in Pitt Football 210 Words

New ACC Transfer Rules…

From today’s Tribune-Review…

The Atlantic Coast Conference has eliminated its rule requiring athletes to sit out a season if they transfer within the league.

The move is the latest across college sports to loosen restrictions on transferring athletes so they can switch schools and play right away. The NCAA is moving toward making the so-called one-time exception available for all athletes.

Currently, athletes in high-profile Division I sports such as football and basketball must sit out a season when they transfer to another DI school. The NCAA was expected to vote on more permissive transfer rule legislation in January — and it was expected to pass — but a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry delayed that vote.

“The time has come for all student-athletes to have the opportunity to transfer and be permitted to compete immediately,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said. “This decision is in the best interest of our student-athletes as it allows greater flexibility during their collegiate career.”

Conferences may have their own rules for intraconference transfers that supersede NCAA rules. The ACC made the move to lift its restrictions, put in place in 1996, with NCAA rule changes still on hold.

The NCAA is expected to address the transfer rules next month.

This might bite Pitt in the ass…

111 thoughts on “New ACC Transfer Rules…”

  3. Yeah it sounds like our good guys will transfer to the better teams and we will vie for their dregs.
    Of course there are more dregs than Pitt good ones. Again, looking for the positive.

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  4. What’s next trading between schools? How about a good twofer. We might be able to get three or four guys for Champ. Just like the Buccos.

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  5. College teams can now operate on a trade base like the pros. Would not be surprised if bartering between teams occurs. You can now build a league all star team, especially if needed to represent the league in the playoffs. That occurs especially in BB before the playoffs.

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  6. This is a long time coming. Coaches jump at the hint of more money. College students should be able to suffer no harm when their interests are to leave.
    As far as trades go, let’s not add more control over college players than we have now. Only trade with. Their consent.

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  7. This will open the flood gates for a year or two, then it will settle down. Recruiting will never end. Top 100 players doesn’t get enough PT as a FR, call him.

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  8. Great for the top four teams in any conference but it makes life hell for the rest of any conference. Certainly PN and many other coaches won’t be thrilled when they work hard to recruit kids years before they finish high school then spend time developing those recruits only to see them jump to whoever is having more success.

    Somehow this reminds me of the New York Yankees which for decades could get the best players in the rest of baseball with their gigantic revenue stream. Great concept for the rich getting richer.

    Maybe it is time to rethink the entire concept of scholarship sports.

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    2. So your saying GT men’s bb will be ok?

      Come on now – coaching means a lot in college. Huggins loses his best player to start the season and he steers them to a three seed in the big tournament with a chance to win it all. Who saw that coming? Coaching is key and Pitt is lacking with both major sports.

      Recruiting, game prep and in-game decision making round out a good run for a coach. Our two HC’s have shown weakness in all three areas over their short runs at Pitt.

      For Pitt fans it truly is March Madness. Both the men and women’s teams are not playing in a tournament AGAIN, and the football team is secretly practicing for another mediocre season behind the locked gates on the South Side practice facility.

      No excitement to be found for the two big money making programs. None!

      Liked by 1 person

      2. I hate that this I completely agree with this comment.
        Good news: At least Pedo lost 66% of their Men’s BB team today to the portal

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  9. There is this rush now to seek greater rewards for college players. Facts are stubborn things. It is still a fact that fewer than 3% of all college players play pro sports. So why is so much focus placed on the 3% vs the 97%? College rules should’ve made with the 97% in mind and the others will do okay for themselves.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, the days of equal playing fields have long departed. There are the “have’s” and the “have not’s.” Pitt unfortunately seems to fall somewhere in the middle but leaning towards the Have Not’s.

    Times have changed remarkably since the heydays of Majors-Sherrill with roster limitations; coaching salaries; and national population migrations. Pitt no longer has the rich territory that produced so many All-Americans and Hall of Fame players. The population density has diminished greatly while school budgets are stressed leaving little for best coaching and development of kids. Western PA and Pitt have experienced the decline in available recruits. We only can look to improving our reach into former ACC Southern-SEC-and neighboring Ohio and New Jersey. All of this is without the reality of what the competition is doing.

    Yes, PSU, OSU, ND, Michigan, Clemson, and the entire SEC play a very different game with much larger alumni support, greater number of alumni, and healthy athletic budgets. Pitt does not have those advantages nor do they have a local populace desperate for football except for professional sports. Tough spot to be in for Pitt.

