in Pitt Football 862 Words

2021 Production Lost – Wake Forest

2021 Production Loss – Wake Forest

I am doing the ACC non-Pitt opponents in alphabetical order. That means Wake Forest. The next article starts the Pitt 2022 opponents.

Dave Clawson took over the head coaching duties prior to the 2014 season. His record over time is 51 – 48 (26 – 37 Conference, 21 – 8 OOC, 0 – 1 conference championships, and 4 – 2 Bowls.

I do give the Wake admin credit for sticking with him. It paid off with a division title and a 11 win season. Only the second in Wake Forest history (2006).

Wake is one of three teams most likely to take the Atlantic. Will they repeat?

All that leads us to last year results and the upcoming 2022 schedule.

Another team that knows how to schedule OOC games. Besides the NCAA rule change that allows a conference to decide who plays in the conference championship, the 2019 and 2021 out of conference matchups between Wake and UNC were made to shorten the 6/7 year wait between conference games.

Does Wake dropping 70 on Army count as running up the points per game average? Or does beating an FCS team only count? And with Army scoring 56, should we adjust Wake’s points allowed per game down? I want to know the rules.

Here are the Rivals 5.6 and above 2022 commits. Also included is the current Transfer Portal (TP) additions.

As you know, I like to use color coding to highlight certain items – light blue for eligibility, reddish pink for TP entries and a bright green for medical, grades or disciplinary reasons. Wake has a commit who would be a bright green for still being a verbal if I showed Rivals 5.2 2-stars.

A Richmond Spider TP signee. Does our resident authority on Spider basketball follow or know about the Spider football team?

Wake has lost 10 scholarship players to the TP this year – Three from the offense, seven from the defense.

On to the stars identified as NCAA team leaders in selected stats or members of the All ACC teams.

That is a lot of color. Can we be having a taste of production loss.

The  offense revolves around QB play. I have added sacked and yards lost to the QB chart.

Another team with limited backup QB snaps. I believe Kelly is a walk on. Wake did sign a QB in the 2022 class – Brett Griffis. Same last name as the Griffis in above chart. Brother? Cousin? Coincidence?

NC State running backs and receivers 2021 activity. Also returning production for the first four teams reviewed.

Just based on returning production of the five Atlantic teams, Wake looks as a potential third place team. But Boston College is nipping at their heels.

Can the Oline stats shake the Eagles and move Wake back into contention?

Lost just one starter – Zack Tom. First team All ACC and a fourth round pick in the NFL draft. But they may have replacements just based on games played.

This is where I really need snap counts to judge potential starters. It is one thing to say a player had action in 13 game. But were they all on special teams?

As an aside, the one player who had one start is identified as a freshman. I get my data from the NCAA Wake Forest roster. The problem is that this particular player could be a TRUE freshman, a redshirt freshman or a Covid year freshman. (Petitbon was a 2020 recruit). Pickett was identified as a senior.

Actually, Wake had a solid Oline allowing 25 sacks (2.3%) and 33 TFL’s (3.0%) on 1,084 offensive plays.

Another aside. Pitt had 5 sacks in the championship game. That is 20% of the total times Hartman was sacked. Clemson had 7 (28%). NC State had 3 (12%).

That wraps up the NC State Offense. On to the defensive review.

Wake had 50 players make a defensive stat. But eleven of them were offense players. One was a special teams players. That leaves 38 defensive players making a stat.

The chart below strips out the non-defensive players and twelve players who did not make at least double digit tackles. (By now you have learned I use a lot of copy and paste and change a few stats. That is what happens when you have boilerplate.)

I struggled with Wake’s defense (and the other five team reviewed. What to say? What is important? It has been trial and error. Started with anyone who had a defensive stat. Winnowed out the offensive /special team players. Color coded the eligibility and TP players. Sorted by defensive group (DB, DL, and LB). Only then did I summarize totals and defensive groups.

I then decided. I had to cull the number in the chart. I decided ten total tackles was the number to use. Why, you ask? That goes back to the “two-deep” roster – twenty two. (I have lowered below ten tackles to reach at least twenty players.)

I then added a total line just for those players on the chart. I have now added a line breaking down the players listed between returning and those who have left.

