It’s been an interesting couple of days.
Pitt’s big unveil was an unquestionable success, with ahem the large majority of Pitt fans getting behind the new colors and logo with enthusiasm.
Nearly lost in all the hubub is the fact that Pitt Football also landed their first recruit of the 2020 class. Samuel Williams is a 6’4″ 205 lb “defensive end” from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I put “defensive end” in quotes because it’s clear from his game film that Williams is a tall and fluid athlete more than anything else. If you watch his film long enough they’ll flip to his TE highlights, where he regularly is the fastest guy on the field.
Williams is ranked a 5.5 from rivals, and he had two offers besides Pitt, South Florida and Syracuse. What’s also obvious from Williams’ game film is that he is a man among boys out there, mostly likely because he plays for 3A (384-749 students) Calvary Christian Academy. This is basically the level of high school football I played in Pennsylvania and I’m 5’11 – 160, and not fast. And yes he would have looked very good against Jim Thorpe Sr. High (my alma mater) as well.
Nonetheless, Williams has the athleticism that puts him squarely in the “diamond in the rough” category, and if the staff can put some weight on him and coach him up, he could definitely turn into a contributor…cue rabble of angry Pitt fans complaining about his star ranking. Well like it or not, the staff has chosen to go down the “athletic three star” road and they will live or die by the philosophy they’ve chosen. Either way, earning a scholarship is a great accomplishment for Samuel so congratulations to him and may we hope he turns into the next Rashad Weaver (or Jabaal Sheard or Greg Romeus).
Here is the link to his highlight video
Back to spring ball, Pitt’s rebranding included new practice unis and that was the first news that broke today.
and just for fun…here were the first two fan reactions:
So yes, a lot of buzz in Oakland and on the Southside and in the Pitt Universe in general. And I’m pretty sure this means Pitt will also be wearing the new unis for the Spring Game.
Speaking of the Spring Game, it’s this Saturday at Heinz. Kickoff at 1 p.m. As long as the weather holds, it should be a decent day for some drinking of beer and watching of football. 
Speaking of football, Pitt practiced today, and they scrimmaged on Saturday, so we got a double dose of info during today’s interviews.
Kenny Pickett is clearly taking his coaching well, because he said basically nothing of interest. On the other hand, if camera presence equates to pocket presence (maybe it does?), then hope should spring eternal, because young Mr. Pickett has clearly progressed.
This year:
Last year:
Todd Sibley on the other hand was one of the better player interviews of the Spring.
“We’ve established all spring that we can throw it”
“Coach Whipple has us lining up all over the field. We’re lining up at wideout. We’re lining up in the slot. He has us doing things that we weren’t normally doing last year. His key thing is scoring touchdowns and getting playmakers the ball. That’s what Whipple does”
“[Last year] I won’t say they weren’t concerned for our passing game, but they definitely weren’t as concerned as they were for our running game”
AJ Davis is a man of few words…
Whipple gave us a few nuggets.
“I think we found a few more receivers”
“AJ Davis been good, Sib’s been good, V’Lique’s made some plays outside. Ffrency. Taysir. I thought Dontavious. Aaron Matthews. Tre’s [Tipton] been good”
“No question that we can [throw deep]. People, they know i like to throw deep. I don’t think you can’t have an intermediate passing game unless you can take the top off, and we’ve got guys who can do that”
And of course the ‘Duzz is always one of best interviews in the business, even if you can only trust 50% of what comes out of his mouth. Note the special bond he shares with Jerry DiPaola at the end.
“I don’t know if you guys heard, the offense won the scrimmage”
“The defense looked good too”
Question: How did the run game look on Saturday? “Well…you know… it depends on who they were running against”
“AJ…turns a two yard run into 12, and you know Sibley…is a physical dude”
“I don’t know what you’ll see on Saturday but I’m sure we’ll dumb it down and try to score as little points a we can” (smiles)
Last but not least, the Spring Game player draft has been moved to Thursday after practice, so stay tuned for our big Pitt POV Spring game preview sometime after they publish the rosters.
Hail to Pitt
pittpov.com 
From the sound of things, the forward pass is coming back to Pitt… It will be interesting to see how quickly the players adjust to Whipple’s new scheme. There may be some growing pains (and INTs). But, it should be fun to watch.