    Kids are sometimes misused and sometimes suffer life long injuries from their athletic participation. Kids need money for whatever such as hamburgers, romance, and fun activities. Fortunately the NCAA is beginning to recognize that the nearly year round training for collegiate athletics deprives kids a chance to earn summer money etc. But, we’re a long way from adequately compensating kids half of whom are in sports for the future opportunities rather than their academic potential. We need to stop kidding ourselves that sports is so terrific other than for bragging rights and possibly to make the school brand more attractive to lure in higher paying better students.

    Yet, did anyone notice that Pitt is trying to keep up with comparative pay. But, that money is not coming from heavy alumni donations. Counting on increased payout on conference contracts is sort of like betting on coal mining coming back. Cable and broadcast are still making money but the current trend is streaming content. At the same time the participation in football have been struggling at many communities as parents worry about safety unlike prior generations. So, recognize the reality of what is happening except in certain parts of the country and their local culture (high school and college football is next to God and Country in the SEC areas). Pitt surely is looking at these changes in their long term planning and budgeting.

    Also the simple reality as I see it is that college sports are being restructured by the biggest conferences to creating a minor league of professional athletic programs. But, no real support from the NBA or NFL, just live with it until you can’t and then drop out.

    I love Pitt football and basketball but reality says to me that perhaps Pitt is much better taking Carnegie Tech’s (yeah, yeah I know Carnegie Mellon) approach and focus on truly outstanding academics and research for the university’s reputation and growth. I remember being pushed to go to Princeton for pre-law and foreign affairs or Carnegie Tech for architecture, but my love of Pitt won out. It wasn’t a bad choice at all and I did make it to Harvard in graduate school after law school. Eventually you realize that all the sports in the world doesn’t do a damn thing for supporting yourself and your family or ambitions unless you are a genuine pro prospect.

    I would miss football and basketball but would appreciate an even higher perception of the University of Pittsburgh academically.

    Liked by 10 people

    1. That would have made a great article and I would have posted it today!

      Folks, this is what I’m talking about. If you are going to take that much time and effort for a very long comment why not email it to me for an article? It will get way more readership (times thousands actually) and have comments made directly on the substance.

      Liked by 2 people

      2. Sometimes when you sit down you don’t know how much will come out.

        I’ll try to anticipate before I unload in the future.

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    2. You’ve got some good strategic vision. You see patterns and relate them. There will be a seismic change come 2027 when the tv contracts expire. I’ll bet a case of balcones on it.

      Pitt will then be out of the rat race and in a better place.

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    3. Enjoyed your comment. It’s difficult for Pitt to engage its alumni and fans more when the AD is in hiding most of the year and its major programs are poor (basketball) barely above mediocre (football). I would not like to see Pitt give up its Power 5 status but we fans may need to enjoy the competition and pagentry and no peg our hopes on championships. The paying field would be a little more even if all major schools agreed to pay athletes. Of course, you know how that will go. Alabama and Ohio State will pay well, Pitt will barely pay at all.

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  13. The NCAA sanctioned transfer portal has been in effect since October 2018. The recruiting site 24/7 has a data base for those three years covering the 130 FBS teams. In those three years around 1,700 players (including walk-ons) have entered the portal or an approximately 13 per FBS team. That’s is approximately a 11% turnover in roster per team per year. (85 scholarship & 30 walk-ons per team roster).

    IMO, HC changes are a large factor in what is driving the portal. Louisville, FSU, Ga, Tech, UNC, Miami all have exceed that 13/team average and my personal data does not include walk-ons.

    Since 2018, Pitt has had a total of 10 (including 2 grad transfers players) enter the portal who where scholarship players. Clemson has had 15 (9 where Grad transfers). So yes Pitt players do love Narduzzi.

    The ACC by-law change only puts ACC ahead of the NCAA in allowing one-time, no sit-out rule. Only 5 players have transferred within the ACC this year. Four were grads who where already immediately eligible. Only 1 players is effected by this change.

    Until the NCAA approves the one-time immediately eligible rule, Devonshire has to sit out a year.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Or the Pitt players are not so talented that other teams are after them.