Based on total tackles, Wake has the lowest returning percentage of those teams reviewed. But they have 18 players returning with considerable experience.

As I said earlier, Wake looks like the third-place team in the Atlantic. That wraps it up. Next, West Virginia.

127 thoughts on “2021 Production Lost – Wake Forest”

  1. Expect Wake to have a winning record, but they won’t come close to eleven wins. Pitt showed the ACC how to stop Hartman. Hit him often.

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    1. I don’t think Hartman will be the QB. He has a 3 year Red Shirt Sophomore breathing down his neck that is less mistake prone. Hartman isn’t as safe as you might think.

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  2. As always, it will take some time to digest all of the data here, but something that jumps out is that 2 of the 14 WF opponents from last year accounted for almost half of the sacks … Clemson (7) and Pitt (5)

    Of course the other fact is that after giving up 21 points in the 1st quarter, Pitt held the high flying WF offense scoreless. Pitt D often seems vulnerable in the early parts of games … Tenn, Clemson, Miami and Wake but then adjusts. (WMU notwithstanding)

    Sent from my iPhone

    >

    Liked by 4 people

    1. This guy seems to know what he wants and is executing a plan. Says all of the right things and is a man.
      Article says Alabama had interest. Another weapon in the arsenal. Excellent recruiting.

      Liked by 4 people

  4. Richard – good read with my morning coffee(s). W_F, NC State, BC or Clemson could be Pitt opponents at seasons end, so we welcome and applaud the energy you expended.

    It will be a long off-season and this type of article helps to build a bridge to the coming season.

    OT: when looking at USC’s 2-deep, the stud WR transfer from Oklahoma (last name Williams) is listed as a 2nd teamer. JA3 not listed yet – but the 3-deep is laced with transfers and established Trojans who are JR’s and SR’s.

    Grass is greener?

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    1. Thanks – Consider writing an article on any subject you want that is sports related. I think most POV readers would appreciate it.

      Southern Cal has 18 TP entries according to 24/7. I have also read more than one article that say up to 10 of them will be starters when the season starts.

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  5. While I enjoy writing articles, they are data driven. But not everyone enjoys that kind of article.

    I also enjoy the kind of articles that Reed, Mike, and guest writers Jay Kaplan and JoeL recently wrote. Hardly any kind of data but lots of opinion to back up their position.

    With that being said, the POV needs more of those type of articles. Please think about writing one. You can send to Reed or me (if you have my email address).

    If needed, I can supply data. I have done that for Reed, Mike and JoeL. (Not all have become an article or used.)

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  8. Richard – you do an amazing amount of work on these articles. Thank you.

    I too was struck by the fact that 60% of Wakes sacks-given -up came in just three games…

    I still think back to the second half of that championship game with amazement at what Pitt did to Wake. Big play after big play…. A long-awaited feast for Panther fans.

    Still hard to believe that Pitt won a championship game with little or no second-half drama…. Drama has been Pitt football’s middle name.

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 6 people

  11. The Cuse/Psu scheduling A (2027) H (2028) got me to wondering about the ticket sales for the Pitt/WVCC game. Is there a season ticket requirement for the game? Is it part of a 3-game package or a single game ticket sale? Or no decision made?

    That leads me to an article suggestion. Notre Dame loves to play in large stadiums to give their subway fans a better chance of seeing their beloved Domer’s a chance to see them in person. I believe Wake and Duke have scheduled home games in Charlotte. BC has played ND in Foxboro (or wherever the Patriots now play). Cuse has played in NJ (Met Life?) GT has announced they are playing one game a year at that new stadium in Atlanta. (I have no idea if ND is one of those game.) All the rest of the teams already play at large/pro stadiums. What would be a maximizer of revenue given the scenarios? Does it look like there is a secret agreement that certain teams have to play every other home ACC/ND game at a large stadium? Or some type of round robin (on campus/ pro) deal?

    I do it but it is low on my project list.

