in Pitt Football 121 Words

2019’s Panther FB & BB Meet & Greets

I just registered for the Washington, DC portion of the 2019 FB and BB Alumni Meet & Greet.  I did this the last few years also (one of them was when PN first called me “The Spy“) and will attend again this year.

For the DC area it is on the evening of Friday May 10th.  Here is the link to register.

May 10

RT @Pitt_PC: Panthers on the Prowl is coming to New York City and Washington D.C.! Don’t miss your chance to come to this Q&A with @Pitt_LykeAD, @fishercoach, @CoachDuzzPittFB, and @jeffcapel! RSVP today ➡️ https://t.co/xXnI8PIBry #H2Phttps://t.co/cUC0vdZcZh

Hope to see the Maryland, Virginia and Delaware POVers there also.

Reed

186 thoughts on “2019’s Panther FB & BB Meet & Greets”

  1. Reed – my son was going to go to the DC meet-and-greet, but he has a softball game that night… (He plays for a Vanderbilt alumni team in a league where the Pitt alumni team won the championship the last two seasons…)

    And regarding the “spy” comment, perhaps Coach took the “Keeping Our Eyes on Pitt Football” a bit to literally…😊

    Hail to Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Somehow I’m not surprised that Narduzzi was so paranoid as to call Reed a spy. I continue trying to give Narduzzi the benefit of any doubt, but he sure fails at the ambassador role. We all agree that good PR is desperately needed to improve Pitt’s image, brand and national profile. Wish PN had some better PR skills.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. You’re right Reed, I wasn’t there but I always knew there was a reason behind the scene that there was an underlying problem with you and Narduzzi. Why do you sweat the fact you don’t like the guy? It’s just my opinion Reed, why can’t I speak my mind? I keep it civil.

    Like

  8. I understand exactly where Reed is coming from with Duzz. I’ve met him…I watched others meet him. I don’t need my ass kissed by him…..just the respect that an (any) alum deserves who’s had the passion to graduate from Pitt and support Pitt Football for over 50 years with my time and$$.

    I’ve lived and emotionally died many times with Pitt Football as have many of you. I will continue to do so but as for Narduzzi… not so much.

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  10. ^^ Dan, That’s all I was saying, there’s a personal history between Reed and Narduzzi. I knew it all along.

    Like

    1. Dr. Dr. help me please I know you’ll understand
      There’s a time device inside of me I’m a self-destructin’ man
      There’s a red, under my bed there’s a little green man in my head
      He said you’re not going crazy, you’re just a bit sad
      Cause there’s a man in you, gnawing you, tearing you, in two
      Silly boy you self-destroyer…. paranoia, the destroyer

      One thing I think most of us can agree on is that the music of “our era” (whenever that was) is much better than most anything since.

      Like

  13. and fwiw, there were only two RBs taken in the first 2 rounds, but 4 in Round 3. Not sure what this means for Ollison.

    Odd fact … while there were only 1 RB and 2 WRs taken in the 1st round, there were 2 TEs from Univ of Iowa taken. Iowa was rated 72 in passing offense which is probably par for the course for the Hawkeyes

    Like

  14. one final tidbit …. the Roundball Classic is being played at Montour tonight. The main game is PA All-stars vs USA …. and Pitt has 2 commits (Coulibary and Champagnie) playing for the PA team.

    However, Pitt has a 3rd commit playing in the prelim game which is the WPIAL North AS vs WPIAL South AS …. Will Gipson is playing for the North

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I’ve said it many times, Narduzzi got off to a bad start here at PITT. No disputing that at all, he came in new and when a person is new to a room, they should just check in and be all eyes and ears. Now, not sure if this is the best way for a new head football coach should play it but Pat’s personality didn’t go over to big around the south-side.

    Funny thing though. I kept hearing about how the media didn’t like him and all that but when I see the Narduzzi interviews, it almost looks like there is a playful back and forth with many of them. That includes Jerry DiPialoa, who was said to hate him but the banter between the two seems very friendly to me. Seems like Narduzzi has made amends with many people?

    I guess my point is, I’ve seen a big difference in how Narduzzi interacts with just about everyone these days. Check out Mike’s article a couple back again, there’s some funny lines in there from Mike about HCPN. I’ve had zero interactions with him myself so I can only judge him from what I’ve been told but more importantly, how his team performs on and off the field. Once again…. this year will be the absolute barometer we will all judge him by. It’s about time isn’t it?

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  18. If Narduzzi said that to me, I’d feel the same as Reed. You don’t say something like that to someone who has been nothing but loyal to Pitt for generations.
    And when you realize you are mistaken, you certainly apologize for it.

    Like

  21. Here we go…playing junior psychologist again.

    Hey, I love PN because he gave us A COASTAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

    That is going to really help our recruiting guys. Just wait!

    Recruits and their parents don’t care about recent W/L records… They care about DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!

    Who cares about players not getting drafted in high rounds? They will be wearing CHAMPIONSHIP!!! rings and thatis what recruits want.

    I hope our AD has used Aaron Donald’s donation to expand the locker room to accommodate the great influx of walk-on players who turn down scholarships elsewhere so they can be on the roster of A DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP!!! program that we’ll be seeing soon !!!!!

    Liked by 3 people

  22. You love the phrase junior psychologist Reed. I don’t give two craps whether you like Narduzzi or not. Just don’t try and tell me it doesn’t show in your opinions about PITT and Narduzzi. I’ve had it with you.

    Like

    1. I got news for you Ike. If you’ve ‘had it with me’ then in turn you’ve had it with this blog. So, we’ll both back away for a bit. I’ll make it easy for you to avoid me entirely.

