As summer workouts end, Pitt men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel likes makeup of roster
A bouncing basketball caught the attention of Jeff Capel this week while the Pitt coach was sitting in his office at Petersen Events Center. What’s so strange about the sound of basketballs bouncing in a gym? Not a thing, unless, of course, no one was expected to be around. “I...
Pitt’s Eli Holstein, Desmond Reid, Kyle Louis earn preseason All-ACC selections, Player of the Year votes
The Preseason All-ACC Team was announced Thursday, and Pitt placed second league-wide with three selections: tailback/punt returner Desmond Reid, who was chosen to the offensive and specialist teams, plus linebacker Kyle Louis, who made the defensive squad. Clemson led the ACC with 11 selections. Additionally, Reid, Louis and quarterback Eli...
For 1st time since Kenny Pickett, Pitt starts season with continuity at quarterback
Continuity at quarterback has been elusive of late for Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi. In 2024, when Alabama transfer Eli Holstein earned the starting job heading into Week 1, he became the third quarterback in as many years to begin a season for the Panthers since Kenny Pickett’s final campaign in...
Pitt, Penn State to renew basketball rivalry
The Pitt and Penn State rivalry has been a much-discussed and debated topic for years across Pennsylvania. Though the schools’ administrators have not been able to renew the longtime matchup on the football field, they were able to find a spot in the schedule for the men’s basketball teams to...
Pitt picked to finish 9th in ACC preseason poll
Pitt’s football team was picked to be in the middle of the ACC pack this season, according to media members that cover the league. The Panthers were slotted ninth in the ACC football preseason media poll released Wednesday. Defending ACC champion Clemson was tabbed the preseason favorite in a vote...
Pitt’s players, coaches believe special things are attainable in 2025
Any college football coach, bitter (somewhat understandably) at the freedom athletes enjoy with the transfer portal, could easily assert that his program is better off minus those who departed after a given season. It wouldn’t be fair to label coach Pat Narduzzi as bitter, but Pitt’s 11th-year head coach undoubtedly...
Pitt renews rivalry with Villanova for next 2 seasons
Pitt men’s basketball has scheduled two matchups with Villanova, renewing a former Big East rivalry. Villanova will host the first game in Philadelphia on Dec. 13. The Wildcats will visit Pittsburgh during the 2026-27 season. Rivalry renewed???????????? pic.twitter.com/EDJ6GnENa3— Pitt Basketball (@Pitt_MBB) July 30, 2025 “We are excited to add...
Pitt football camp preview: 5 storylines to watch as Panthers get underway
Confidence can sometimes be misleading or misplaced. In the case of Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi, his confidence in the 2023 team was of the latter variety, as it finished 3-9. Fast forward two years, and Narduzzi is confident once again heading into Year 11 in Oakland, with his Panthers...
Pitt, Penn State players earn prestigious preseason recognition
A pair of Pitt football players and three from Penn State are listed among the nation’s top preseason contenders for the Maxwell Award, which is presented to the most outstanding player in college football. The 80-member Maxwell Award Watch List includes Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein and running back Desmond Reid,...
First Call: Minkah Fitzpatrick’s new money; Kenny Pickett’s injury; a twist on Mitch Keller trade rumors
Monday’s “First Call” features some new money up front for former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. We look at Kenny Pickett’s hamstring injury in Cleveland. There is a new layer to the Mitch Keller trade rumors, and we examine the Pirates’ road trip out west. Pickett’s problem It doesn’t sound...
Transfer center Dishon Jackson eager to shine for Pitt basketball
Belief is important to athletes because it allows them to be confident in their abilities. That is no exception for Pitt center Dishon Jackson, who believes he can make a big difference for the Panthers basketball team this season. However, for Jackson to commit to Pitt in the first place,...
Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi discusses CFP, rivalry with WVU, coaching in today’s college athletics
Pat Narduzzi is far from alone among his college football coaching peers in stressing that his No. 1 priority at work every day is to, as his job title suggests, coach. But the times have changed rapidly as a result of a highly fluid college athletics landscape that’s seen players...