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  13. Pay attention to Richard’s last sentence… more projects.. 🙂 …Thanks for another great article buddy.. I haven’t seen this many numbers and charts since I closed my accounting II book on my second day of class.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. OT – Chris Peak has an interesting recruiting article on the Lair about TE Karter Johnson. This excerpt caught my eye:

    “At the beginning of May, Johnson committed to Coastal Carolina, but two weeks ago, he got a call from Narduzzi that opened a new opportunity.”

    “When I was on the phone with Coach Narduzzi, we had a great conversation, and then I visited on Tuesday and absolutely fell in love,” Johnson said…”

    Many of us think that Duzz can be snarky or try too hard to be clever with the media – but when he deals with players he seems to come across pretty well…

    Go Pitt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. If a player fails in love with a coach, that’s a problem. Seriously, what bosses has anyone of us ever lust for. Leave women boss s out of it.

      Hopefully he fell n love with the opportunity, his role, the city, the facilities, the campus, the culture, etc.

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      1. Okay, that’s weird, but it’s my fault. I didn’t want to copy too much of the article.

        But Karter went on to say: “That was the first time I visited there. I had gone to Pittsburgh before for a Steelers game, but that was it. I just fell in love with the academics and the post-football part is great for athletes. And I fell in love with the city; it’s a beautiful city, everybody there is super nice and the atmosphere was surreal.”

        Go Pitt.

        Liked by 1 person

  17. QB Hartman with a 59% completion rate. That’s not very good for a P5 QB. Sorry, but I saw him a couple of times last year and was not impressed.

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  18. He was much more effective outside of the pocket. A disciplined rush, keeping within your lane, seems to cause him all kinds of problems. Just an observation and my 9 cents worth due to inflation.

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Inflation??? A nickel today 5 cents tomorrow! From many many years ago on the olde Fred Allen Radio Show explaining inflation.

    Liked by 2 people

  20. Is anyone going to watch Pitt play in the ACC Baseball Tourney tomorrow?
    I don’t think the rules seem very fair if there is a tie. Pitt is in a pool with GA Tech and Louisville. There are four overall pools. I copied and pasted the following from the ACC’s website,

    “Each team in the four pools will play one game against each of the other two opponents in its pool Tuesday through Friday (May 24-27). The four teams with the best records within their respective pools will advance to Saturday’s semifinals, with the winners playing on Sunday in the ACC Championship Game.
    If the teams are tied at the completion of pool play, the team with the highest seed in the respective pool will advance.”

    I would hate to not advance in a conference tournament over a tie breaker. It needs to be resolved on the field.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. My sense is that they are saying exactly that. The advancement is based on what you did on the field for the season, not the game. This is why individual games are important throughout the year and why you do everything you can to win early. There is also a premium on coaching and strategy when you can play for a tie or conversely, wherein you must play for a victory! The rules reward the ones who should be rewarded for their work throughout the year! I am good with it, candidly!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Totally agree. There isn’t enough time to resolve ties in a tournament. And then that means an extra game played and an extra pitcher. Schools are ranked in these brackets or pods for a reason and done fairly. Your regular season conference record matters. Pitt should have taken care of the domers and not been swept by tech if they wanted a higher seed. Right now the only way for Pitt to get a regional bid is by winning this tournament. Probably a less than 5 percent chance.

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  21. Did a very quick scroll through this and need to return to it. Digging my way out of an full inbox following a week in Sweden (business).

    But… as “our resident authority on Spider basketball”, let me weigh in on Spider football for a moment.

    When I moved back to Richmond from Pgh in 1987, I went to a homecoming game at our then off-campus stadium. The UR Police shut down tailgating 15 minutes before kickoff and tailgating post-game was not permitted. I told the UR folks that this was stupid and don’t expect me to write any checks.

    Twenty years later, I went back for a game hoping to find a different experience. Basically the same and enforcement was even more rigid. A fraternity brother was actually arrested for failing to comply. And he is a well-behaved guy. I admired his act of civil disobedience.

    The school built a nice on campus stadium and I have yet to go to a game there. Why? Because I am 100% invested in Pitt Panther football. When Im not at Heinz Field, Im playing fall golf and watching Pitt away games on DVR later in the day. Spiders come in second.

    So, for better or worse that is one aspect of how you all got to be stuck with me in this space and at Red5A.