      In the meantime you should seriously think about doing a blog of your own, it is an easy thing to do and I think you’ll get a ton of readers. You are on this one 24 hours a day anyway so it wouldn’t be much of a reach really.

      I’m not kidding. You would love it and could keep it exactly the way you want a blog about Pitt football to be. Others on here should do the same, especially readers who feel they have to personalize comments about others if they disagree.

      But don’t forget this is only a blog and as such should really have minimal impact in one’s life – all this stuff it isn’t life or death or anything other then entertainment at all…

      Like

  25. I got you Ike. I’ll play Junior psychologist. Reed has a nostalgic, utopian, view of Pitt from his childhood associations with the university through his parents school ties. Unfortunately, Pitt cannot live up to these inflated childhood expectations so he expresses his disappointment of Pitt with the “critical take on Pitt” POV that is argued as unbiased … But in reality it is a biased opinion formed from comparisons with his childhood memories.

    Liked by 2 people

  26. most of us Pitt fans remember the good ole days. maybe that ’76 year but definitely the Marino years.

    but that eliteness was only sustained for about 8 years. Every other year has been various shades of mediocre and underperforming.

    forget the f’n past. focus on the future and what Pitt needs to do to become elite across all sports. that will take winning over fans with a vision, creating new supporters at an early age, giving fans a reason to donate (see OCS), change the culture, focus on running a business with an emphasis on profit. Pitt does none of this.

    dont wax nostalgic over a very brief period of time.

    the first change we fans should demand is changing the structure of the BoT. With Nitters and bureaucrats on it and it being far too large and dysfunctional, gutless, impotent, lazy and stupid, Pitt will never get ahead academically or athletically.

    you do realize that Pitt ranks at the bottom of the ACC in BOTH academic and athletic rankings. FSU for christ sakes is as good as Pitt academically. Pitt is the worst school in the conference this year across all sports when the Directors Cup rankings get published come June.

    WE suck. Its time to change that. Start with the culture. Thats the beloved BoT for some on here. If you focus on anything else, nothing will happen.

    Liked by 4 people

  27. —Yeah, we need more meet-and-greets (but on the other hand if fans come away being put off by the coach, then that’s not an answer…)…

    —I think we need some grass-roots activities to try to capture younger fans. Unfortunately, it’s a very long-term process that doesn’t match up with shorter-term AD regimes.

    I remember when Coach Gottfried had chalk-talks at local high schools. I thought they were awesome – as did my 10 year old son…

    Remember Wanny had a couple chalk-talks down at Heinz. I love to hear the coaches explain the mental/strategic side of the game.

    Seems to me like a good way to try to connect with the community — (ah, provided the coaches don’t turn everybody off!! ☹️)…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. and provided that the Chancellor who represents the BoT doesnt fire good coaches like Gottfried because he recruited some ‘thugs’ and banged the cheerleader coach. Or Wanny who recruited some ‘thugs’ and gave a pint of blood each day for Pitt sports

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Did he bang the cheerleader coach, who was smoking hot, or did he bang a cheerleader?
        I can never keep that straight.

        Like

        1. i believe it was the coach who wasnt too bad. I believe he fell for her tongue tricks. 🙂

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        2. Not sure if mentioned above but notably only 1 FB selected in this entire draft so Aston maybe never had a realistic shot. Hope that really means that a teams looking for a FB just invite him and he gets his best shot picking where he accepts that invite.

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  28. Maybe EJ could set up a summit for Reed and Pat at a neutral location like Switzerland with Richman and Tx as intermediaries.

    Liked by 3 people

  31. Tex, I don’t know how we realistically change the BoT. That’s a tall order. If that is what it takes then we might as well give up.

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  32. the change has to come from within. thats what makes it nearly impossible

    but students and alumni could stage protests

    fans could vote with their wallets

    those things will get noticed

    but it takes an organized effort

    mass demonstrations, boycotts, etc

    the power structure at Pitt is designed to protect itself…to preserve itself

    you basically need a revolution

    Liked by 1 person

  33. One for you Tx….. This meant to be in more ways than one. Don’t know how many have heard this song.

    Like

  34. Did anyone on the POV ever hear of Tarleton State before today? They had a LB drafted in the 5th round by the Colts – of the three Pitt LB’s who are eligible to be drafted, none have been selected yet.

    An OL from Elon was drafted in the 6th round – Pitt’s 4 OL eligible to be drafted are still on the board.

    Bad look for Pitt IM-POV…

    Like

    1. My dad went there after the war. Stephenville, Tx. My oldest brother was born in May, Tx. Not to far away.

      An old riddle – My brother was born in May but his birthday is in September.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. True story Richard. One of my best buddies from way back when father’s name was June. Wonder how that would fit into that scenario?

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Ike – My dad was nick named “June Bug” by his parents & 8 siblings. Grandma & some sisters called him June. The rest called him June Bug. All the brothers called him bug. I have no clue why.

          Thought of that as I was out having dinner. Old memories of my younger days.

          Like

        1. Really, my brother was born on the 21’th of September in May (Texas).

          Not a great riddle but true. Hadn’t thought of it in awhile.

          Never been to Stephenville, Tx. Used to make a left off the highway going to DeLeon (or was it Dublin),Tx. instead of going straight to Stephenville. From there onto May, Rising Star & then my target of Cross Plains to see grandma & other relatives. At times I miss my years in Texas.

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          1. good deer hunting there
            no deer in DFW since its the Plains…no forests
            I dont miss the late night run-ins with deer

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  35. The Stillers took an ILB from Akron in the 6th round. Not a good sign for the three Pitt LB’s.

    Congrats to Big Q. going to the Falcons in the 5th round.

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  37. This year is the year it’s totally on Narduzzi. The schedule is a little easier and shapes up well for PITT. If they don’t win at least 7 games he’s failing. BUT!! at least 8 games should be a must. A bowl win should be a priority as well.