      Don’t minimize the fact that Pitt is a very good school and a degree from Pitt is valuable. I think that factors in almost as much as “loving Narduzzi”.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I bet you it is more loving Narduzzi than the “Pitt” degree.

        I’m sure all are happy to get a degree. It being from ‘Pitt” I don’t think factored into most players picking the university to continue their higher-learning education. The players love Narduzzi. They say it all the time. Not sure why many on here can’t appreciate that.

        Liked by 3 people

        1. But why do they love him? Maybe he’s easy on them at practice and buys them pizza and beer. But we wouldn’t know would we?

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          1. Take Blewitt for example. Narduzzi keeps his confidence up, gives him a kiss, he nails the game winner in an epic victory.

            Then there is Kessman, hot and cold. Narduzzi keeps the confidence in him. Misses a PAT in the loss to BC, but he is still Narduzzi’s guy. He rewards Narduzzi and plays well the rest of the season.

            Then there is Mumbles in 2014 with Blewitt against Duke. Chryst calls a stupid play where Voytik runs right and is forced out of bounds. Instead of Conner up the middle of the field and Chris’ kick is much easier from 26 yards, maybe closer, he misses from a tough angle, Pitt loses in OT and Chryst takes none of the blame in the postgame.

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            1. I was at that game. I sure know how to pick them. Laid out over $400 to come in and watch that one. Priceless.

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      2. Yes and your comment is congruent with my comment about enjoying college football for the pageantry and spectacle, hope to be competitive in most contests (Narduzzi has not been competitive in high profile games) and get on with it. Penn State will be the alpha dog and Pitt will relish philosophy, psychology, and engineering departments and its world class medical school. Sounds like a return to Pitt football status in the 1950s.

        I have already accepted the fact that I will not see another national football championship team in my lifetime and Pitt basketball may never make the Final Four. I do believe the basketball program has a better chance of success in the new transfer environment with the right coach.

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        1. Yes I agree. However Johnny Mike had Pitt in a Sugar Bowl & a Gator Bowl in the 1950’s.
          Back when it actually meant something to get a Bowl invite with only a handful of bowls.

          So you probably meant Pitt football in the 1940’s (which was horrid) or the 1960’s (which was horrid
          other than Johnny Mike’s 9-1 Number 4 ranked team of 1963.

          I doubt very much Nardoozi will ever get us a sniff of a Sugar Bowl.

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  14. Why would anyone love a coach because he’s easy on them at practice?
    That wouldn’t help the ones that aspire to go to the next level…it wouldn’t help any of the players that want to win or be the best football players they can be.
    All these kids were stars at their high schools…now they just want to back off and take it easy .
    Doesn’t sound like a good hypothesis to me.
    Now buying pizza and beer is a whole nother story
    😎

    Liked by 5 people

    1. And that is the conundrum. I’d love my coach if I could just eat pizza and drink beer at practice being served by hooters girls. That’s probably why Narduzzi locks the gates.

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  15. OT, I was happy to get an email from the athletic dept offering me the opportunity to request 2 tickets to one of the remaining home volleyball games, since I was/(am, will be again?) a season ticket holder I think it was 1st come 1st serve, and since I didn’t see the email until late last night will probably not get them. But it was nice to think that the opportunity was there. Fingers crossed.

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  16. The days of Coaches being hard on players in practice is over….and has been.

    You see what’s happening with Kirk Ferentz over at Iowa….right. And I doubt he was
    a Woody Hayes, JoPa or Bear Bryant hard arse.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. BigSherm (my Dad) gave me these simple words of wisdom many many years ago…”Keep you nose to the grindstone!'” “It’s no crime to get knocked down…it’s a crime to stay down.” “When the going gets tough….ya know that one.
    Youthful characters who need to learn discipline and responsibility have just been given a red carpet and golden key to the “easy way out door.” Falls in line with the BS in today’s centers of “higher education.

    Time to go and prepare the garden for spring planting…broccoli and cauliflower are calling my name…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’ve got tomatoes in the ground now.

      My parents did eat at Luigi’s. I never did. Sisters made the run. They liked it. Parents were big Bruno’s fans in the 90’s. Italian restaurant in Indiana. I’ve eaten there. Management, ownership and chef have all changed though.

      I fancy myself as as damn good Sicilian chef despite being a hunky.