    Liked by 10 people

      2. Here’s a Spider FB tidbit. Wake’s Dave Clawson was UR’s head FB coach until getting lured away by Bowling Green. He had built up a really nice roster and was destined for FCS greatness before leaving.

        His replacement was my UR hallmate, Mike London, who many of your know. Mike was a soft spoken young man and I really did not see him as a football coach. Mike actually became a Richmond City policeman and stared down the barrel of an assailant’s gun befroe making a move to coaching. Mike did a nice job on Al “Groh must Go” Groh’s UVA staff as DC and when Clawson left, he came back to his alma mater.

        The Spiders won the FCS championship in his first year – Clawson’s roster with London as HC. London parlayed that into a really nice payday as UVA’s HC after his second season. He is now at W&M as HC.

        We had a couple Pittsburgh guys on the FB team when I attended. One is a friend of Huff’s from Upper St Clair. Another was a guy named RIch Scherer, who was an NFL-sized TE. He went on to jon the Dallas Cowboys after UR.

        Liked by 2 people

  22. Thanks for all the articles, Richard! Looking forward to seeing the ones about our opponents this year.

    Your articles gave me an inspiration to do one on our volleyball team’s lost production.
    Hint: We lost a LOT!

    In case you missed it, Pitt volleyball won all four of their matches during their recent trip to Spain and Italy. I have no clue how good they competition was. One match went to 5 sets.

    I will send the article on lost production along with incoming production once the schedule is revealed for the coming season. Early leaks on the volleyball schedule have Tennessee playing at Pitt as well as Pitt playing Ohio State. Hopefully Pitt will start off the OOC schedule slow and build up to the tougher opponents later. The team will need some time to mesh.

    The 2023 Pitt volleyball recruiting class will easily make it into the top 25. They may even make it into the top 10. They are one of the few programs with 4 recruits in the top 100 ranked players for the class. Purdue and Texas also have 4 recruits in the top 100. Nebraska was not listed so they may not have enough spots in 2023 for 4 top recruits. Same may be true for Wisconsin.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Pitt is finally starting to have recruiting success. Winning will do that. And a new 3500 capacity venue will help. I luv the Pete but it’s not climate controlled. Major condensation issues with the floor. Huge liability issue.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Fitzgerald that is. I guess it’s known as the Fitz? The Pete would be perfect if it was smaller. The Fitz should go down like the Edmund Fitzgerald. I’d like to torpedo her.

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  23. The OSU match up will be great as Coach Oldenburg spent nearly 6 years with the Pittsburgh Elite Volleyball organization and has many good friends with Pitt ties. She is advancing OSU quickly. I think OSU womens vball sells alot of tickets, although not revenue positive. Good to know some vball articles are coming during the summer months.

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Last season I believe they could have – tOSU had a weak secondary and Pitt was strong with the passing game (ikr).

        This year I’d say no – too slo

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  24. Off topic… story circulating that Jordan Addison showed up at Pitt today to clean out his apartment, and was decked out head to toe in USC gear/swag. Totally classless move on his part. The kid unquestionably worked very hard to become a great player, but to spit in the face of the University that gave you the opportunity to become the best receiver in the country? Good riddance.

    Liked by 7 people

    1. He’s proud to wear a label best known for protection. Proud to be a Trojan horse. Proud to be part of university of second choice. Or university of 💩 y condoms. I won’t be rooting for him when he turns pro and ends up playing for the Jets. Number 8 will be great.

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        1. Actually that might be worse, Gordon. I probably dislike Brennan Marion at least as much as Lincoln Riley. Funny thing is that I didn’t blame Addison for the transfer. His statistics were going to go down in Cignetti’s offense, and without having KP8 slinging it to him. And the cold hard cash speaks for itself. But this nonsense of being decked out in Trojan colors? Calculated and classless.

          Liked by 1 person

  26. I haven’t seen any photos or clarification on this Trojan gear story…
    If true I guess he’s a Trojan Whorse…

    Liked by 2 people

  27. Richard – following up on the Spider TP addition to Wake.

    As I would have expected, he’s a good kid and comes from a good family.
    Does the right things off the field.