    Liked by 3 people

  38. Thinking the Stillers may give a Free agent tryout to Quentin Wirginis given the family City business connections with the Rooneys.

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  39. LB’s from NC A&T,, Akron, wvcc and Northern IL drafted today. Shows me that our LBing has been much weaker than us Pitt fans realized.

    A DE from Prairie View was also drafted today. Pitt’s two DE’s never mentioned…

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  43. The final pick was just made at 254 and that player is tagged Mr. Irrelevant. Old Dominion had two players drafted to Pitt’s one.

    Couldn’t we deem Pitt as the Irrelevant Team of this 2019 draft?

    SMH…

    Liked by 1 person

  44. The NFL would seem to agree…

    It REALLY wasn’t the Offensive Line.

    It wasn’t the OTHER Back!

    In the end… it really was Qadree Ollison. Arguably Pitt’s All-time MOST UNDERRATED Running Back!

    Like

  45. I was told on this Blog that most of the starters this past year were Paul Chryst recruits. hmm? I’ll wait until after this year to evaluate HCPN’s efforts. Which raises another question already. Who are the PITT players/Narduzzi recruits that may be drafted after next season? Is it to early to ask this question?

    Like

    1. Chris Peak addresses that question in his podcast from yesterday. I believe he ID’s three SR players as potential draft picks – Dane Jackson, Mo Ffrench and Damir Hamlin.

      He mentioned JR’s Weaver, Pinnock and Mack as potential early exit candidates if they have monster years in 2019.

      Liked by 1 person

  47. Pitt baseball is battling Presbyterian this weekend – right now they are locked in a 7-7 ninth inning dual in the final game, with Pitt one run away from a sweep.

    Anyone know why OF Ron Washington is not in the line-up this weekend? Injury, rest, discipline, other!

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  48. Not sure if mentioned above but notably only 1 FB selected in this entire NFL draft so Aston maybe never had a realistic shot. Hope that really means that a teams looking for a FB just invite him and he gets his best shot picking where he accepts that invite.

    Like

    1. George was also heavily under-utilized in the Watson system. That had to hurt his stock value…

      Like

  49. Georgie will get a free agent contract and he will stick like glue. Players like him do not grow on trees..

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    1. I wish I agreed with you but that thought process is dying with the all you have to be is 7 feet to play in the NBA. League has changed. Not many teams utilize FBs and the ones who do are converted TEs.

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  52. borderline 3 star WR from GA
    Only 2 P-5 marginal offers
    not sure why Pitt is getting kids from that state…makes little sense
    they can land more talented kids that are closer to home
    But god forbid I tell Narduzzi how to recruit

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Some of it is just breaking into a state. Georgia has a ton of talent. Get some HS school coaches on your side and it gets easier. Pitt can afford to take chances.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. dont like the strategy
        kid picked Pitt because Pitt was his best P-5 offer and thats not saying much
        if he breaks out his senior year, he wont be going to Pitt

        plenty of talent in closer states where you can realistically build a pipeline

        u dont think Pitt could have done better? Kid is a 5,5
        more evidence that Narduzzi doesnt know what he is doing

        his recruiting is not getting better

        but Heather in all likelihood has no clauses in his extended contract regarding recruiting

        Narduzzi’s recruiting is slowly killing this program. And I’m not being hateful.

        Pitt cannot afford to take chances. It needs to find the very best. Its already behind the 8 ball given the abysmal recruiting last year. They need to play catch up.

        Georgia does have a ton of talent but Pitt is just not an attractive destination for most. why spend all that time and effort in that state? the best players dont head North. Pitt will get sloppy thirds.

        and if you consider this kid to be a P-5 talent, I have a live Armadillo to sell you. that would be a reach since the only armadillos in Texas to be found are road kill. Kids a reach and Pitt has no business reaching.

        thats my strong opinion. I’ve had it with his recruiting.

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        1. How is it slowly killing the program? They have the same talent as the coastal. They literally just won the coastal and only Miami has the potential to really lock it up. Pitt should be better this season. They lost exactly one player to the NFL. Everyone is replaceable. Dane Jackson, Pinnock and Hamlin all should play in the NFL and are returning. Paris Ford has a ton of potential. I’m not sure why you’re so down right now.

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      2. He can’t get anyone on his side let alone HS Coaches. He manages to offput just about everyone he meets.

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  53. Capel needs this kid more than Narduzzi. Narduzzi will just waste his talents. Seriously – what stars have emerged under him in 4 years whom he recruited?

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      1. name me a star that has emerged under Narduzzi that he was responsible for recruiting
        you really think this WR will excel in a Narduzzi offense
        this kid is a solid basketball player and Capel is a better coach to help him realize his potential
        Narduzzi turns recruits into ham samiches

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        1. Elijah Zeise was back up WR, he just signed as a FA
          Sean Idowu was a walk-on DB, he made 2nd team All-ACC a s an OLB
          Brian O’Neill was recruited as a TE, he was switched to OL and now is an NFL starter … and even more important was the Piesman winner

          Yes, not PN recruits but they were coached up, as was Aston, Lopes and Weah. Zeise and Idowu were seniors this year … meaning that you have to wait another year to start seeing the fruits of PN’s labor

          Liked by 1 person

          1. stars
            like players that fans are excited to see play and get national recognition
            nobody was slobbering over seeing Zeise miss tackles and play out of position

            you want fans in the seats – you need to be ranked and have star players
            something Narduzzi hasnt been able to achieve in 4 years and dont see it happening this year

            there is only a buzz kill with this program
            no excitement
            no energy

            just another mediocre and disappointing year

            Like

        2. That he recruited? If a kid played for him longer than a year, Narduzzi and staff were responsible for his development.
          There are tons of kids that can dunk. Doesn’t make him a good basketball player. There is a reason he wasn’t a top basketball recruit.

