriters and can say that if for some reason Pickett goes down for any length or time we’ll have problems.
At for the other positions we have had transfers come to us I wonder if it was worth using a scholarship on them and pushing any existing roster players who might have been looking at being on the two-deep backwards by immediately playing the transfer.
DL Kam Carter is certainly a case in point for that. He was a PSU druggie cast off who went to a Community College in Mississippi and promptly made an ass of himself there and on national television no less. Last season he was floating up and down out of the two-deep for defensive lineman and had 8 tackles and 1.5 TFls. 
Absolutly nothing Carter did a younger DL couldn’t have also done or done better… say Rashad Wheeler or Jalen Twyman might have really benefited from extra playing time, even if they had to move over from Nose Tackle to do so. It was embarrassing that we even considered him as a Panther in the first place based on his flagrant negative history and he took up a scholarship that could have and should have been used on someone else to better effect.
I feel that DE Dewayne Hendricks is at ‘best’ a push when it comes to his value on the team so far. For a 4* recruit (not that the stars really mean anything once these kids get into college competition) he’s been only average for us at DE. 2017 was his first season and in it he played dime a dozen ball with only 5 TFLs; a very poor 3 sacks and only 8 QB hurries. Folks, those areis what a DE is born and bred to do – put pressure on the QB and drop the RBs in the backfield by containment. He didn’t do that as he was expected to by the staff and the fans.
We’ll see this year if Hendricks lives up to the hype he was showered with when he came here. We certainly need him to better those numbers and in a big way. I do think that his addition was good as far as the leadership aspect of the DEs goes – most are underclassmen who benefited by an older experienced guy in the clubhouse.
All the other transfers we have gotten had been basically worthless. QB Bo Schneider never took a snap; WR/QB Manny Stocker was special teams only, DL Mark Scarpinato did nothing to speak of and Hell, I’d have rather seen rsFR Conner Dintino get some playing time over Scarpinato to see how he would have fared there. Maybe that would have prevented him from being an OL starter this year 🙂
OL Brandon Hodges was a body for hire only. Couldn’t we have taken a flyer on rsFR Brandon Ford or rsFR Justine Moody rather than Hodges? It isn’t like you see wholesale rotation in the offensive line anyway; the five who start usually play almost all the snaps during the season unless there is an injury. At least doing that would have given those young kids some experience and even more importantly some real confidence going into this season…especially now when we desperately need new blood to step up and produce.
Now we have four more transfers in to watch show their stuff this coming season. I’m not holding out a lot of hope any will make a super impact this year although it is nice to have a bit more experience in the WR corps with rsSO Taysir Mack.
He wasn’t a star by any means at Indiana – here is what he did there and it was a good showing:
That production came late in the season when he got more playing time so that portends good things for us here at Pitt. The Hoosiers’ last three games were against Big Ten opponents and in those he had 14 catches for 181 yards and one TD with a long of 52 yards. So he can produce against competition. The good thing about Mack is that he’s only a rsSO so we’ll have him for three years.
TE Will Gragg will be OK I suppose but his numbers at Arkansas are pedestrian – 5 catches for 61 yards and no TDs after not playing his first two years. I’m not sold on OL Stefano Millin as our new LT by any means and QB Ricky Town is a mystery wrapped in an enigma and shrouded in a Pitt uniform.
I keep hearing die-hard Pitt and Narduzzi fans continually stating “He’s building a program through his own recruits – give him time!” but that really isn’t all that true. If so he’d have been playing his younger players in anticipation of them being starters sooner rather than later. With the exception of maybe three transfers we have gotten every other one could have been rendered unneeded by taking PN small risks and playing the younger players. Especially in a season that most felt was going to be a down year anyway.
But the one thing we have learned about Pat Narduzzi is that he is risk averse and with his being that I think he has fomented an atmosphere where we have had a lot of underclassmen, some very promising, transferring out due to being pushed down the totem pole by PN’s insistence on using transfers before his own recruits.
Our 4* 5.8 rated TE Charles Reeves leaving is a good case in point… It looked like he was a viable starter for 2018 after redshirting last year then Boom! – he gets slapped down by the staff with Gragg coming onboard. And I think he was going to be a very good TE for us right out of the gate – that’s why Pitt tried so hard to get him back in the fold. Hell – take a look at Reeves offer sheet in the link above, it is the best we have seen any recruit of Narduzzi’s have and now he’s gone.