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Good article, MM. nothing mentioned about the OL? I would think that good line performance would be pointed out. I’d also like to hear about more redshirt Freshmen making some contributions.
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Sibley said something to the effect of “they are all good blockers and it will be okay in the spring game even if we mix and match” but he was looking up and to that left when he said it, so no sure if I believe him…
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Up and to the left … that cracked me up.
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Haha…old sales book called ‘the art I’d speed reading people’ apparently a certain percentage of the population move their eyes to the left when accessing the ‘imaginative’ part of their brain. And keep eyes center or move them right when accessing the memory part. I don’t use this nearly enough in everyday life but it’s fun to dust it off once in a while
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—That new Panther Head logo is kind of growing on me…
—KP does seem more mature in that interview – which make sense…
—I think the WRs are going to surprise some people now that they have better coaching. I’m interested to see if the route running looks better on Saturday. I’m hoping to see acceleration out of sharp cuts versus the rounded-off patterns I noticed last year…
Go Pitt.
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Majors,
Maybe with keeping to the new theme of the Cathredral arches, the pass routes wouldn’t be rounded or sharply cut!….,,,..,.they’ll be
“arch-like.” :>)
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Let’s get a pre draft poll going: (1) Who is likely to be the first player drafted? I think that’s an easy one for me and it’s likely to be Pickett. (2) Who is likely to be the second player drafted? This is a tougher one but I’m to go out on the limb a little and say Weaver. (3) Who is likely to be the second QB to be drafted? This might not be what many expect(at least not Narduzzi) but I’m going to say Nick Patti. (4) Most improved offensive and defensive players for Spring ball. Don’t know if they announce that at the Spring game. But I’ll guess: Offense Carter and Defense Campbell.
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I like your picks. I noticed the Doozer saying a couple of times that Phil Campbell has shown a good ability to get off blocks…
Would love to see one of the offensive tackles be named as most improved offensive player – like Warren…
Go Pitt.
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OT: If anyone is on the pantherlair website under an Initial tidbit post there is a picture of a Panther Flag on a light post that Pitt just put up on the campus. Pretty neat IMO.
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Maestro, great sports writing AND the weather…you’re like a combo of Grantland Rice and Joe Dinardo. Nice work.
John, the panther head and colors look better to me every day.
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In support of the “ahem”… the new Unis are actually growing LESS and less on me by the day. And that’s not saying much.
Too Cartoon-like and NO class.
Only a matter of time before they become another running Pitt joke.
Too bad.
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The new Unis will grow on me proportionately to the wins this year. Beat UVA they will be awesome,,,and so on…
Really WGAF?? I guess Nike is glad some do.
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well then they are perfect for the school that hasnt won a national championship in any sport since 1976 unless you count ultimate Frisbee and cheer leading. Pitt has been a running joke for the past 40 years.
Pitt was only ranked in two out of 19 programs. In the other programs, Pitt generally had losing records and finished near the bottom of the ACC.
If things dont turn around, Heather wont be enjoying those colors for long.
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Amen. Pitt’s administration: Let’s fire football coaches and act like we care about winning, all the while replacing coaches just sets us further and further back, but so what. Being in the news for a day is worth it.
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So what’s the bar then Tex? If we want to be know for athletics should we be ranked in 5 sports? Does a national ranking in fb and bb count for more? How do the best sports schools rate?
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the bar should be top third of the ACC across all programs
Pitt’s athletic spend is top third
Right now Pitt is bottom third in results or field performance
Many AD’s have Director’s Cup rankings goals and certain incentives built into their contracts
Pitt will be outside the top 100 yet again and will be an ACC outlier (for example, avg ACC school ranking was around #30 last year, Pitt was around #110, only 2 ACC schools were worse (BC and GTech)
The goal of every program is to be ranked and get into tourney play
Only wrestling and volleyball can do that consistently at Pitt
Wrestling, a sport that half the ACC doesnt even play
Volleyball, a sport which is very weak in the ACC (Pitt benefits by playing in a very weak conference)
ACC mens basketball and soccer are the strongest if you just look at rankings and playoffs
Heather’s job is to get trophies behind the glass cases. And a Coastal trophy doesnt count.