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          1. His basketball stars are equivalent to a 5.5/5.6 rated football player
            So a kid that is not talented enough for ACC basketball
            But then you have Narduzzi that thinks kids with offers from Elon and Holy Cross are talented enough for ACC football
            Whos the smarter recruiter?

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  54. —Will Gipson’s got some serious hops! Should serve him well at WR. Already has nice size. Saw him at the spring game…

    —The new commit looks speedy. Coach Whip can sell what he did for Isabella…

    —Really fast guys, like Shocky and this recruit, are fun to watch run. Like watching McCutchen run the bases in his prime…

    —I always thought it would be fun to have a Pittsburgh Fastest Athlete annual trophy with the fastest guys from the Steelers, Pirates, Pens, and Panthers facing off in a 60-yard dash.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    2. a WR from Pittsburgh
      Yet Narduzzi feels compelled to go all the way to Georgia to find a 5.5 rated WR whose only legit offer was Pitt unless you consider Indiana better

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  55. I just read about the recruit from georgia on psn. Please tell me the graphic is from psn and not Pitt, why? They spelled committed wrong! Please don’t be Pitts signage. We are supposed to know how to spell by now.

    Neither stars nor development on Pitt LB’s. The Draft uncovers the pretenders and loud mouths……both ways! Two schools of thought. Those that say Pitt Football is great and very few if any players are drafted…and….those that think Pitt is mediocre at best and get several drafted. The pretenders won this draft in my opinion.

    Congrats to Qadree is warranted. Free Agents are typically signed to get beat up…..

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    1. Huff – sadly, I believe that misspelled committed image is the work of one of the newest additions to Pitt’s FB Staff. That is not the work of PSN – in the body of the article the word is spelled correctly.

      Welcome to Pitt Jaylon Barden, some will be fans, some will be haters and some in between. My best advice is to filter out the noise and get to work on turning all into fans.

      This young man reminds me of Mo Ffrench, who was a low 3* recruit that had a monster SR year in HS. Many more P5 schools pursued him late and he stuck with Pitt. Last season, Mo was on the mid-season All-American team after his two KO TD returns. Mo was under-utilized by Watson (as were others Lyke Aston) and I believe Whipple gives Ffrench way “mo” touches in 2019.

      Liked by 5 people

  56. Still trying to find out why the steelers didn’t bring in robert foster last year. Big mistake.

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  57. The new football recruit has speed and is a good student, so Gallagher stamped his seal of approval and the BoT must be thrilled also.

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  58. Anyone wondering what TX would have said had Narduzzi signed Andy Isabella(out of Ohio no less) with no scholarship offers to play football at Pitt 4 years ago? Pitt’s latest recruit has a “Whipple want” written all over it based on his recruiting of Isabella to U Mass. Let’s hope he can duplicate the experience with Jaylen Barden at Pitt.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I would have hated it if he didnt have other P-5 offers
      And Pitt would have wasted his talents anyway
      He would only have run those ridiculous jet sweeps at Pitt

      Like

  59. Tex you mentioned a buzz kill in pitt football. Sadly the buzz kill is some of the posters who just indiscriminately hate on everything Narduzzi does. Just give him a chance.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Pitt just has no business trying to get borderline D1 talent from Georgia. Just look at the kids offers. Pitt is better off getting regional kids if the focus is on low grade 3 stars.

      Narduzzi needs to aim higher with recruits

      I have no problem with Florida recruiting. More talent and larger state than GA. And Pitt has established pipelines since the Wanny and Walt days.

      Like

      1. Greg Romeus, Gus Mustakas, Antonio Bryant and Greg Lee were borderline D1 talent from the south … and that’s just off the top of my head.

        As we speak right now … the entire state of PA has two blue chips per Rivals in 2020 … two! Thus past season, it had 4 ….. Hawaii had 5

        Please understand people …. there is no reason to build a wall around WPa anymore

        Liked by 1 person

      2. It’s good business for Pitt to go after a “borderline” recruit no matter where the border is if the recruit has elite speed. I don’t know how fast this newest recruit is, but he looks fast to me on the video.

        Pitt has done a pretty good job recently in finding speedy delivery guys like Q. Henderson, RaRa Lopes, M. Ffrench, Shocky, and V’lique Carter. I’m hoping this guy is in that speed league and that’s why they went after him…

        Go Pitt.

        Like

  60. Back from 12 beautiful days in Myrtle getting ready for the POV outing.

    Congrats to Ollison, could never understand how after a 1000+ season as a freshman he pretty much disappeared till his senior season. Blame that on the coaches. Good for him to be a loyal Pitt guy who stayed the course. Pitt fans will always remember his career highlight run, that will make any Pitt highlight reel.

    Well this draft certainly supports two premises, 1st that Pitt wasn’t loaded with NFL talent this year and 2nd that Narduzzi did a pretty good job to win the Coastal Title with these guys. I have been saying for some time that Narduzzi is a decent coach, but just can’t get enough elite players to come here. Of course that is not all his fault, but the buck does stop with him. Of course next years senior class is really his first full swing so lets hope more guys get drafted.

    This years results, total wins must be better than last year to create any momentum for Pitt Football. I am hopeful that with our potentially best defensive line and overall defense in a long time that this will happen.
    Of course much depends on getting the O-line to be productive and that is still the big unknown. If it comes together, i think there is enough talent among the skill guys to do well. Probably no high draft picks but good enough to win.