You can say that is football and that is the way it goes and you may be correct – but then let’s not say that he’s build a program with his own recruits, because he’s not. The first thing to understand about transfers is that they either failed, didn’t meet staff expectation or had personal reasons for leaving the teams they were on. Some transfers have been dismissed elsewhere and bring that with them to their new school. It is a crap shoot and one I don’t think Narduzzi is winning at this point.
I give Narduzzi all the credit in the world for accepting Nate Peterman as a transfer – the 2015 and 2016 seasons might have turned out dramatically worse had Peterman not been here. Araujo-Lopes is another transfer who is working well for us, and Flanagan and Clark were needed too even though they were average at best players. But of the 12 transfers we have had come onto the roster under his watch so far they are about it – the other eight might have been more detrimental than beneficial in the long run.
Editor’s Note: Here is an interesting graphic sent to me by a long time reader that pertains to Pitt fans happiness…
pittpov.com 
While I agree with most of the above, do not discount PC’s final class for being a reason for so many offensive transfers. Bookser and Ollison have contributed; Herndon and Dintino may do so this year … but that’s it
https://pittsburgh.rivals.com/commitments/football/2014
wwb
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should have added that PC’s last class plus PN’s shortened first class put the offensive recruiting in a hole. Nonetheless, PN’s offensive recruiting, particularly at OL and TE, needs to improve, and quickly
wwb
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The 2015 class, which PC is given credit for, had basically no OL or TE also. Bookser is the only one.
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I doubt Reeves left because of Gragg. If he did, and that is a big if, then he was weak minded and no good for the team.
Again, every team has transfers come and go. Common in college football. No biggie.
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Reeves didn’t leave … he was shown the door, Now playing for YSU
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Not true. He left and the staff tried to talk him into coming back
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I don’t see Mack starting at WR. He was a good get for depth with Butler-Jenkins and Tipton coming off injuries.
Was Sibley injured. Is he out for the year?
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from what I read, Sibley hasn’t practiced lately but is not out. Don’t believe anyone has sustained a major injury …. yet
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Its been stated outside of Lopes, Mack is our best WR
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Not very good on the transfers. Pat likes shiny objects. To many transfers hurt team chemistry. Reed, are you missing on a OL transfer? Was it Chase Brown or somebody else?
When bringing in transfers, coaches like for them to play immediately, not bring in a transfer and they ride the pine. Makes no sense to do that.
When it comes to the TE position the staff has done a really poor job recruiting/managing this position. Hence, the need for the transfers. On one previous class the coaches didn’t even sign one TE.
Narduzzi cannot continue to take chances on transfers who are trouble makers or ones that no other school wants.
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I do not like using so many transfer kids. If your sure that the player is a clear upgrade over a glaring weakness in fine with it. I think Mack will be a good transfer and we needed a recever, but as far as Gragg you pissed off Reeves and caused him to leave. Never got a fair chance to start after giving two years to program. Look at the qbs last year. Browne had no business playing on this team so what he had a good game against rice. It caused dinucci and Mcvettie to leave in my opinion. Pickett is the best of the bunch and he wasn’t given a fair shot until it was too late. Narduzzi plays favorites and I think it hurts the team. Why wasn’t Wriginns a starter in 16. Oh that’s right cuz Capprea was better. Some of his personnel decisions drive me nuts and the transfers play a big part in that.
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Zach and how are you doing buddy? You don’t know why Pickett didn’t play until late in the season. I’ll just say it wasn’t on Narduzzi. Even though he enrolled early there was a bit of an adjustment period going on. KP is a fine young man and will be a great ambassador moving forward for PITT.
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There is no evidence Reeves left because of Gragg.
The JC OL will probably redshirt. I don’t care for the grad transfers but it is part of the game now.
Nothing wrong with transfers that have multiple years to play like Hendrix, Peterman, Lopes or JC kids.