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Our ranking in the Director’s Cup keeps me up at night. ☹️
Go Pitt.
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For AD’s it does
and its the only comprehensive ranking where a school can compare its athletics to others
It does bother me that Pitt stinks across the board pretty much in every program and does not seem to be improving
Makes me wonder why Pitt spends money on facilities or has such a large budget if Pitt is not serious about winning
To me its throwing money away
Pitt builds a new baseball and softball field spending millions, spends more millions on staff salaries, scholies, equipment, etc and what does Pitt have to show for it??
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I think you are wrong about Lyke, TX. Because of the lack of major donors compared to other schools, the group she needs to impress is the Chancellor, the athletics committee of the BOT and the broader BOT group. If she merely ensures that Pitt runs clean programs with good kids and the programs on the whole don’t implode, she will have a very long leash. And if the programs improve ever so slightly on the field of play, she may be almost untouchable. There isn’t enough influence coming from the major donor base that want to win at the exclusion of other priorities to change that. Just my opinion from afar, but I think its more likely she leaves for a better job than she is shown the door because the FB and BB programs arent prominent.
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TX — when I attended Pitt I played on the baseball team. I didn’t expect to get drafted by MLB, and I didn’t expect us to win any championships.
Yet Pitt gave me the opportunity to compete in intercollegiate athletics and to experience playing baseball on the highest level that I was capable of. I considered this experience as a bonus part of my education and growth at Pitt. (Now a couple of my teammates did go on to play in the big leagues, so Pitt gave them a platform to do that…)
I didn’t give a darn about the Director’s Cup then (if there was one) and I don’t give a darn about it now.
I think Pitt should focus, as far as winning, on football and basketball. To me, the rest are extra-curricular activities – like the debate team and the band…
Go Pitt.
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I get what you’re saying
But sports is a billion dollar business now
It wasnt like that 40 years ago
The TV and bowl money for the ACC alone is over $400M
AD’s need to run sports like a business these days
Pitt just isnt very good at it because they lose $10M each year
And Pitt sports has really nothing to show fans for it
Other than having the AD comment that our Pitt athletes are of such great character and pull in good GPA’s
Many non-athletes can say the same thing
But their tuition isnt being paid for
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TX — I agree – but isn’t the billion dollar business mainly football and basketball? I know the AD can’t say this because “our goal is comprehensive excellence” — but shouldn’t the emphasis and resources mainly go to the big three?
Focus on those to try to draw fans and TV viewers. Use them to be a way to get Pitt’s name out there for positive publicity…
Everybody knows rankings in college FB and BB — not many know the rankings in the Director’s Cup (except the really die-hard fans like you).
Go Pitt.
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Where are you getting those spend numbers Tex? I can’t seems to find any reliable data that includes Pitt. I agree that if Pitt is spending top-third money they need to produce top-third results. I’m just not convinced they are spending top-third money across the board.
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Only ever been able to find two sets of numbers I’ve that I considered reliable. This is the first:
https://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/2017/08/which_schools_spend_the_most_on_college_football_where_does_syracuse_rank.html
The article was published before the 2017 season so I assume the numbers were for 2016. Pitt was on the low end of the middle third of the P5. Pitt was 9th in football budget in the ACC that year.
Can’t find the link to the second set of numbers for the 2018 budgets of many teams like Clemson (they’ve increased their budget by over $10 million a year since 2016) and Pitt but I forget what the precise numbers it gave were and can’t find the link now of course. I do remember that Pitt’s budget according to those numbers was between 27 and 28 million in 2018.
The big boys are between 40 and 50 million now, Pitt needs to get up around 35 million a year to consistently compete imo.
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Get to around 35 million a year soon, if Pitt’s football budget takes 3-5 years or more to get there, by then it will take at least 45 million a year to consistently compete. The big boys will be spending 60+ million by then.