    Liked by 2 people

    2. why is winning the Coastal such a big deal?
      Pitt lost their last 3 games…2 of them by being blown out
      Pitt finished 7-7 and lost to a Stanford team not playing 6 of their starters

      Pitt was a 7 win team with those Pitt players who werent drafted
      I want a 10 win team
      Coaching alone and 3 star players wont cut it

      Like

      1. Because it is the first title of any kind since 1976.
        Baby steps.

        When you always look on the dark side you will always be disappointed, like your obsession with an OCS.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. The Pitt BoT is the Dark Side
          Pitt has been mediocre in football and nationally irrelevant for over 30 years
          I expect to be disappointed each year. Its SOP.
          But Pitt won the Coastal and we should be happy. What utter nonsense.

          There are solutions to break that vicious cycle. I’ve provided several solutions besides just complaining…some are low hanging fruit while others will take time, money and energy. But all will take action.

          The bottom line is Pitt will do just enough to stay in good standing within the ACC.

          To me, that is not good enough.

          With that being the case, expect more .500 football seasons, expect more seasons when Pitt finishes at the bottom of the ACC in sports like soccer, baseball and softball, expect more of the same.

          The Dark Side is winning.

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        2. It was no more than a participation trophy from the weakest P-5 division
          Real trophies are from conference championships and bowl games
          You want to follow a team that knows how to win and actually has some real hardware in the trophy case – watch a Pitt women’s volleyball game

          Like

  61. Capel is missing out as well on recruits. Looks like LSU, with Wade reinstated, is going to land the JuCo, Sy. What a disappointment it will be if Brown is the only post player again along with Kenny, who is recovering from a bad injury and might not even play next season. When you don’t play the money game you cannot expect to land these kids.

    Not sure of the other names out there who could be brought in, but the lack of post play and rebounding will lead to another losing season and fourth straight under Gallagher’s leadership.

    No one should expect Chamapagnie or Coulibay to help much as freshmen next season.

    Capel and staff need to pull a rabbit out of their hats.

    Like

    1. Agree Nate. Capel’s big man misses are puzzling. Immediate playing time available for a big man and we keep missing.

      Like

  62. basketball is suffering from 2 years where Pitt’s record in the ACC was 4 and 34. The FB team is suffering 35 years of mediocrity with only one ten win season …. ad half-empty stadiums

    Like

    1. dont criticize Narduzzi though
      he’s a recruiting genius in the eyes of some

      Capel thus far has the #32 ranked class and this number will only improve
      Narduzzi’s class last year was #50. That was his worst class in 4 years. Recruiting trend is down.

      But I hear weak excuses for Narduzzi like football has been mediocre for 30 years and Heinz has yellow seats

      The man is getting paid good coin to go 12-14 over the past 2 years with no bowl wins. But we can all stop by the trophy case to see that Coastal hardware to make us all feel better.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Let’s see where the basketball class ranks when the smoke clears. The 2020 class should be dynamite, but Capel has to find another big option for next year to go along with Brown. There simply is no excuse to not bring in one via the grad transfer route with playing time in the ACC available.

        This program cannot afford to have a fourth consecutive losing season in 2019-20.

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  64. last night in the Roundball Classic, Coulibaly had 13 pts, 5 reb, 2 steals and 1 assist …. and Champagnie had 14 pts, 5 reb, 3 steals and a block and was voted PA MVP

    No, they won’t turn Pitt into an NCAA team but they will contribute next year

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  65. this year, 49 of the 144 underclassmen who declared for the NFL draft went undrafted. And this will happen again next year …. and the reason is unscrupulous, self-serving handlers and agents who prey on naïve kids

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  67. Well wwb, when are the kids and their parents ever going to learn? Besides that, maybe college wasn’t working out for them or it was no longer an option?

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  68. Just read that Dewayne Hendrix signed with the Dolphins. Anyone hear of any other PITT players signed?

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    1. Hall to the Browns, Aston to Denver, Bookser to Detroit (I guess the coach is overlooking the drunk driving incident while Pitt fans wanted Bookser kicked out of school).

      Liked by 1 person

      2. I’ve never rooted for Denver, in fact, I root against them.

        Going to have to reconsider!

        It’s the Aston Effect!

        Go Pitt.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Former Pitt verbal, Juwan Winfree, was drafted by Denver. He was the JuCo receiver who smoked weed and was deemed untouchable to be a Pitt man according to the Mission Statement.

          Like

  70. Y’all are too worried about a big man in the era of positionless basketball. 3 gaurd or 3 forward lineups are fine. You recruit the best players and build a team around them. It’s not 2007 anymore.

    Like

    1. All respect, TT, and I’m just an observer, but the “positionless” argument strikes me as a bunch of horse-crap.

      You need to be able to match-up against your opponent. If they have a “big,” then you better have one too or your forward or skinny center will be backed down and dunked on way too often…

      You could rename the “positions,” but don’t you need shooters, drivers, ball-handlers, rebounders, and “big,” “forward,” and “guard” defenders…

      My $0.02!

      Maybe $0.01!

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  71. … And it’s not puzzling considering how bad the Pitt team he inherited was and that they’ve been on the job 12 months. If they miss on the 2020 class then we can start asking questions.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Disagree TT. He has been able to get good players at every other position, just not big man. Why has he done well at other positions and not bigs?

      Like

  73. The NFL rarely uses fullbacks so no surprise Aston went undrafted.
    Never understood the love for Wirginis. He had five years and absolutely showed nothing for it.
    Injuries are a big part of the game and it may be bad luck, but if you can’t get healthy enough to play you won’t have much of a career.

    Narduzzi has had 5 classes to recruit elite players. The first class most were committed when he came including Whitehead. He has pretty much whiffed on all of his big time targets except for Ford and Hamlin.

    Capel came late and still did well. He has three good prospects in his second class with some time left.