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Another thing that drives me nuts is Jordan whitehead should have had the ball in his hands. I feel his talent was wasted on defense. I’m starting to think the same thing will happen with Paris Ford. This offense is devoid of playmakers Ford is a game changer with the ball in his hands. The only reason whitehead was drafted is because he runs a 4.45 and is stron for his size. He was wasted at safety. Look at what he did in his one run against PSU and a few runs against ND. His best plays came on his 30 or so touches on offense.
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I agree with people saying players come and go from every school, this is the way college football is nowadays. I follow FCS football pretty closely and there is a guy at Delaware that is a prime example (not Flacco, but a current player). In 2015, Troy Reeder started 11 games for Penn State and was named to the Big 10 all freshman team (along with his teammate Saquon Barkley). He transferred to Delaware after that season, where he has been a standout. In 2016, Penn State loses to Pitt, and many of the PSU folks I spoken with blamed their early struggles on defense that year due to poor linebacker play … if this guy stays at PSU, maybe they find a way to slow Pitt’s offense down a bit, squeeze out a victory, and make the National Championship playoff.
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I heard from jump street that Reeves left due to poor grades.
Mentioning Hendrix was a 4* then dismissing the fact in parenthesis is a smooth move Reed. It made me chuckle… ike
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After Reeves left Pitt and went home to Youngstown, the Pitt coaches continued to try and get a hold of him but they were not successful. If it was grades why would the coaches try to reach him?
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I was told grades and I heard that first hand from a gentleman who has a relative who works directly with the players. I also read the story you tell bj, I tend to believe my source you can go with your story as well. Do I know as fact first hand that it was grades, no I don’t.
If PITT did try and reach out that would also make sense if they liked the kid enough to try and help him, that makes sense as well. I can see both stories being correct.
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After a couple of years in college the star rankings go by the wayside.
It wasn’t grades with Reeves.
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Reed, I don’t believe it was grades either.
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When did the concept of a graduate transfer start? One reason for so many transfers. The second is the difficulty Narduzzi has had in getting O-linemen and Tight Ends to sign. Obviously QB another difficult position, even for Chyrst who brought in Savage another success.
But just like overall recruiting, we are not getting the cream of the crop. I do see QB a little differently since only one QB can play on a team so more good transfers available.
Hopefully overall recruiting improves to the point that so many transfers are not needed. Depth in most areas has, but I think we will still see O-linemen transfers needed next year.
It looks like and we all hope Hendrix goes into the good to great category this year. We need Millin to perform well. Gragg can hopefully help as well as Mack and of course Lopes. So that is 5 of 22 starters.
As wbb and many of us have mentioned, O-line and Tight End recruitment has been below the line. It needs to get much better to be even average, let alone a strength.
The other thing to point out is that only three of the transfers are defensive players and all D-linemen. When you add them to the O-linemen and tight ends, you can see that the lines have been the positions of need.
I think Reeves leaving because of Gragg is a stretch. With his bodyhe should have pushed everyone out of the way. My guess is pressure from coaches was too much.
I do agree that we don’t need any more head cases or troubled children, no matter the number of stars.
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3 out of the 4 incoming will play and possibly Towns if KP get injured. It’s part of today’s game but also a symptom of our recruiting. Winning can fix a lot of our concerns.
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Town is another example of a player that NOBODY wanted, except Narduzzi.
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I should add to my comment above that Reeder kid at Delaware that transferred from PSU is from the state of Delaware (similar to the move by Reeves transferring from an FBS school to an FCS school closer to home).
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Chaney brought Peterman to Pitt and then Chaney left.
Salem brought in 3 TE in one class, Sear, Reeves and Carrigan but Reeves took his football and went home to Ohio.
Can Millin protect Kenny’s blindside? If not it may be Ricky Town for the rest of the season, or until he gets hurt.
Last season the O line was in Flux until the 5th or 6th game of the season, not good. Might be part of the reason for the coaching change to Borbs.
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If Pickett is going to go down as we often talk about, what makes us think Ricky Town won’t go down soon afterwards? He’s less mobile than KP is. The offensive line isn’t nearly as offensive as some want to make it out to be.