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  18. What is the ACC rule for fans transferring to another school? Do fans have to sit out a year of rooting? 🤔

    BTW, just got my second vaccine shot. No lines, no waiting – efficient job by the Allegheny County Health Department. 👍

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. I am getting my second on Sunday at my local (10 miles away) CVS pharmacy, Went very smoothly during the first shot. Don’t see why the second would be any different.

      Dreaming of a September/October Pitt home game and a November Pitt away game.

      Raining here so will be getting back to house cleaning after I finish reading the comments,

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Bruce, spring garden time….love okra bit don’t plant it…takes up too much room…Did you know it is related to cotton?? Looking forward to spring ball!!!

      Is this new coaches “Go Go” offense a version of the “High octane” sale…isn’t Fraud one of his tutors ? What are your initial thoughts before we give him a chance to prove himself…..So easy to be a cynic……

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        1. Duzz was asked about the “Go-Go” offense yesterday during his 1st Spring practice press interview session, post practice. He must have said “I don’t even know what that is” about five times. He seemed irritated and then said “look, coach Marion came here to lead the wide receivers, not be the OC.”

          The press hit a nerve…

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    1. Thanks Reed…Carter looked a bit slimmer as I watched him take his seat…that’s a good thing…need aquick mobile with wing-span to protect and run block. Hope he has an out-standing year. It all starts up front with the OL. We have to average at least 32 pts per game on the “O” side, if not,we will continue along our “flat” trajectory.

      Liked by 1 person

        1. Yeah, that’s bad timing for sure. Course if you look at our RBs, just not much there (unless Izzy steps up…).

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    2. —Interesting that Carter Warren says that Owen Drexel is the weight-room Champ among the Oline…

      —Also interesting that Carter Warren said that Matt Goncalves is backing him up at left tackle. Unless he’s made a major leap, no way Carter should start at left tackle. And why isn’t Goncalves running with the ones?

      My off-the-wall Oline prediction:
      Goncalves
      Minor
      Drexel
      Zubovic
      Van Lynn

      —And redshirt freshman Stratham is listed as 6’7” and 370 pounds. At that weight, my guess is he never sees the field unless as a straight-ahead fullback in short yardage…

      —I thought I heard Coach Whip say he needs more nimble Olinemen to run his offense effectively… That doesn’t seem to jive with some of the Oline weights that are listed…

      Hate to be negative, but what Warren said scares me. Course it is just spring ball. 😊

      Go Pitt.

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      1. Never seen a lean and mean 370 pounder- not even at 6’7”…. needs to be on a carrot and celery diet…..

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        1. I just don’t understand why OTs have to weigh at least 320 pounds when the DEs are usually 260 or less.

          If I’m a DE, I’d be happy to try to out-quick someone who has to move 60 more pounds…

          Go Pitt.

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  22. Nate Baily, I will strongly disagree with you. In my experience and interaction from 2008 on with players, coaches, admin and parents I can say the vast majority of kids on the roster understand they most probably will not go pro.

    Over and over again I’ve had parents tell me they chose Pitt over other D1/P5 schools because of the academics.

    It’s a myth that these kids are at Pitt just to play football.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Wait a minute …. I thought Wannstedt recruited nothing but criminals?????

      Now I’m reading it was a collection of studeous athletes? Gee, that 9-win season in 2008 looks pretty good now. Nine wins, high team overall GPA. Looks like it wasn’t enough for Pitt’s admins though.

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    2. Your last sentence I believe is correct but kids do want to play. The question is does Pitt as both a school & as a football team offer a reason for a player to stay at Pitt either to receive a degree or a post grad degree? In the same three years that Pitt lost 10 players including 2 grad transfers to the TP, Duke has had 27 entries including 19 grad transfers.

      Now we all know Pitt doesn’t pull in the high level recruits & Duke definitely does not, but Duke is considered a “better” academic school then Pitt. Why are the Duke players transferring? I don’t think it’s the school. Most of the Duke players are transferring to G5 or FCS schools and a few to P5 schools but going to Texas Tech & Arkansas is not a step-up in academics.

      In Pitt’s case, I think it has to do with how Pitt as a school and how HCPN treats the players with respect and dignity. If those last three words are PC so be it.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. If I am Brown, I pick a lower division school with a coach that has a rep for teaching big men post moved. If he gets any kind of offense he has a future in Europe just from his size. He developed nothing under Capel. Was it Capel or Brown? We shall see.