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Pitt’s numbers lag by 1 year given state reporting
last I saw, Pitt spends 5th most on football in the ACC. I think around $32M.
not sure if this was inferred or a real reported number
Pitt is spending more now given Narduzzi’s extension alone
Pitt is struggling to spend at even this level
Pitt is revenue poor and subsidizes their athletics
Spending at this level isnt sustainable unless revenues significantly rise
Otherwise, Pitt will be forced to cut spending or cut programs
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last I saw, Pitt had a $80M athletic budget
Pitt spends roughly $4M per program (19 programs)
Pitt’s spend per program was above the ACC’s mid-point
Pitt also subsidizes athletics by around $10M per year
Some schools generate a nice profit and many run breakeven budgets
Bottomline – Pitt isnt cheap like it used to be. But its still not spending top dollar to make any of its programs elite.
Moreover, Pitt subsidizes a high % of its athletic budget (around 15%).
Rutgers has a $40M subsidy. Maryland is around $20M. 2 Big 10 schools that are broke despite the TV money.
This is not sustainable.
I’ve been preaching this for years now.
Unless Pitt finds ways to increase revenues, programs will be cut. They already cut tennis.
This is the elephant in the room that nobody talks about
What plan does Heather have to stop this subsidy and get athletics on the path to generate a profit
Hence the friction between academics and athletics at Pitt
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https://archive.triblive.com/sports/pitt/these-guys-give-pitt-athletics-financial-boost/
According to the Trib the entire athletic department had a 59 million budget in 2016. I highly doubt it grew ~20 million in the time between then and now. If it did, much of that would have gone to football and the program while getting a budget increase did not get an increase commensurate with an increase of ~20 million in the total athletic department budget. I don’t see tennis being axed either if the budget had increased that much.
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Yea Tex but what’s your source? I can say I ‘saw’ the dragon from game of thrones at the local airport yesterday but without photo evidence I’m just blowing air…
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Heather Lyke would NEVER think of doing the same to her BORING and beloved Maize and Blue.
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Nobody would ever do that to the Maize and Blue. Except for maybe One Steve Pederson
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Thats because no one came in and effed it all up.
People buy a lot of UMich gear, boring to you or not. Me, I love their colors and unis…particularly the FB helmet.
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You’re failing to read between my lines.
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Fran, I’ve got a lot of things going at work and home at the moment. Can I let you know Friday about if I can make the Spring game?
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Absolutely Mark…hope you can make it.
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once again, great stuff maestro. I’m sure (as usual) we will all find fault with what we see on the field this Saturday but all should remember ….. these teams are composed of randomly drafted players who likely have never practiced together as a unit. And also remember, there wasn’t even a spring game in 2014.
Conclusion: it’s just spring ball
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As long as I see more td’s than int’s out of the top two qb’s, and a couple of long completions I’ll be happy.
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Different strokes brother PoD…art, music, fashion.
You lost me on the “no class” part though. Cartoon like I get but I think that was purposeful.
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I just hope what we on offense looks better than what was seen last year, bland or not. The QB play was wretched if I remember correctly.
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off topic but worth mentioning …. last night Brad Wannamaker had 17 pts, 7 rebounds and 6 assists for the Celtics. and to think he is 30 years old and basically an NBA rookie.
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As was the OLine play, hopefully due in part to the splitting up of the units.
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Great article MM and great point Mark. Last year the O-Line was barley coming together as a unit when they were split up for the spring game. Lack of depth also contributed to the poor offensive showing.
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I liked the Sibley interview. I think the focus on the running game is taking some pressure off the running backs. The double edge sword on both running backs and receivers is that we have many good ones but no clear cut stars. Like last year with the pick up O-lines don’t expect too much offense.
On the road Saturday to Myrtle, so my streak of never attending a spring game is intact, but I will miss Fran’s excellent tailgate.
Speaking of excellent, for your viewing enjoyment:
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meant focus on passing game
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MM, good article. Keep them coming. Thanks.
I hope they put that panther head on the fifty for the spring game but based on the artistic ability of the Heinz Field crew it is not likely. Plus, it will piss off the mustard lovers 🙂 I know, I know it will be too much change at one time for some.
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That Panther Head May be a tall order for the Carrick 5th grade art class 🖍
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Love your new gravatar Mark.
Maybe the Gannon sophomore class?
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I think the WR’s will be improved. Interested to see how the TE’s look and how involved they are for the spring. I will also be watching the LB’s closely. I think DL and secondary will be improved, interested to see how the other safety spot outside of Hamler looks.