BTW Dr Tom, I did read your comment and guess what?….. makes a lot of sense to me. Reminds me of your rear-view mirror article and people choosing to look back instead of forward. I always say, if you look hard enough for trouble you shall surely find it. I make it a habit not to open my bun when I order a hamburger, you never know what you’ll find in there. ike
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Reeves was so good but it was Sear that played as a freshman last season not Reeves. If you listened to Salem’s video yesterday he really praised Sear’s play late in the season versus VT and Miami. Is it possible that Reeves saw the writing on the wall with the likelihood of him playing 3rd string to Sear and Gragg?
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Eithe way we needed him on roster.
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My guess is that Jim Medure who was awarded a scholarship today and is currently playing at TE might have also passed Reeves at the position. Salem yesterday also said he would sleep well tonight if Medure had to start tomorrow. Would he have slept well last night if Reeves was starting at TE today?
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Since some recruits do leave for various reasons, it is not out of line to bring in other players to fill a hole or deepen the depth. Most programs do this and have some success. K State lives off the JC transfers. If a program hits on a player who has two ears of eligibility that is a positive. A new coach can’t shore up the roster in one or two years of recruiting. Bringing in players is another way to better the chances of winning. It may show up in different ways. Another body so less wear on a player who is starting for example. If the standard is a program has to hit on transfers, name me one that has. PSU brought in two JC transfers this year. Bringing in outside players have risk, But sometimes the reward is worth it.
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JC players can be helpful especially in areas of need or depth, but you still need to recruit to truly succeed. Plus, if you look at the list, a lot of them are not JC players, but other programs cast offs. That is not what we really need, is it?
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I updated the transfer list to include the two CC players Brown and Davis. So that is 18 transfers in his first four years.
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If you add Devon Davis (who is a “walk on”, you need to add Cole Blake who is a “walk on” grad transfer from Robert Morris.
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A lot of JCs actually recruit on that basis the” we get kids into D1 programs” and do a good job bringing players along. No problem if done carefully. Not new with a lot of successful programs. Taking another D1 transfer is fraught with potentially many more pitfalls and the staff had better use caution unless they have a good handle on the kid like Chubbs and Peterman. Stability and recruiting.That is what we need after winning and sports press buzz.
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Face it, Narduzzi is going after transfers out of necessity. His recruiting has been average (at best) and he finds himself forced to go for transfers. The worst part is that nothing indicates that his recruiting is picking up. If anything, it’s going in the other direction. This does not bode well for long-term success.
SantaCruzer
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Reeves decided to leave but the reason hasn’t been disclosed. It could well have been because of the transfer being brought in, or it could be that Sear had been playing ahead of him pretty much the entire time. Whatever ,,,, he should see more PT at YSU
wwb
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I hear things from what and who I consider a credible source and I throw it out there for you guys to decide. I heard about Reeves being off the team before it was ever reported anywhere. jus saying. ike
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Just the same way I know why Pickett was not an option earlier last season. His availability was in question at the time. Believe it or not. ike
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I see no issue with transfers, especially at positions of need. WVU has done well snagging a lot of them.
Was bummed to see Reeves leave but that happens. Seems Sear is a good fit.
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You guys did see that walk on Jim Medure was granted a scholarship today by Pitt. Currently he is playing at the TE position. Listen to Narduzzi’s video today for his comments on granting Medure that scholarship.
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I really don’t understand the fuss about the transfers? Narduzzi and PITT gave Jim Medure a scholarship this morning. First, I mentioned this young man last year as someone to watch. He comes from a good western Pa family with good bones. Secondly, PITT has scholarships to give. So they use them to solidify their roster’s depth chart on transfers. I know it’s blog talk and all but the constant second guessing of a coach that Upitt is constantly reminding us makes 3.5 million a year is funny to me.
Alright, the guy may be a big dickhead and dago cocky (remember I’m part Italian) but why the big chip on the shoulder. Did he do wrong to someone in the POV room? and a few will eat their words after the season about Hendrix, just watch. ike
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jrn, you’re beginning to think toooo much like me, it’s scary… 🙂 ,.. . .ike
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FYI:
I think one of Davis or Brown from the JC are preferred walk ons. Lopes was a California CC kid. Kind of a JC.
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Davis is, Brown is on scholarship.
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FYI, Lackawana is not a JC anymore.
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Had high hopes for Brown. Doesn’t even appear to be s two deep.