    Comparing the two is apples to oranges. Among other things Capel is looking for kids who can help now, Narduzzi for kids that will play in three years.

    By the way other than Blair when did Jamie recruit a ready to play Big Man? Maybe Adams, but we will never know since he didn’t use him and then he left.

    Liked by 1 person

  74. I am going to disagree with Tex for the first time in a long time. I studied the talent in Georgia and candidly, they have 31 4 star football players. The kids in the top 130 all have very good offers, so the fact that we got number 101 in the state is a good start. I don’t think the expectations are to pull out any of the top 30 talent. I just looked at the talent and numbers and go back to what I wrote on here a couple of years ago. The number of graduating seniors along the eastern seaboard is increasing dramatically, while the numbers in Pa, Oh, Mi, In, Ill, are dropping off the cliff. This is the main reason the big10 went east coast with rutgers and maryland.

    GTech is getting a lot of recruits from Georgia, which will mean in improvement in a couple of years. That said, I agree with everything else tex states about the BoT, AD mistakes, bad recruiting generally, terrible athletic performance by coaches and players for 35 years, etc. That is the reality.

    PA has what, three 4 stars for 2020? Georgia has 31. The problem for Pitt is that we will go up against the Alabama’s, Georgia’s, Clempsons, Florida’s, FSU’s, Gtechs, etc. for their best talent. Those schools are willing to share because they get what they want. Nobody is claiming victory over the state.

    I do hear alot of clamoring about narduzzi recruiting talent not being judgeable until next year. If i give you that, will you then agree that his ability to “coach up” talent was below par? Can’t have it both way fellas. So which is it? Let the cherry picking begin!!! I might like my own post for providing the conundrum of the day!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I repeat …

      Zeise was a back-up WR, he just signed with the NFL as LB
      Idowu was a walk-on DB and in two years after being switched to LB, made 2nd team ACC and led the team in tackles
      O’Neill was a back-up TE, now is an NFL starter
      Former DLs Herndon and Dintino help paved the way for two 1000 yard rushers this year
      Dane Jackson has improved leaps and bounds since his frosh year
      Lopes was a 2-star JUCO; Ffrench was unrated when he committed
      Soto was moved to DT in his senior year and ended up in the NFL
      Ejuan Price was a LB but was brilliant his final 2 years as a DE, and ended up in the NFL
      Aston was a walk-on LB ….

      And when he was handed down the talent … on offense only … with the help of a QB he brought in, they were the best offense we have seen in a while. And that QB improved

      Like

    2. You dont have to agree with anything I say. 🙂
      But you are one of the few on here that at least sees some things my way

      My point with Georgia is Narduzzi will have better success recruiting in regional states. There are around 25 four stars in NJ and MD combined. Those 2 nearby states have nearly as many as Georgia. That isnt bad. Typically, Ohio and Virginia each have around 10-14 four stars each year but they are down this year.

      PA is down but I’m not sure if they will stay this far down. Its been awful in terms of talent on both sides of the state over the past 5 years in particular.

      Pitt does not have established pipelines in Georgia. That will take time. They have pipelines built already in other states that do have talent…its just spread out.

      Narduzzi doesnt have 3-4 years to build the pipe in Georgia. Another .500 season and he’s on the hot seat. Another year or two without a bowl win and final ranking could get him fired.

      Pitt is paying him too much to have too much patience.

      Like

  75. Pitt CANNOT have a coaching change until after the class of 2021 from Western Penn., and the state have spent a year on a college campus. It is shaping up to be a to be a terrific one and hiring another cheap boob in December of 2020 will just set the program back again.

    Learn from the past, Pitt.

    Liked by 2 people

  76. A question regarding the makeup of the Board of Trustees: because Pitt is a state-related or state-affiliated (or whatever it’s called), does the Pitt administration have ANY say on who sits on the BofT?

    Is the makeup of the BofT state mandated? Ask yourself: what in the hell do Rich Fitzgerald, Bill Peduto, Jim Roddy, and the rest of the pols know about running a university. I can’t believe anyone in the Pitt administration likes the BofT composition.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. The only way to change the 36 member BoT composition is by changing the bylaws and the BoT would have to approve the change. 33% of the BoT is comprised by members appointed by state bureaucrats.

      Pitt could always go private. It receives very little from the state right now and is classified as state related. Tuition is already sky high and these small subsidies from the state do little to keep tuition down.

      There is serious talk about Pitt going this route. Pitt is hamstrung by the state in many ways today because of its loose affiliation. Breaking away would be a game changer and in my opinion something that would transform the culture of athletics.

      Most of the schools in the ACC are private anyways.

      Like

    2. and historically many of these members appointed by the state had ties to Penn State. So a significant number of your BoT members had allegiance to Penn State. You cant tell me that they had Pitt’s best interests at heart.

      No Michigan alum is on Ohio States Board and vice versa.

      Do you think Penn State was stupid enough to allow any Pitt alums on their board. JoePa would never approve unless they promised loyalty to him.

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  77. Prepare to be very disappointed if you think Narduzzi is going anywhere anytime soon. Unless it’s on his terms. Cause he ain’t. Part of the reason I don’t stomp my feet in anguish over him. Not that I haven’t felt a little upset with him from time to time.

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  78. Regarding recruiting and the recent NFL draft: the Pitt FB team, plain and simple, does not have much talent.

    That is not just the opinion of TX Panther, and me, and a few others. That is also the opinion of 26 NFL teams whose sole job this time of year is to evaluate talent. Logically enough, it all begins with recruiting.

    A team with three star recruits just doesn’t cut it.