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It will be interesting to find out who the captains picking the teams will be.
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One Captain could be Dane Jackson from the defense and perhaps Ffrench from the Offense.
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It appears that overall depth is much better at all positions when compared to the last eight years, so the spring game should be more entertaining. The question remains, who will rise above and make a difference this year?
It wasn’t that long ago that the difference between first and second string was immense, especially at QB, but at most positions.
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Not sure if thr Fan 93.7 FM is covering the Spring game, but the other best bet if you were serious may be the Sirius ACC Channel, 371 in my car.
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I can’t seem to find what Sirius channel the spring game might be on, does anyone know?
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I read this elsewhere but I think it’s an interesting idea. Remember the helmet stickers? I think it would be cool if they were the fountain cat’s head stickers.
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Anyone see the black t-shirt with the Panther head on the front outlined with the yellow color? I’m willing to bet that item just might end up being a big seller.
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Yes that was cool. Also the black on black looks really good
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I’m probably wrong here but I thought last years two captains for the spring game were both offense, Bookser and Dintino? I know they had an arm wrestling match. Bookser smacked Conner down pretty quick. Maybe this year defense? Jackson and Hamlin?
When they break units up like this it goes to show everyone just how seriously the coaches take this game. By the time they play Saturday the coaches will already have enough on film to look at over the summer. This game is for the fans and the players.
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Man, do I hate the spring game. Everyone tries to judge on field performance based on a hodgepodge roster that was drafted with a mix of starters and depth chart players … and guys who will not see the field.
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Not everyone, TT. But it is something to do in April while we wait for the real games. And the tailgating still manages to bring in a critical mass of “starters”, with perhaps a couple “freshmen”.
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I don’t mind the casual watcher. Anyone trying to take anything from the game besides it being an exhibition is what drives me crazy.
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We need to see improved QB play or this is going to be another 5-7 season. Everything else is a distraction.
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—I expect the spring game to be typical with the offense able to do little against the defense. The QBs will be under immediate and constant pressure on every pass play. I just don’t think we have offensive tackles ready to pass block…
—Interesting tease by KP when he mentioned Paris Ford (along with Pinnock) when asked which of the defensive players come to mind…
Go Pitt.
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I expect more yellow seats to attend this game than actual fans
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If we break 5000 fans I will be shocked.
On a related note the University of Tennessee – possibly the only program with higher expectations and a more mediocre record than Pitt over the last five years – just had their spring game. Jeremy Pruitt, their new hc, basically yelled at all their fans and accused them of not being fans if they didn’t show up to the spring game. 64,000 showed up.
Now he wanted 103,000 but damn 64,000 ain’t bad.
Just a different culture down south …
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In that case Tx, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. Just try and find a bookie to take that bet. 🙂
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TX – you’re really out on a limb with that one… 😊
Go Pitt
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Do we get to play at Tennessee ???
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Sept 11, 2021
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My brother lives there Bernie. Its already on my calendar.
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Just the PITT band marching down General Robinson ……..
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Mike,
Another great post. Thanks for keeping things in proper perspective.
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Joe,
I do agree that Heather is safe as long as she runs a clean program
They hired her for her Compliance background…not for her marketing, fundraising or financial acumen.
That is what the BoT wants most of all…a scandal free program
I on the other hand want to see results…wins and rankings and championships
Pitt subsidizes sports by $10M each year
Yet Pitt ranks as one of the worst P-5 schools in sports (see Directors Cup)
To me that is throwing money away and many profs agree with me ($10M is taken from the general fund each year that could be used for education)
The BoT also listens to the profs
Many of these figures are fuzzy since every school reports somewhat differently but I do know there is a subsidy and as a % of the athletic budget it is very high relative to other schools.
That tells me Pitt isnt doing a good job operating sports (Finance 101)
That is the AD’s job
Pitt is revenue poor – low ticket sales, low donor rates, regionalized merchandise sales, etc
Pitt’s budget is higher than most ACC schools and football’s spend has been the major recipient (Narduzzi’s extension will be reflected in the next release)
Again, this position is not sustainable
Pitt needs to find ways to increase revenues or it will be forced to cut spending or programs (tennis was just cut this year)
I dont know how a department can continue to deficit spend before the profs revolt.