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in the two deep
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Expect depth chart to change in a few days.
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JC kids don’t get the weight training, etc. Good to redshirt them.
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Ike, maybe we are related although I have no Italian connection to my knowledge. Both Salem yesterday and Narduzzi today had some very nice comments about Medure. I think Salem’s comment yesterday they he would sleep well tonight if Medure had to start at TE today says it all. Pickett will make stars out a lot of unknown’s if they get the chance to take the field. Most posting to this board want to rely on last years statistics with Browne and DiNucci operating at QB. How backward looking can you get to make your point?
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I think Alan Saunders does a great job covering PITT as well. I grabbed this partial piece from him on Jim Medure. I believe I know a family member of his. Those darn walk-ons
“If Jimmy Medure was playing tomorrow, I would sleep tonight,” Salem said.
Medure is a biology major and hopes to become a pediatrician someday, so his scholarship will certainly help pay for schooling that he plans to continue beyond his playing days. And he’s not done with his batsuit, either.
“When it’s all done, I hope to volunteer at Children’s [Hospital] dressed as Batman,” Medure said. “I see that all the time and I think that’s a special thing to do. That’s the plan.”
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Yep so much to team mates not liking Narduzzi and rumored angst in the locker room. Great video of Medure getting his scholarship.
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jrn, again you scoop me? My grandson called while I was typing and so I missed that comment by you but we are on the same page lately.. ike
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Too much is made of transfers. You need them when you don’t have depth. All schools use them, however. If you have an opportunity to potential better a position group, you do it. Some work, some don’t. If they do, great. If not, it’s not a big investment.
Between Chryst and Duzz, they did not have an OL in the transition year. That is why that particular position group has needed transfers the last two years. They have 14 OL already on the team coming back next season, not including the freshmen in this class. Future depth is fine. I would not be surprised to see the need for transfers go down.
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I’ll say this…there are some impressive young men on this football team. I try to watch a lot of the player interviews and am usually quite surprised. Take some time and watch Tipton’s and Medure’s interviews today.
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The coaches have been touting Tipton as a future rockstar in coaching.
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The number of transfers alone, per above, is not meaningful in my opinion. The more important question to me is whether the uptick in transfers is part of a proactive (short term) strategy to fill some voids, or if it’s a knee-jerk reaction to recruiting failures. Maybe it’s a little of both. What I really wish is that we could be discussing camp developments and observations instead of periphery issues on the cusp of a new season- a real bummer to us fans to be closed out. Sounded like we had some nice surprises this year at the WR position, but it would be nice to learn a lot more.
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The big difference with a transfer is the possibility of knowing how the player behaved at their school, either as a player- though they often aren’t playing as they would like, or as a person. While this info isn’t much more than a high school record the end result seems similar. The proportion of those who contributed among transfers is similar or a little better than the average recruit.
The most salient point is whether their arrival has a negative impact on the chemistry of the team and expectations of the players. But is it any different from a touted high school recruit?
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Has McAlone received a scholly yet….??
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McAlone no scholarship at this point.
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Generally, I believe that transfers are good for the program. It brings in usually older, more seasoned players with a few additional years of weight training, football learning and maturity. The real test is what would Pitt have done at the position if the transfer were not brought in. This should be looked at in the current year, not the future to guess as to what the younger recruit would eventually become. Pitt must begin to win now, and the players must perform immediately.
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If not for an epic collapse in the Bowl Game, Pitt would have won 7 games in Voytik’s year.
It is not unreasonable to think we could have won …..1 more game to get to 8 in each of the
following 2 seasons. In fact Voytik’s skill set could have better suited for O’Canada’s unique
flex veer offense.
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And Chad came very close to winning 2 Bowl games for Pitt. Peterman was zero for 2.
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Walt Harris brought in transfers too. One David Priestly comes to mind, as well as John Turman.
Every coach will bring in transfers, especially in this day & age, where kids are more fickle than ever.
Let’s give Nard Dog a pass on this. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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Nick Goings as well.
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Draw
Tex
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Nate Peterman, I think Nate alone shuts down the argument that Narduzzi is bringing in too many transfers. PITT won 16 regular season games in two years. When there are players like that out there you take the flyer for sure.