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  25. Biggie, I thought you only ate BBQ, Lisa’s pepperoni rolls and fresh caught tuna…haha.

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  26. Maybe Capel really has some options to come to Pitt and hinted to Brown that he would be playing even less…
    #contrarianthought

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  27. Watch Pitt Football Pro Day on ACC Network Extra

    PITTSBURGH—Boasting one of its most intriguing draft classes in recent memory, the Pitt football program will showcase its NFL talent at the Panthers’ annual Pitt Pro Day presented by UPMC Sports Medicine this Wednesday, March 17, at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

    Pitt Studios will produce wall-to-wall live coverage of the event for ACC Network Extra (and viewable via the Watch ESPN app) beginning at 10:15 a.m. Pitt Pro Day will be hosted by anchors Kevin Wheeler and Casey Garrow. Former Pitt greats and NFL players Dorin Dickerson and Lousaka Polite will provide expert analysis from the studio, while former Pitt quarterback Pat Bostick will provide on-field reports and interviews.

    In addition to live coverage, the event will also be available for later on-demand viewing via ESPN.

    Pitt’s Pro Day workout schedule will include the 225-pound bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 40-yard dash, pro shuttle, three-cone drill and individual position skill work.

    All 32 NFL teams are expected to be in attendance to watch the following Pitt players:

    Saleem Brightwell, linebacker
    Paris Ford, defensive back
    Jeff George, Jr., quarterback
    Will Gragg, tight end
    Damar Hamlin, defensive back
    Bryce Hargrove, offensive lineman
    Patrick Jones II, defensive lineman
    Alex Kessman, placekicker
    Aaron Mathews, wide receiver
    Jimmy Morrissey, offensive lineman
    Jason Pinnock, defensive back
    Jazzee Stocker, defensive back
    DJ Turner, wide receiver
    Jaylen Twyman, defensive lineman
    Amir Watts, defensive lineman
    Rashad Weaver, defensive lineman

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Go to any college campus in america and interview the football players. 95% of them love their coach. I don’t understand all this writing about how much the pitt guys love our coach. The players love the coach, or they leave. So stop with this garbage that nard is special. He is just a head coach that is ultimately responsible for getting each athlete a tutor, living money, great meals, great travel accommodations, girls (indirectly of course), sports attire, shoes and having the best time of their lives…..in exchange for mediocrity pay back. Who wouldn’t love that guy! Sign me up and I will love the coach too.

    Second, let’s not kid ourselves about what you get from Pitt by playing football or basketball. Some are saying there is a great value to the Pitt degree. For many, yes. For the majority of these kids, it is exposure to donors that own businesses and give these kids jobs once they get out of Pitt. It isn’t the Pitt degree. It is the opportunity for each kid to develop his brand for the 4-5 years they are on campus, getting ACCESS to very important people in the community that the typical person hears about or reads about, but never meets. Pitt lacks so far behind in developing these relationships and unfortunately, the rules on payments to players for outside work is about to change and our sponsorship is lagging.

    Third, maybe Chief Blue Blouse should market her football team to the Alabama’s, Georgia’s and OSU’s of the world and seek a $2.0M payout for them to beat us each year. What a concept and it will make the tough scheduler crowd happy! Schedule 4 of those instead of the creampuff schedule and she adds in $8M to the coffers for the non-revenue sports. Who cares about the record. Nobody here cares enough so why not go for the money grab with your mediocre staff? Or, schedule smartly with OOC lesser teams in your recruiting footprint and do things correctly. Maybe she could start selling off the lesser sports for additional revenue.

    Someone mentioned that the days of coaches being tough on kids at practice is over. Not really. Coaches are definitely in these kids faces at the big programs. The difference is that the coaches at the big programs get in your face and then communicate with the kid about what it takes to be great. The kid has a choice. The great coaches “break” the kid then love em to greatness. Great example going on right now and it goes to coach psychology. John Tortorella and Patrick Laine in hockey. Jim Leyland and Barry Bonds in baseball. Urb and so many at OSU. Saban and so many at Alabma, and so on. The great coaches are toughest on the great players and pull more out of them. Or you can develop nardsoftness. That’s what I have seen at Pitt.