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Sources:
PA Snyder Report
US News – Equity in Athletics
Numbers may not match between reports due to accounting treatments
The Snyder shows the deficit and is more detailed
USA Today publishes for public schools only
Pitt is privately operated hence not subject to open records and full disclosure
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Tex
Good evaluation. I get the subsidizing numbers but I find it hard to believe Pitt’s football budget is more than middle of the road in the ACC. You are spot on about revenue.
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last figures i saw, pegged Pitt football at $32M which was 5th in the ACC
Behind FSU, Clemson, Tech and Miami
Now this was from an ACC source who compiled the numbers and maybe across various sources
So it may not be apples to apples
But the media and Reed (he has press creds) could ask Heather
All the ACC AD’s know what their departments make and spend relative to one another
The ACC HQ is probably the only good and reliable source for this info
My question to Heather would be: Do you think Pitt’s athletic success this past year was commensurate with Pitt’s level of spending.
Pitt spends top third but gets bottom third results
Thats a mismatch
If Heather was honest, she would say no, but this is the plan to remedy things. And then we hold her accountable.
Otherwise, Pitt has a poor return on investment particularly when the general fund subsidizes sports. Every student should be upset about that since it is THEIR fund paid by THEIR Tuition and Fees.
Deficits matter
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Well isolating football … we have the 3rd most acc wins since narduzzi took over (behind only Clemson and Miami) so by that measure we are pinching slightly above our weight. Solid roi imho. For the rest of athletics I’d say we are underperforming. But…I also agree with MM. put the $ into the revenue sports (and maybe a couple of others like volleyball and wrestling where we have a strategic advantage).
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$27M on football based on 2016…2 seasons ago and BEFORE the ill advised Narduzzi extension
https://expo.syracuse.com/erry-2018/05/ef670871d86155/as_college_football_arms_race.html
So I stand by my $32M for 2018 and 5th highest spend in the ACC
wish I could find the source though
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Still overindexing. Heck if Max Browne hadn’t gotten hurt two years ago we might be 2nd best
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Tx and with all respect cause you know I love you brother but, only ill advised by mostly you. Let’s not forget the extension came before Narduzzi won the Coastal. I think it was a brilliant move. All I kept reading about how if Narduzzi won he would jump on the next tugboat down the Ohio River and escape PITT.
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my beef is Heather lost her negotiating leverage
you dont extend someone going into their 4th year of a 5 year contract
I’d like to know what conditions she placed on Narduzzi
Heck, maybe it was that you need to win the Coastal
I would also have incentive clauses for bowl wins, final rankings, recruiting, etc
Narduzzi didnt do so well on those things going zero wins, no final ranking and 50th rated class
She better be putting pressure on the man
Fans are not rallying behind him if you look at Pitt attendance and season buzz
65,000 yellow seats for the Spring Game will really impress the recruits
I personally would play this glorified scrimmage on the Cathedral lawn or Schenley Park
Set up bounce houses, beer tents, obstacle courses, games of chance, etc
Make it into bizzaro world
Does Heather think of anything different or is it the same stale ideas each year and she scratches her head on why Pitt has no fans
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Coach Whites a keeper. Women’s BB will be top 25 in two years.
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I always look forward to the spring game and always go.
Then after they play for about 3 minutes I start to wonder why I was looking forward to the spring game… 🤔
I expect it to be the same this year — but at least now we get to go to Lastrow and Company’s tailgate!
Go Pitt.
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I think there will be more excitement on the field this year than in 2018 and 2017
Possibly a lot more
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Are we expecting a lot of recruits at the game?
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Every 2 star with offers from Elon and Holy Cross will be there
And every 4 and 5 star with offers from Ohio State and Alabama
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There will never be complete common ground on Blogs and message boards from the passionate fans with any sports team in the country and I get that. And yes, that’s the way it should be. I do wish all PITT fans would someday realize, PITT is not and will never be like the big boy cheaters trying to win at all cost. Which imo, makes PITT all the more fun to root for and get behind. Please don’t question me about caring about winning but I always won and lost with my head held high and a handshake at the end of the game played.
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TX — I suspect you find the arrow pointing down for Pitt football, but would you agree it’s pointing up in men’s BB?