Another problem I have is putting all transfers into the same basket. If a kid wants to move it doesn’t necessarily make him a problem child. Browne was not a bad pick up under any circumstance. Did he play like a super star, no but the stars go out the window when they are a transfer I thought? He was a need at the position and time. His numbers are not below average.
Hodges was better than below average. He played many valuable minutes. He helped the team. How much? I don’t know but he saw the field and helped PITT.
It’s just more evidence that some of you just don’t like the man and I CAN SEE WHY AND ACCEPT THAT. But it sure shouldn’t be because he brings in transfers to supplement his roster. It’s really telling to me. ike
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Took the words right out of my fingers. Nate Peterman transfer. End of debate.
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Thanks Richard and great to hear from a man raised on my namesake Rd. I do remember the RM player
Once and for all…. Lackawanna is no a CC school anymore. From the internet.
“Lackawanna College (formerly Lackawanna Junior College, originally Scranton Business College) is a private university in Scranton, Pennsylvania, with satellite centers in the towns of Hazleton, Hawley, Towanda, and New Milford.”
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Meant to say Lackawanna is not a CC or a JC school. What it is, is a minor league football factory.
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JUCO Jeff Otah was the best acquisition IMO. Robb Houser was also good. Brandon Miree was a decent transfer.
Chryst’s transfers include Tom Savage, Ray Vinepal, Manessah Garner and Reggie Mitchell
But I’m sure that we all have forgotten all the transfers and Jucos that didn’t work out so well
wwb
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forgot about Ejuan Price
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4.5 transfers per year on average seems high to me
Tex
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Princell Brockenbrough, Pitt vs Texas A & M on the road. Princell avg’d 33 yards per catch. Get me some more WR transfers like him. Too bad he got hurt and only played 1 year.
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He had a huge drop versus ND in 2003.
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Well if you want to get picky Mr. Nate. Your fav player there, Nate Bailey had many drops as his career PPG was a meager 1.3 ppg while shooting an incredible low 29% FG. He should have stayed at Navy, as he wasnt a BigEast caliber player.
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Yeah, but Evans said he had a big heart. LOL
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I agree Tex but not for a coach that was left with a few holes on the roster. Especially at the QB spot and the depth at O-Line. If the same concept continues the next couple of years it could be a bad sign of trouble. I doubt that will be the case. ike
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Can you guess…..NDDS
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Reed — I think you are over-estimating Reeves ability and potential impact.
Number 1, he ended up at YSU.
Number 2, I specifically watched Reeves in the spring game because I have been hopeful about him – the 4-Star ranking and all. Well, if you go back and read my comments, though I was totally impressed by his build, I was highly disappointed in how he played. To be blunt, he was really slow. And I didn’t see aggressiveness.
Maybe he was having a bad day, but it didn’t surprise me one bit when he ended up at YSU. I wish him well there.
Go Pitt.
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In other words he was no George Reeves.
Low Energy Charles.
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wwb… never forget the 1st JUCO that comes to my mind….. Gary Burley
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Good find BigB.
Randy McMillan came to mind for me…
Go Pitt.
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I know someone mentioned this earlier but I had the chance to watch the video of Tre Tipton. He’s from the Big Benie’s hometown of Apollo and it will knock your socks off. I can’t link it but catch it on Pitt Live Wire. It is sensational and Bernie it will make you proud. What a great young man!!! ike
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The Big Benie LOL… No No the Big Bernie! am I an idiot or what?
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ike is right on, here, about transfers. There have been many good transfers over the years, even though being a transfer doesn’t guarantee success. But the ability to bring in a transfer to fill a need is essential. If there are too many then there is a recruiting problem. But bringing in 3-4 transfers each year seems like a good insurance policy against a lack of depth in some positions.
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As expected, Urban Meyer’s punishment is a mere 3 game suspension.
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THE Ohio state
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THE BIGJOKE strikes again. Add this to the litany of high crimes going on in the BigJoke. But money talk$ and clearly none of these BigJoke institutions of higher learning(lol) care anything about anything else but the BigJoke Payday.
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Oh….other than limiting Free Speech on their fascist campus’s 🙂
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BTW, OSU plays PSU in their 5th game….