    And, please, for gawd’s sake, drop this nonsense about being Coastal Division champs as actually meaning anything. That horse has been beaten to death ten times over. They won a mediocre division with a mediocre .500 team. And on the way got thrashed by PSU, run over by Miami, lost to the weakest team in the conference, and had the passing game humiliated by Clemson. Three yards passing. And, yet, Borbely returns. What is the definition of insanity, again?

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    1. Pitt won something tangible and you shouldn’t take that away considering it was the first tangible title won since the 1976 championship. You want an apology for going out and winning the games?

      Only Pitt fans downgrade the accomplishments of its own. What a God damn shame.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. I’ll take a bowl win over a division title
        That title didnt produce a final ranking so it was wasted

        and Pitt’s womens volleyball actually did win a ACC championship
        The girls are the only winners at this ACC school

        does anyone but Pitt fans think that its ok to place participation trophies in your case
        Michigan and Ohio State laugh at our foolishness

        Like

          1. bowl wins allow a team to get ranked
            rankings matter

            and bowl games on New Years get watched by the nation
            good exposure unless you get exposed

            Like

      2. Pitts last football title was a conference title and not a division title

        that conference title allowed Pitt to go to a BCS game

        Pitt’s Coastal title allowed them to be exposed as chumps by Clemson on national TV and then got them a non New Years bowl where they lost to an undermanned PAC 12 team

        Like

  80. Rivals 4+ stars from 2020 to 2016 by state
    GA – 31/37/44/31/33
    PA – 2/9/15/7/9
    OH – 7/15/15/14/14
    NJ – 11/11/9/7/9
    MD – 13/6/10/7/10
    VA – 6/9/9/15/9
    FL – 54/51/73/57/46

    All these states have established pipelines except for GA. I wouldnt mind getting into Georgia if Pitt had time. I just dont see Narduzzi being around to take advantage of the pipeline. Thats why I prefer the approach to focus regionally plus Florida.

    I cant see how Pitt’s BoT would approve paying a coach $3.5M each year for zero bowl wins, no rankings and only 35-40k in paid attendance at home games.

    Like

  81. @pittman2003 – Who has Capel missed on? I haven’t seen one sure thing.

    @MajorMajors – Disagree. You force the mismatch if they have a big. Stretch them out. Very few teams have a very good big man anyways. You need speed and length and shooting. You have that it doesn’t matter what position they play. You have an advantage.

    Have you noticed most of the recruiting Caprl’s doing is gaurds right now?

    If you have forwards that can shoot you don’t need a 5.

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    1. you always need rebounding and one thing I see a lot in the NCAAs is how important a big shot-blocker is. Heck, the Elite 8 was full of them

      Like

    2. So who are our forwards who can shoot?

      Maybe if you have 5 elite guys you don’t need a big. That means we only need three or four more elite guys…😊

      Go Pitt.

      Like

      1. MajorMajors,

        Drumgoole and Coulibaly are shooters. Coulibaly doesn’t shoot a lot but one of the expectations is he’ll be a good 3 point shooter in college. Champaigne is another one they think will develop into a good shooter.

        Keep recruiting players like this and they’re fine.

        Like

  82. Tossing. He has missed on a ton of big man and there are too many to mention. I am sure some of them may not have panned out but it is better than what we have which is basically nothing. I am not sure how you’re not seeing all the big men that he has missed on? I agree he has Focused a lot on guards and has done pretty well there

    Liked by 1 person

    1. He’s missed out on people but not a single program changer. That’s my point. And it’s a dying position. Much better off getting 6’8″ forwards that can shoot and continue group rebounding.

      Like

  83. Tex, we see things very similarly. You just type it more.

    Here’s another point to consider on top of the number of high school graduates falling off a cliff in the midwest states, thus reducing potential high caliber football talent. Think this through. In 2007-2010, the financial crisis hit the US. The new baby population slowed immensely. This will add to even less high school graduates in…2025-2028. Start studying demographics AD.

    Look to where the majority of kids will graduate and start marketing there heavily. I’ll help. Eastern seaboard and Southeast seaboard states. Everything else Tex states, I agree with. I don’t have to agree with you Tex, I just do when it comes to running a s ports business.

    Thanks for looking up the Alston case and reading it. This stuff is going to get crazy, soon.

    Wonder why it is not a big story that all these basketball programs have been on the take? It’s because everyone knows and accepts it….except for the Pitt Admin. Heck, one of the funniest quotes i read during the trial was “Every one of Jamie Dixons coaches is dirty” or something to the effect. The head coaches mostly stay out of that and have expendable assistants to play the game.

    Like

    1. his recruiting got much better when he went to TCU
      TCU allows him to play the game
      Pitt refuses to cheat
      If everyone is cheating and the NCAA doesnt care, why should Pitt care
      At the very worst, when schools get caught they end up forfeiting wins
      Nobody forfeits any money.

      Like

      1. Pitt cares because it is idiotic enough to think the school name gets tarnished with negative news. Some fans actually think their degree is soiled with negative news. What other school would hold a press conference over an SI article to do damage control then use it as a reason to fire its coach?

        The school is so poor when it comes to handling athletics is it actually quit incredible.

        Like

        1. covering up child rape didnt seem to soil Penn State despite the stain in JoePa’s pants
          Athletics making more money now than ever before in Creepy Valley
          Penn State is actually in a stronger financial position now despite the lawsuits since cult fans and ‘We Are’ alumni rallied around the school

          As a result of Pitt being cheap, not hiring experienced coaches, not caring about sports, not having a vision for sports, neglecting its facilities, having Nitters on the BoT, losing a generation of fans, Pitt really should just give up.

          Focus on its Philosophy program and keep over-charging students.