The other Pitt sport I follow somewhat – and go to some games – is women’s basketball. Most know we were dreadful under Coach Suzie, even though she looked like a home run hire.
I don’t think anyone should judge the new women’s coach, Coach White, after one year. He was stuck with 3 recruits who had committed to Coach Suzie (3 point guards; her recruiting was bizarro…), so the team lacked talent (and height) but they actually played noticeably better (even though the freshmen contributed virtually nothing and one has transferred out).
Coach White was assistant coach of the year before coming here (I know…) and on the staff at FSU, they had been to something like 12 post season appearances in 15 years…
Anyway, Coach White has signed 5 freshmen and one transfer in his first class. Not four stars, but a clear change in the type of players Pitt was recruiting. We actually appear to have some quickness and height coming in. It’s a huge rebuilding job, but I’m impressed with Coach White and his staff so far…
I think the arrow is starting to point up for women’s BB, but I’ll keep the POV posted on the women’s team, if anyone is interested…
Go Pitt.
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The arrow is flat for football
It starts pointing up with bowl wins and final rankings
Basketball arrow is up
Capel knows how to recruit and he’s still got 3-4 more scholies to give
Impossible to go down after Stallings
I dont know enough about the other sports but I know the volleyball coach will be in hot demand. He’s real good. From Cali so I figure when a Pac 12 job opens, he’s their first call
Wrestling coach is a former Pitt guy. Heather’s hire. Recruits well and seems to be a good coach. He’s a keeper.
Unsure about baseball and softball but they are both first year coaches so they get a pass.
Mens soccer coach is good coach and recruiter. Pitt just plays in the toughest soccer conference. Its the SEC of soccer…actually far tougher. I think the ACC had 7 teams in the top 10 at one time last year. Insane.
My gripe is that Pitt is actually spending good dough on athletics. They just arent getting the results so the return is poor. That would not be a problem if Pitt was revenue rich and running a breakeven budget or maybe even realizing a nice profit.
But they arent. Thats my concern. I dont see how Pitt can continue to raid the general fund each year for $10 Million without the profs and students revolting.
I think the BoT should demand some financial responsibility but they only seem to care about compliance, character, class, community service and cookies. The kind of cookies that make Pitt fans forget that Pitt spends good money for poor on the field results.
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Anybody know what happened to salahudden? I have heard no mention of him at running back or anywhere for that matter.
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He’s out for the spring with a leg injury Pittmam2003
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Thanks Ike!
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Thought I read it was an injury from last season.
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Y4ep JoeL, still recovering this spring.
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Hope you are all happy, misspelled another 3 letter word……… iek.
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I must say TX you are holding down the fort quite well for all the Pitt downbeater’s that left the POV because they said they were being beat up by all of the Pitt rah rah crowd. Do you ever get out of bed happy in the morning about anything concerning Pitt athletics?
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I’ll be totally happy when Pitt finally starts to totally care
I am happy that Pitt is spending money and not being cheap
I am not happy with the results
I am happy that Capel is coach
I am not happy that Pitt is still paying the full Stallings buyout
I am happy that Pitt proposed Victory Heights
I am not happy that Pitt has not spent a cent on a feasibility study for a football home
I am happy that Pitt won the Coastal
I am not happy that Narduzzi lost his last 3 games after winning the Coastal and blew any chance of a final ranking
I am happy about the colors
I am not happy that Pitt took so long to correct a colossal brand mistake in the first place
I am happy that Pitt is in the ACC
I am not happy that Pitt sits near the bottom of the conference in Both sports and academics
I am happy that Pitt fans are loyal
I am not happy that Pitt has treated their fans so poorly throughout the years
I am happy for the POV
I am not happy for those who have left and stopped commenting like Jay and UPitt and even the good Doc Tom.
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Haha leave Tex alone we need some piss and vinegar from time to time
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these are on me
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I find TX far more enjoyable to read than most others that have the negative realistic slant on things. Amazing that he commits the time that he does here. Must be retired.
UPitt would not often take the time to justify his posts with info yet was harshly entertaining most of the time.
Now that Tower A guy, pfft, good riddens……
….KIDDING Jay.