But they do have Rutgers in their second game…😊
Go Pitt.
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Those 2 disgusting University’s presidents should share the same luxury box and discuss how to sidestep criminality, while maintaining a Top 20 Football program.
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And further news coming out of the BigJoke. Big Trouble in Little Madison.
University of Wisconsin wide receiver Quintez Cephus was charged with two counts of sexual assault Monday. Per reports, police claim the 20-year-old junior, who was set to be the Badgers’ top receiver this season, assaulted two women on the same night at his apartment.
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You forgot to mention that another WR was taking pictures and videoing the assault. I think Chryst just suspended him too. How many examples do they need to see that this behavior is wrong? Oh, what they see is coverups and protection if you are good enough.
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Admitting I haven’t read every article on Pitt’s August Camp. But I haven’t read or heard a peep on incoming freshman much ballyhooed RB, Mychale Salahuddin, aka Houdini.
Is this kid that much of a dud or are they doing a brilliant job of keeping him ‘under wraps’.
Today’s Trib article was about Pitt’s RB situation and again nary a word about Houdini.
https://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/13996780-74/pitt-coach-pat-narduzzi-looks-for-running-game-improvement
If all we got is Hall and Big Q, behind this hodgepodge line….. General Pickett better be a 5 star general.
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Looked good, then the pads went on in practice. Things changed but nothing wrong with a redshirt to get stronger and to learn the pass-protection schemes.
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The good news is that all of our running backs are decent and are good athletes; the bad news is that we just don’t have a game-breaker in the bunch.
IMHO, we keep recruiting the same type of RB…fast, but not elusive…
(Whoever is identifying our RB recruiting targets needs to have a long talk with Wanny 😊😊.)
Go Pitt.
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Off topic, but I just read Tuesday’s article about game day experience and branding. This past weekend I realized I needed to add a couple articles of Pitt swag to my wardrobe. Specifically, I was looking for a nice long sleeved shirt, and maybe a zip-up light jacket. Don’t need a hoodie (I have that), but a nice shirt in mustard and blue, Pitt script.
Why can I not find such a thing? Why is it so hard to find “throwback” blue? Didn’t the athletic dept. change the official colors? Why is everything still navy, and still so much that is NOT script? There were some nice shirts for men- nothing like that for women. Even the campus stores have crap online for women. I do not want glitter on my shirt! I don’t want a gray shirt with “Pitt” written on it. And I don’t want the distressed look of the logo with cracks on it. The small crowd at Heinz would look better if we all had the same school colors on, don’t you think? Think of the revenue the school could get from updating apparel with nicer-looking stuff.
Please help Heather! Start working on getting the apparel companies to design nicer clothes for the women. I don’t want to look like I’m wearing my millennial daughter’s clothes to a Pitt athletic event. Thank you!
…Steps off soap box….
H2P!
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Annie — you should get up on that soap-box more often! 👍
Go Pitt.
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Wonder how many PSU alums are on the OSU Board.
wwb
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I’ve heard a few whine and make “damming” statements – it is easy to respond to the hypocrites…
Domestic violence is bad – stated fact. Letting it happen under your leadership watch – even worse.
Child rape is (let them fill in the blanks). Then remind them that some of the raping happened on THEIR campus.
Can we get back to FB?
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my point is of course there are no PSU alums on the OSU Board …. unlike the Pitt Board
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Here you go.
https://triblive.com/sports/columnists/timbenz/breakfastwithbenz/14002570-74/tim-benz-is-pitt-coach-pat-narduzzi-overrated-depends-how-much-you
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you beat me to it
i say he is overrated particularly if you factor in his compensation
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Until you stagnate. Then it seems like you are guy who is all hat and no cattle. Plenty of football panache, but no X-and-O answers to make things better.
Been saying this about him for years. All talk no Proof.
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Here is the interview Ike mentioned…Tre Tipton. Worth a few minutes, great young man!
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Impressive interview with Tre Tipton. (When I was st Pitt, I’d have been nervous as hell and would have struggled to put two words together in an interview…)
Met Tre’s Mom while she was taking photos at the Panther statue after a game. Very nice lady.
Go Pitt.