    On the field, he was one of the stars of the Spider D. All-CAA first team a few times.
    Made the move as he has graduated from UR and had COVID eligibility remaining.
    He will fit in really well at Wake and its a good chance for him to get a longer look by NFL scouts.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That’s what I thought. Some good players at the FCS level. Grad transfers are especially prized if they are all conference. Just so little info available unless you really dig. Thanks for the info.

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  28. Another Pat signal from Narduzzi this morning. Looks like Pitt is getting the TE transfer from GT Dylan Deveny today.

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  29. I could care less about what Addison wears, his stats, his injuries, etc. He’s no longer a Panther.

    He didn’t leave because Pickett was gone or Cignetti’s offense or his new WR coach. He left for money. Good for him, don’t let the door hit you in the arse.

    I don’t get the weird obsession with former athletes of Pittsburgh. My goodness, there are still articles about Antonio Brown. He’s been long gone. It’s a waste of media space.

    Liked by 2 people

  30. Saw an interesting post on FB this AM. Topic was psu losing a likely commit to WVCC due to NIL money.

    The interesting part was in the comments where one reader lamented that the psux administration is not committed to winning. Hmmm, where have I heard that before?

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Once a Pitt man always a Pitt man. I hope he absolutely crushes it and has a monster season and is a Heisman candidate. If the $3.5M NIL is correct, I would question his intelligence if he didn’t leave. That’s more than Steelers rookie WR Pickens will get … and more than JuJu will get in KC. Hate the game, not the player. He doesn’t need another year of college to play professionally but has to play because he’s not eligible for the draft … might as well get paid like a first round pick if you can’t be one.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. He won’t consider himself a Pitt man once his bank account is overflowing, LOL. I wish him no ill will, but I am not rooting for him. Well, unless the Steelers draft him next year. 😀

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    2. I had no problem with him leaving TT. And I’m sure that it’s almost exclusively about money. But why rub it in the faces of those who treated you so well? By his own account (multiple tweets, statements, etc.) he seemed very happy at Pitt. So why insult your coaches and teammates on the way out the door? I just don’t get it.

      Liked by 1 person

        1. If you actually read my post correctly, I didn’t say he tweeted anything negative. Quite the opposite. The insult was showing up to move out of your cushy Pitt apartment (The Bridges Apartments are sweet), and dressing in USC garb from head to toe.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Ahhh. I missed that. Haha. Well, Duzz did take a shot at him with the Slovis transferred the right way comment. All is fair in love and war. I, personally, hope he wins the Heisman and becomes an all pro. I’m not a grudge type of person and hope everyone can improve on their current situation. People quit jobs all the time and move to new companies all the time. At the end of the day, that is all this is.

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  32. So all transferers lose their scholarship when they leave. Maybe they should lose them as soon as they enter the portal. Also maybe make all college athletic transferers wait one year in order to play again.

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    1. I must be a curse to the team. Have watched most of the games, forgot to DVR it because I’m at work, and now a miracle. Hopefully our closer Baron Stewart can hold the lead.

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  34. Pitt dropping 6 spots in pre-season rankings doesn’t bother me. Pitt got no love last year and it worked out alright. Just more fuel for the We Not Me Fire!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m still not sure what the purpose is of Connelly’s SP rankings. He boldly states “these projections aren’t intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the year” And spot on with that prediction! Last year in his ACC Spring 2021 SP rankings he had Clemson ranked #2 (finished #14); he had UNC ranked #10 (finished below #40); he had Miami ranked #8 (finished below #40).
      Likewise, he had ND ranked #25 (finished #8); Pitt was outside of his 40 (finished #13); WF outside of his 40 (finished #15); NCS outside of his top 40 (finished # 20). So what value is there in Connelly’s rankings? Just another man’s “predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football” Whatever that means.

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      1. What is the purpose of my articles on production loss? As I said in the first one (Pitt), this is just some of the data that Connelly, Sagarin, and Vegas use in setting odds and projected wins. (And their data is way better than anything I produce). They also use other data in setting their rankings. Vegas isn’t right all the time. Neither is Connelly, Sagarin and definitely not me. And don’t even start on the preseason AP, Coaches, FPI, Power rankings. The only poll that counts is the CFP rankings.