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  30. As one of the astute commenters replies in this wsj article, if colleges were truly losing money, why continue? Well because they see the student applications roll in and calculate the brand equity and other intangible benefits of operating a sports business.

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      1. You guys have finally been convinced. Excellent sports translates to more applications. More apps lead to better candidate pools and higher academic ranking. Higher academic ranking leads to better research funding and better jobs. Better jobs lead to better giving…IF….you have a great experience on campus whilst in attendance. It’s the great wheel….as the process repeats and repeats. Unfortunately, Pitt jumped off the wheel 35 years ago and has failed to re-engage.

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  31. Pitt makes the Final 4 (no not that one)

    Pitt Makes Final 4 List of FIU Transfer Antonio Daye

    After losing three players to the transfer portal in the past month, Pitt has been looking for some positive news regarding next year’s potential roster and recruiting. The Panthers took one step towards a recruiting win on Monday, when Antonio Daye, a point guard out of Florida International, listed them in his top four schools list.

    The coveted POINT GUARD prospect averaged 17.1 points per game and 4.7 assists per game last season, leading his team in points, minutes, and steals per game. At 6-foot-3, Daye, who would most likely run the point for Pitt, would round out an already tall group of guards for the Panthers.

    At least Capel recognizes he needs a real PG

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    1. Well, we have been in the final couple of way better players than him. Problem is, the big talents have been going elsewhere, especially the post players…

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  32. Brown leaving . . . . does that mean five or six open roster spots for next year?? I’m losing count, so many. And not one recruit so far. Mamma mia.

    Capel better sign up for a chemistry course. If he can’t blend all the players, next year is going to be an absolute disaster.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Come on now…..if he can’t find a better play to replace Brown….he should get his ‘walking papers’.

      If not chemistry he needs a course in Mixology. Or pay for our booze to stomach his teams ! haha

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  33. Found this on Dokish. If correct, someone is doing something right at Pitt.

    Pitt men’s soccer No. 8
    Pitt wrestling No. 16
    Pitt baseball No. 19
    Pitt women’s volleyball No. 19

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Pitt’s new athletic goal is to become good/competitive in non-revenue sports that hardly anyone watches.

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      1. But what about the Director’s Cup?

        I’ve been losing sleep over the Director’s Cup since 1997, or whatever year it was created… 😊

        Liked by 3 people

    3. But in my day, all those teams were ranked except for soccer.

      football and basketball was ranked throughout the year as well. Football for first two years not the end. Basketball all throughout.

      Plus swimming.

      Track might have even been ranked. But the competition was the big east.

      I don’t really see much change

      Wrestling has always been solid top 25

      Swimming was always winning big east titles

      Same with volleyball

      Baseball was decent but not great. Again they weren’t playing ACC teams.

      Soccer stunk.

      Coach Jay is a godsend. A Barnes hire along with fisher.

      Pitt now has an extra $40 million in ACC each year to spend on sports thanks to the conference check and network. In a non covid year.

      That better buy top 25 across secondary sports. Pitt has 17 sports that are Minor. Only two really matter.

      One is mediocre. The other stinks. That’s Pitts brand.

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  34. and the combined season tickets sold to those programs……is 12. I jest on the number, but the comment speaks for itself. Brilliant strateegery!

    The transfer rule is to stop potential litigation from athletes that say they are restricted from potential earnings by keeping them at a school when the rest of the student body is able to transfer as often as they want. The schools have all the ammo to fight this but are afraid to because it will be used against them in recruiting….or so they think. Paranoid group.

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  35. Haven’t posted as I didn’t have much to say, but I did see that BC hired Earl Grant. As some may remember I pushed really hard for Pitt to hire him. It will be interesting to see how this works out, that is a tough gig there.

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  36. Nate,

    Look, when was the last time a PN recruited player got arrested? I can’t remember one but maybe one did. Narduzzi has been careful with that as had the Pitt athletic department when they started doing deeper background checks after 2010.

    Now, how many Pitt players were arrested who were recruited by DW? A whole bunch…there is no comparison.

    So, yes, we are recruiting kids who both want to get an education along with playing football. Get this. The last year the NCAA published the D1 APR (graduation rate) in 201 Pitt was tied for #11 out of 130 team with a 988 APR

    In 2004 Pitt was horrible at graduating players with a 943 rate. Under PN’s first three years it went from 955 to 988…three years!

    https://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/academic-progress-rate-explained#:~:text=The%20APR%2C%20or%20Academic%20Progress,athlete%20for%20each%20academic%20term.