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Annie..Jeanie B n me stopped by the PITT Shop while visiting the campus the past week-end to up-grade our look. There is a lot more of the yellow and bright blues but still way to much of the navy/khaki especially in jackets/pull-over(Columbia) cooler weather stuff…but I did see a hat in the correct mustard with the Panther head used in our great years,,,slow progress but progress in my eyes…..see you at the PITT-Predator game.
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if you live near Cranberry, you can buy Pitt merchandise at Rally House. I assume there are other similar stores around Allegheny County
http://www.rallyhouse.com/rally-house-cranberry
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They’re still using BLOCK PITT…as our logo. Oy vey and this is a local sports shop.
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I checked out their website- same with the Pitt Shop, bookstore and store at the Pete. If they have decent selections, they are not on their website! I did not want to venture into Oakland while students are moving in.
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Just don’t wear your MAGA hat 🙂
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Our online stuff and stores on campus are a joke compared to other schools. Inwas at Miss St and there is TONS of gear and stuff that is classy and fun. There are also multiple stores. There are dress shirts made nice with logos hidden. Columbia Gear. It is night and day to the wish wash of our 5 different uniform colors. Hell you still see dinocat.
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I,ve bought several Pitt shirts over the last few years and barely ever wear them because they’re crap. I typically wear a size large in shirts. While labeled “large”, the Pitt shirts are either “extra large” or “medium”. And the fabric is crap. The only nice thing about these items is the Pitt logo. The quality is crap. Why would a quality university like Pitt want to put its name on crap. And in golf letters no doubt! if you put lipstick on a pig, it is still a pig. STOP THE CRAP.
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https://triblive.com/sports/columnists/timbenz/breakfastwithbenz/14002570-74/tim-benz-is-pitt-coach-pat-narduzzi-overrated-depends-how-much-you
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That Benz article is right on the mark. As Ike says one season is not a trend so for him the 5 win ’17 season is probably an aberration.
For others like me I see some real problems in his tenure so far. First is the losing the two bowl games and then not getting in one. That has had a big impact on his recruiting so far and thus the need for six (!) transfers this season.
I went back and looked at Pitt’s transfer record and we have never had that many come in at one time before. That signifies real problems to me, especially since it was necessary because very few of his own recruits are ready to play it seems.
We see tons of FR, rsFR, SO and rsSO kids get playing time in college ball all over the country now. More of his recruits should be ready to start at this point…especially given the hype and high expectations they received from the media and Pitt fans. Some of his early recruits are even JRs and SRs this coming year and what have they done?
Case in point is our LBs for ’18 – it looks like the starters will be all PC recruits. Is this what fans expected in year 4?
Benz really hit the point about Narduzzi’s defenses over the past three years. I find it kind of strange that fans look at the VT & Miami games and think our D was great when the truth is that over the full season it again was sub-par, especially in giving up 34 points to a two win NC right before those last two games.
He’s made necessary changes in staff to address key units and if they work out fine, but Bates as DC and Borbely as the OL coach really don’t have much real talent to work with…and on Defense almost all the starters are returning from an average at best defense.
On the OL he has one almost-star player in Bookser then…. hardly any other good talent. Morrissey was a nice story last season but the reality he was just a starter and not much more than that as his play was average.
Its going to be an interesting season for sure but I really wonder if it stays at 5 or 6 wins will the excuses keep coming for Narduzzi or will fans see what is happening.
And, in my case, will I give full credit due if he wins 8+ games? I hope I’d do that. We’ll see…
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It all goes back to recruiting. He has not been getting many guys that are ready to go as freshman or even redshirt freshmen. If you don’t get those guys you need to wait till guys mature and have to hope they become solid players as juniors and seniors. You also have to rely more heavily on transfers to fill holes where recruiting absolutely failed.
I think we find out this year if you can compete without many elite players and if guys that were average can develop into competitive units, as they mature.
This definitely has to be the year the defense starts to shine. This was why Narduzzi was hired, he has three senior linebackers, and mature players throughout the defense. There is also much more depth throughout the defense.
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Emel is Baaacccccckkkkkk!
WELCOME!
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Thank you Pittman4ever. Hope you’ve had a great summer !
Getting close to Pickett Time ! Charge !!!!
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