        To me, my articles are a way to help POV readers to think about Pitt opponents and the other ACC teams based on the transparent data presented. Not on rankings or recruiting or prior data or just preconceived notions. I would hazard to guess that most people think Clemson will win the Atlantic (and hopefully meet Pitt in Charlotte). I don’t. I believe NC State will (hopefully) be Pitt’s opponent in Charlotte.

        Nice observation thought. It gave me a reason to unload a small fraction of all my frustrations with life.

        Liked by 3 people

    1. Yes, and they play L’ville, who they beat 2 out of 3 in April, in the Pool B championship for the right to go to the semifinals! Winner takes all tomorrow at 11.

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  36. FMD, as I understand it, when a player enters the portal, his current college no longer has any obligation to hold his scholarship for him. These kids are basically saying good bye to a free ride in the hopes of landing somewhere better. If they have Addison like talent, no problem. But the numbers suggest there will be many players who gave up a scholarship but had no free landing spot in the end.

    A player who enters the portal but decides to return to his current team would likely be considered a pariah by his team mates since he was attempting to walk away from them. So I doubt many kids will attempt to return even if the college is willing to give them their scholarship back.

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    1. That is exactly why many of these kids employ the “measure twice, cut once” strategy and look to lock up a situation before applying for the portal.

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      1. I think it cuts both ways. If you remember Lamont Wade. He entered the portal and used it as leverage for a promise of more playing time from Franklinburger.

        He be like, “don’t make me go coach”. “I really want to stay here but playing time is critical”. Coach then looks at the roster and makes him get with the position coach to decide whether to mae a plea to keep a player in exchange for playing time….or….decide to let the door hit them on the way out. The Portal Potty forces decisions by coaches and players.

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    1. Still like to see one more linebacker, but Tight End has solid depth now. We may not be the big strike offense but will have more options to pick up first downs.

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  39. Coach Duzz has his faults, but I like the way he tries to address holes in the roster. TE has been a weak area until last season. I have been wondering what we’re going to do if Bartholomew gets injured. At least we have some possibilities now…

    Those younger guys need more time, IMHO…

    Go Pitt.

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    1. John, the two guys he just signed aren’t young. I think both came in the class of 2019.

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      1. Yeah, GC, I was referring to the other 5 TEs on the roster:

        Wright — R Jr.
        Bartholomew — Soph. Mitchell — R Fr.
        Renda — R Fr.
        Faulkner — R Fr. (walk-on transfer from AF)

        We have some numbers there, but little experience, except for Bartholomew. Was hoping to see some TE additions who have at least seen the field…

        Go Pitt.

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      1. Speaking of bullpen – Louisville brought in guys with ERA’s in the 2’s while Pitt brought guys with 6’s.

        The Card’s were ranked #7 in the nation – Pitt was ranked #11 in the ACC.

        Proof that stats don’t win games.

        Liked by 1 person

  42. Interesting post on Pittsburgh Sports Now:

    “There have been 7,464 offers made by FBS programs since the evaluation period began:

    Louisville (146)
    Pittsburgh (141)
    Michigan (133)
    Nebraska (131)
    Air Force (129)
    Kentucky (126)
    Arkansas State (123)
    Army (122)
    Western Kentucky (121)
    Tulane (121)
    Navy (118)”

    So it didn’t just seem like Pitt has been making a ton of offers – Pitt has made a ton of offers…

    Go Pitt.

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    1. Just offer isn’t a good tactic. You notice the schools on that list. Know what you want and go get it is my mantra. Natdizzi is a fool.

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      1. Interesting info from Sports Illustrated: (I don’t know where PSN got their numbers.
        1. The average Power 5 program hands out roughly 200 more scholarship offers than it can follow through on during a recruiting cycle.

        Over the last eight years, Alabama is the only perennial national title contender to land in the top 20 of offers, sitting 18th with an average of 220 per year.

        Seems like Narduzzi (the fool) has a lot of company?