    Each year the team has bettered our APR rating…which wasn’t all that great under DW as it was only 949 we he left.

    Again, I have spoken with many sets of parents who, contrary to public belief, are very realistic about their kid’s talent level and NFL prospects…and almost every parent has said the same thing – they want their kid to have a Pitt diploma…and get a free ride FB scholarship while doing it if possible.

    Fans seem to think every player and their parents are convinced their kid is NFL material. That just isn’t true.

    Maybe the kids do love Narduzzi – that that is only part of the reason kids don’t transfer.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. I am not a fan of the APR as it is a really dangerous stat- look at what it actually is and the numbers and you can go from top 10 to top 100 with just one point. It is another attempt by all universities, who employ the ncaa mind you, to try and get the parents and athletes to think they care. Most want you for what you can do on your respective field, not what you can do in the classroom. It is a PR move only. Take it for what it is. There would be no need for tracking a useless statistical analysis if the kids and the schools were really there for education. It is a business.

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    2. That 2004 stat is surprising as Harris was an ogre when it came to his kids going to class. Pitt had high overall team GPAs under Walt. But the flaw is the APR takes into account kids who transfer. Pitt had a lot of kids leave late in the Harris tenure simply due to the fact the players weren’t good enough for D-1 football and left.

      It was why Wannstedt said in 2005 “we need to run faster.” That was one of the slowest defenses, and team, in D-1 history. Very poor recruiting late in the Harris years.

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    3. What you are saying is Pitt should be very happy to achieve an unranked 8-5 in football and putter along in basketball. Where does Stanford rank? California? Notre Dame? How many arrests do these programs endure? How does a rust belt city like Cincinnati do it? I’m proud of my Pitt degree and want Pitt athletes to earn theirs. You can win big enough from time to time, keep kids out of jail and in class. I think everyone is for that.

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    2. He’s much smarter than me. I enjoy writing dark comedies about Pitt though. I’ll have two more articles out soon. You’ll get a kick out of the first one. Tex plays the role of HCPN in selling Pitt to a four star offensive lineman recruit from New Jersey. It will actually be a serious take with some comedic liberty. Outline of the script is already written. Those who have done sales will enjoy.

      Liked by 1 person

  39. I hope I’m not duplicating what others have already posted as I haven’t been able to read the POV much in the last few days. First, I watched last week’s Pitt Beyond the Script today. (I haven’t watched tonight’s episode yet.). It has extensive coverage of the new offices, locker rooms, team meeting spaces, etc. overlooking the soccer field, softball and baseball fields above the Pete. Beautiful and very impressive to me. Also a nice interview with Coach Bates.

    Second, Penn State hired a new basketball coach last night, Micah Shrewsberry, and since then five or six of their current players have entered the transfer portal. That group includes their big man, Harrar, and Pitt is listed as interested in him.

    Liked by 2 people

  40. The way some of you talk, we should all hope there is another highly infectious bug that hits the US next year so PITT can benefit from all “OTHER” sports teams across the country that are effected and infected. But no, not PITT!

    Which by the by, maybe Heather deserves a tiny smidgen of credit for handling covid the way she did? PITT didn’t hire Tressel, get over it.

    ike or fake screen name IEK

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  41. Boy, Narduzzi really started something a few years ago when he began recruiting transfers. Seems PN was ahead of his time? Anyone remember the complaining about Narduzzi and yet another transfer coming to PITT and before anyone suggests the incoming players weren’t that good. That is simply not true.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. nice to know that part of the story

      so IF that is the case, might we consider it a sign that Hughley is expected to be back? or a decent big body alternative?

      H2Iek!

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      1. Seems like there are decent players in the transfer portal. How the heck do we get 3 decent ones to become Panthers?

        Wonder if they use the approach of trying to get 3 guys by recruiting them as a unit – a package deal. Tell them we think Player A plus Player B plus Player C would be an outstanding addition to our team, would mesh great with our other players, and make us a tourney team. Get A,B, and C to contact each other…

        Got to do something.

        Go Pitt.

        Liked by 1 person

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