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I was on board there Tvax until……
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I have not seen a spring game since Dorsett’s freshman year. Busy busy busy with work and family. Now retired but still busy busy busy. But I never miss a FB or BB TV game. H2P
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In the 12 tears I have been following college football, I have only been to one spring game. The only reason I went was because wife wanted to see Hootie & the Blowfish perform for an hour after the game. Take that BigB.
BTW, I believe the drummer in that video Ike posted, plays drum in the Life church services (Young adults with family) that my Son (in-law), Daughter & grandkids attend.
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Pitt athletics was a ten year reclamation project when Heather took over . You can’t turn terds into diamonds. Every coach that Heather hired inherited bottom of the league talent. Winning is a culture … But you also need talent and it takes time to draw talent to traditional bottom feeders to create a winning culture. Duzz won an ACC Coastal title in year 4. Year 5 needs to show some more progress. If not another title the Ws and Ls better improve. He’s the one coach that doesn’t have time on their side. The rest need a few years just to become respectable and then another few years to become winners. To be honest if it’s not football or basketball I have no interest. It might as well be Quidich at that point. 😬
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Great posts…all of them… positives and negative.. I like’m all … don’t care for degrading personal attacks-
We are blessed to have this forum to speak our minds and spill our guts… we are all different but all alike because we love our team…. we need all hands on deck… cheer, yell bitch or Oman the POV is an inclusive club….
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Bitch or moan…above
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Hey now – a deep forward pass? Let’s hope the OL is more equipped for this then the last one was.
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Not until you see the budget numbers can you begin to enforce expectations thru accountability.
When Narduzzi was being paid as the 62 highest paid P5 football coach, my response was that he over-performed because he had better than 62nd recruiting classes and right in the middle with wins and losses at .500. It was a good deal.
Now, when you become (for example) the 20th highest paid P5 coach, your results should follow. Capitalism determines the market and that was not political. When you pay top 20, you should get top 20. When you pay top 20 and you get top 10 results, the coach should get an increase or someone else will pay him/her.
I disagree on our AD. I don’t think she was brought here to run a clean program. Pitt had a clean program with a complete idiot at the helm (Pederson). I thought Gallagher missed on AD selection and I haven’t changed my opinion there yet. We didn’t need compliance three years ago. We need an individual that the donors rally around and make big donations. She has not delivered there. Any AD can fire a bunch of coaches and their replacements will be better half the time (that’s just the law of averages). Any AD can look at a schedule and make it easier in an effort to put your teams in the best light possible (originally failed, but getting better, i think). Change uniforms, easy ask but a win nonetheless. Can you raise big money and OWN the local media. Great AD’s make the big money because they do this at their schools and change the narrative with the media. Ours hasn’t done that….yet!
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Marketing, fundraising and financials are epic fails thus far
Attendance across all sports has been lackadaisical during her tenure
No buzz with the football team
Fantas and bobbleheads are gimmicks
No significant growth in season ticket holders
Colors were talked about under Barnes and Nike did all the work
Fundraising?
Still dont know if Victory Heights will ever happen and how much it will cost; Heights was a Barnes idea
Facility improvements on Southside were Barnes as well
Revenues still trail expenses
Little to no growth in donor base or fanbase
Program still losing money
Spending more than whats coming in
Tennis program already cut
Coaching hires are TBD. Basketball looks good for men and women. Baseball and softball look bad. Wrestling hire seems good.
Directors Cup still at bottom of ACC
I do like the program being scandal free
I do like how Heather wants to be good across all sports and her efforts at trying to build a winning culture
I do like her getting rid of the dead wood
I do like her realizing that our facilities are crap
I do like the push to spend more on sports…just havent seen the payoff yet
My grades for her (and remember I was more than fair on Narduzzi)
Fundraising: D
Coaching Hires: C
Marketing: D
Media Relations: F (see SI article and jagoff Pittsburgh media)
Finances: D
Vision: C
Compliance: A
I’m far more harsh on her than Narduzzi but she’s not nearly the thief that he is
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Uni is different than the
One I referenced but this is the Old Gold color… 1970 hermit had 3 stripes
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Now that’s a throwback!
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Is that an early prototype iPhone she’s holding? 😊
Go Pitt.
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