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  43. Looks like Pitt FB has lost local star Rodney Gallagher to WVU. Reportedly they gave this 4 star a NIL contract for 800K over 4 years.
    This just goes to show how quickly college sports is going in the tank with the game change instituted by NIL. Recruiting going forward will never be the same.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. By the sound of your comment jrn, are you saying that the wv high school was ahead of our team and our NIL plan? I really think our plan is worth nil, nada, nothing. USC was a no brainer. There are still no rules in recruiting and noone to police it. You all can no longer say we lost to a bagman when everyone is a bag man potentially. It is not cheating.

      Good for them that they got ahead of the game. This hasn’t been quick. NIL has been a known enemy for a couple of years and Saban said that all of the Agricultural and Mechanical team from Texas had a deal last year.

      I thought Nardstop was recruiting the kid personally for the last few years. There may have been a story about that. I have a solution on NIL and how to police it and make it fair to everyone, but I ain’t giving it for free. When the pitt AD gives credit to the POV and implements some great ideas, I will send a list….or maybe even walk the list over!

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  44. With the win today, does Pitt baseball have any chance of making the NCAA tournament field? If not, what would it take for Pitt to get into the NCAA tournament?

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Based on that I would assume that the Panthers will use their best pitchers on Saturday. It is an “all or nothing” situation then as well as on Sunday, if by some miracle they make it that far. I would think three days’ rest would be sufficient for them.

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  45. NIL in West Virginia:
    False teeth?
    Truck undercoating?
    Trailer mortgages?
    Insanity has pervaded college football.
    At least the pros have a salary cap.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Maybe he’ll be an advocate for coal mining!

      I was expecting him to go to UPS..

      Go Pitt.

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  46. Daughter’s Marriotts Ridge Girls lacrosse team wins 3A Maryland State Championship tonight with an amazing 11-10 comeback win over an undefeated Severna Park team!!!

    Down 10-7 with about 5 minutes to go. Had lost an early season game to the SP Eagles by a 16-6 score. Amazing team effort and they only lose 5 seniors so stay loaded for next year. Maybe Pitt could use some kid/s I know on their Victory Heights turf 🙂

    Liked by 7 people

    1. That probably meant more to Chris than the 3.5 mil did to Addison. Addison “expected” a reward. Maloney didn’t but earned it. Narduzzi does these things well. And contrary to the belief of some, Narduzzi is indeed NOT a fool.

      Liked by 7 people

      1. Pitt has zero chance with any five star and most four stars since they can’t buy kids or don’t want to for whatever reason. Why bother offering that level of talent now unless you have a booster club with money. Best to target all the kids with Elon offers then. And coach those two stars up to five stars.

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      2. According to his Bio on the Pitt football athletic site – “2021: A walk-on his initial three years, Maloney was awarded a scholarship prior to the 2021 season…played in 13 games, serving on special teams and as a reserve defensive end…totaled three tackles and a sack assist on the year…had a career-high two stops at Duke…had a sack assist at Syracuse…honored as a Military Bowl 3M Scholar-Athlete.”

        I guess walk-on awarded scholarships are only for 1 year. Still a great honor and shows what hard work and perseverance can accomplish.

        Liked by 3 people

  48. OT: NC State beat Miami late yesterday to clinch Pool C in the ACC baseball tournament and will play the winner of Pool B at 5pm on Saturday.

    Pitt is the winner of Pool B.

    I know from afar it appears our Panther athletes cannot seem to beat the Wolfpack in anything.

    The winner of this game advances to the championship game on Sunday.

    Go Pitt!

    Like

    1. I DVR’ed PItt/Louisville game on the Baltimore Sports Network MASN. (not sure why it is not on the PGH ATT&T) My four year old son watched the last three innings with me. He is starting to understand the rules of baseball and when Hullett had the winning hit and the team mauled him at second base and squirted water at on him, I realized my son and I were jumping up and down…our first sports and Pitt bonding moment.

      In an era where I have to shield the little one from the evening news so he can maintain some innocence, it was refreshing to enjoy something so simple.

      Liked by 9 people

    2. In what I suppose is an example of shrewd timing by Pitt, I just received a letter from Coach Bell thanking me again for my (modest) contribution to the Pitt Baseball Championship Fund….

      (And I got a bag emblazoned with “Pitt Baseball.” )

      Go Pitt.