          Liked by 2 people

  84. Like

    1. much parity in the conference
      outside Clemson, all these schools are mediocre
      and Pitt has 10 just like the conference average
      cant be more mediocre than that
      so I guess, football isnt pathetically bad
      but it could be so much better
      thats why my panties are in a bunch

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  86. Tossing: regardless of whether you rate the bigs as program changers or whether u thing bigmen are a dying position, jeff capel (who we both really believe in) felt they were worth offering scholarships and strongly recruited them. And he has missed on all them. He has recruited guards and small forwards well. Why he has missed on this position is puzzling when theseguys could start as freshmen in the acc.

    Like

  87. At Pitt, like any other major university, BoT members are mostly academics who aren’t much into sports. They did sign off on the big contract extension with Narduzzi, however, so if Pitt can win that’s just fine. But they won’t break rules doing it.

    Like

  88. Pitt softball just lost their 40th game last night under the new HC, who came to Pitt with a .500 record from the MAC, to post a 9-40 record so far this season.

    Meanwhile, Louisville softball won their 33rd game under former Pitt HC Aprile to post a 33-17 record heading into their final regular season series against NCST. Along the way, the Cardinals beat #3 FLST twice and several other ranked teams such as Michigan, a traditional northern power in softball.

    Who says coaching doesn’t matter? Much sarcasm…

    This coaching change feels a lot Lyke when Barnes pushed Dixon out for Stallings, only softball is a much lower profile sport, and thus the Pitt alumni and sports fans won’t react the same way. Barnes was a former basketball player & supposed expert and Lyke is a former softball player.

    I wonder if the BoT sees this and have discussions on the topic while they are sipping tea with Sir Patrick Gallagher on the “front porch”?

    Like

    1. EE – not familiar with women’s softball, but I presume and suspect the key is having a big-time pitcher…

      But 33 wins for Louisville is not a big deal, like it is at Pitt.

      Here are the win totals for both teams going back over the last 10 years (while Aprile was in charge at Pitt):

      Pitt —Louisville
      33 —33
      24 —31
      31 —35
      37 —30
      15 —36
      19 —47
      26 —55
      34 —38
      27 —48
      25 —45

      Just thought it was interesting… (And I suspect Aprile better get that win total up at Louisville or she won’t be there long…)

      Go Pitt.

      Like

  89. a few notes about Capel

    — he took over a horrendous situation

    — thus far, he is learning that he is not in Durham anymore.

    — as such, he starting to realize that he cannot get the blue chips that he was getting at Duke, and needs to change his recruiting strategy

    — nonetheless, while I am somewhat disappointed so far, I do believe this program is in much better hands will improve …. just not as fast as we would have hoped for

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    1. Agree with all points. Pitt is not Duke or even Oklahoma. Always been harder to recruit here, especially if we believe Admin is more restrictive regarding the “rules”.

      It looks like no quick fix, just hope that Capel doesn’t get frustrated, he is what the program needs in so many ways.

      Like

    2. Obviously expectations got really high after his success last year in the three frosh and one transfer he got. Remember that he got them late, so there is still some time. It does look like another transition year rather than a huge jump. Hopefully as much improvement over last year as over the year before.

      Hopefully we see big improvement from Chukwuku and Brown.

      Like

    3. Agree Capel is the man for Pitt, but I thought there would be a grad transfer big and a JuCo big in the fold by now. There still could be, but it is getting grimmer by the day.

      Never thought I’d be hoping Nadir would be granted a sixth year, but I am now as no grad transfer guards have visited to my knowledge.

      I think 2020 will be a great class, but I was hoping for more pieces added to hopefully avoid a losing season in 2019-20.

      Like

  90. Pitt basketball cannot survive a long ACC season without more bodies. Chapel must bring at least 3 more players to hold decent practices and provide depth. If one of the guards gets injured they will be in big trouble next season without additional depth.

    Like

  91. Draft Picks ( ), and W’s and L’s over the past 4 years to complete the Tex thought above:

    Clempson (24) 55 – 4
    Miami (22) 34-18
    NC St. (17) 32-20
    FSU (14) 32-19
    BC (11) 21 – 26
    VT (10) 32-21
    Pitt (10) 28-24
    UNC (10) 24-26
    VA (8) 20-30
    Lewisville (7) 27-24
    WF (4) 25-26
    Syracuse (3) 22-27
    GT (3) 24-25
    Duke (1) 27 – 24

    Duke has done really well, but overall there seems to be a correlation between players drafted and win / loss record. Lewisville record is misleading as they had a big year 4 years ago and struggled since. BC seems to have under-achieved candidly and VT overachieved.

    If the comment is duplicative, my apologies. I wrote it last night and didn’t post for some reason. Sorry!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Amazing evaluating job by BC getting that many draft choices.

      Not surprising that the southern schools lead in both categories…

      Go Pitt.

      Like

    2. face it, we got our only BCS berth by winning a 4-team tie-breaker in a watered-down 7 team league (2004), and we won the Coastal in a watered-down division. IMO the best teams we had since the 80s, were 2002 and 2009 …. and the best of the rest were good teams but nothing more. This is what I have been stressing on this site for a while now.

      And to add to the past 30 years, we now have had (1) 4 different HCs in last 8 years, (2) a dying recruiting base, and (3) the most difficult OOC schedule for the past 3 years. And yet, many consider this staff a failure for not winning 9 or 10 games …. really?

      Liked by 2 people

      1. when you get paid $3.5M each year, you’d better win at least 9 games and have the team ranked come years end

        Like

  95. As a qualifier, I don’t know a whole lot about BB… I see that PSU has a three or so BB kids who have entered the transfer portal. Are any of them worth a look?

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    1. The freshman guard, Bolton, I’d love to have.

      I wish Mike Watkins had the grades to grad transfer. He’s exactly what we need on the boards.

      Like

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