      Liked by 2 people

    3. The following post showed up on the Panther-lair:

      “Unless I missed one, we have played them (NC State) 13 times since we joined the ACC. Once in the tournament and four three game series. So far we have won all but 13 of those games.”

      Liked by 1 person

  49. Recruiting has always been a crap shoot. You never know when a 5 star is going to flame out or a no star becomes a starter. Now large amounts of money are being added to the mix. Imagine how much Rushel Shell would have commanded coming out of high school. What happens when these kids get injured? How about a Picciotti who has multiple concussions or the guys who recently never played because of heart issues?

    Are these moneys guaranteed? What happens when a donor reneges on the offer or goes bankrupt and can’t meet the obligation. What happens when that no star beats out the NIL millionaire?
    Imagine what the next Tyrell Pryor or LeVar Arrington will be worth coming out of high school?
    Pro athletes have been known to go crazy with their money, imagine 18 year old kids living away from home for the first time and how many family and friends will come out of the woodwork.
    What kind of parties will these guys throw on or off campus?

    It boggles the mind.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Is NIL guaranteed money? What if one of these high school juniors gets hurt during senior year do they still get paid? Take Shady McCoy as an example. Will these kids now cruise through their senior years to avoid injury?

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  53. Most likely, the money men are only interested in getting these kids to go to their preferred college. So once this is accomplished they are on to the next player. My guess is that NIL deals come with contracts where the money amount is in large print, but the stipulations are in small print in the back. It is difficult to see how these multi-year deals would be paid out if a kid quits school, flunks out or transfers.

    Maybe they even have some conditions that a player must play in a certain number of games each year to get paid, so if they don’t get on the field, or even get hurt, the money is withheld. This pay for play stuff is sleazy, and we all know that in the end many players will get screwed..

    Liked by 1 person

  54. Spot on Dan. Had breakfast with a D1 head coach today and the focus of our conversation was about NIL. Great stuff. He said that he doesn’t want to be a trend setter and will leave that up to the USC’s and Texas A&M’s to go way to one side, but he also doesn’t want to be too far behind, or he fears he will fall behind competitively. He wants to be near the top, but not so near that it draws attention to the program. Sound strategy in place to use NIL for deals. He says many schools dropped the ball and were lazy with company’s like Opendorse and INFLCR. Lots of other good stuff.

    On Tuesday whilst cruising thru Columbus, the buckeye football longsnapper did a commercial endorsing a car dealership. No way I buy a car based on what a longsnapper says, but it was kind of crazy that even a longsnapper is enjoying NIL opportunities.

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  55. NIL cannot be tied to performance which will be a whole new can of worms that will play out soon, especially with state gambling laws changing left and right. NIL was not intended as an inducement for recruiting but currently is being used that way.

    NIL may give leverage to the donor to get his endorsee some additional playing time. If you don’t play my guy, no more donations! Ouch! Expect it. There will be pressure all around.

    Liked by 2 people

  56. Kickoff Times for Pitt’s first 3 FB games this season: WVU 7pm ESPN, Tenn 3:30pm ABC, Western Mich 7:30pm ESPNU. It would appear being last season’s ACC Champs has resulted in expanded coverage for Pitt early in the season. Case in point has to be the Western Mich game even on ESPNU.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m shocked that the Tennessee game is scheduled for 3:30. The Pirates play the Cardinals at 6:35 that day. I guess the Pirate fan will have to find somewhere else to park.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. What if the the NL Central divisional championship is on the line with that game? 50,000 fans will be upset trying to get parking spaces. I hope Pitt has taken that possible scenario into consideration…NOT!

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Right on Farmers. All 3 of the Pirate fans will have to plan to arrive early enough to walk across the bridge, I guess.

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  57. Is there still a Bucs fanbase? PNC has had so many empty seats this year that it looks like a AAA game is being played in Rochester. PIRATES NEED NEW OWNERSHIP!!

    Liked by 1 person

  59. There is probably a morals clause in the NIL contracts as well. A player gets a DUI and it’s good bye money. Can’t sell trucks with a DUI publicly known. They could be limited to just their scholarship at that point, or could try the portal to see if they are lucky..

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