Pat Narduzzi, Pitt players set high expectations for 2025 after disappointing finish last year
Pitt’s 2024 campaign was one few Panthers fans will likely forget because of its extreme peaks and valleys. After compiling a 7-0 record through the end of October — the best start in program history since 1982 — five straight losses followed to conclude the regular season. Then came the...
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips touts stability, strength of league in challenging college athletics atmosphere
It’s a tumultuous time to be in a college sports leadership position. That’s largely the result of seismic alterations to the student-athlete experience centered around NIL, following lengthy discussion and legal jousting. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, like his peers at the helm of the other three power conferences, has had...
One of Australia’s top young basketball players headed to Pitt
One of Australia’s finest young basketball players is headed to Pitt. Roman Siulepa, a 6-foot-7 forward who just turned 19, has committed to the Panthers, according to a report by ESPN and a statement from his pro team in Australia, confirming a piece of long-rumored news. Siulepa, a physical forward...
Jimmy Joe Robinson, Pitt’s 1st Black varsity football player, dies at 97
Jimmy Joe Robinson, the first Black varsity football player at Pitt, died Monday at the age of 97, the university announced Wednesday afternoon. Robinson was born in Connellsville and debuted with the Panthers in 1945, when Pitt finished 3-7 under coach Clark Shaughnessy. He lettered at Pitt for two additional...
Pair of Pitt Panthers picked by Padres on 2nd day of MLB Draft
A pair of Pitt baseball players were chosen by the San Diego Padres on the second day of the MLB Draft on Monday. Left-handed pitcher Ryan Reed was selected in the 15th round (460th overall) and first baseman Luke Cantwell went in the 20th round (610th overall) Reed went 5-4...
Tim Benz: If the NCAA still wants to expand March Madness, at least fix one flaw along the way
It appears that the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournaments will not expand. For now. Thankfully. Although it does seem like just a matter of time before that happens. “The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in...
Winding college career brings ‘Big’ John Hugley IV back to the ‘Burgh
A mountain of a man with an adoring smile emerged Tuesday from the summer basketball workout at Duquesne’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse and cheerfully greeted a curious onlooker. “Can I call you ‘Big John?’ ” the visitor inquired. To which John Hugley IV responded: “Sure can.” Wait, are we talking about...
First Call: Skepticism over T.J. Watt yielding a 1st-round pick in a trade; Larry Fitzgerald’s son chooses college
We wrap up an extended holiday weekend with Monday’s “First Call.” It features a schism between T.J. Watt’s trade value and his contract demands. A former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver is trying to find a way back into the NFL. A renowned Pitt alum has a son who will be attending...
Pitt men’s basketball to host Providence in exhibition game
Pitt fans missing the old Big East Conference can enjoy a battle with a formal men’s basketball rival this fall. The Panthers will host Providence in an exhibition game to open the season Oct. 19 at Petersen Events Center. Tip-off time is still to be determined. Pitt will make a...
Pitt, Penn State players selected for Walter Camp Preseason All-America teams
The Walter Camp Football Foundation released its preseason All-America teams Tuesday. Penn State’s Nick Singleton, Zane Durant and Olaivavega Ioane, along with Pitt’s Kyle Louis, were selected. Singleton earned first-team offense honors at running back, while Durant made first-team defense as a defensive lineman. Louis joined Durant on first-team defense...
First Call: Football camp walks back criticism of George Pickens; Tyler Boyd discusses prospect of joining Steelers
There is an odd twist in the story about former Steeler George Pickens bailing on that youth football camp. Pitt product Tyler Boyd discusses the prospect of playing with the Steelers. The Mets are getting ripped for how they played this weekend in Pittsburgh. And there are some local connections...
Olivia Babcock becomes 1st Pitt female athlete nominated for ESPY Award
Olivia Babcock became the first female athlete in Pitt history to receive an ESPY nomination, the school announced Thursday. A decorated member of the Panthers’ NCAA semifinalist women’s volleyball team, Babcock is an ESPY nominee for best college athlete in women’s sports. She joins Southern Cal basketball star JuJu Watkins,...
Oregon State transfer Damarco Minor answers Pitt’s help-wanted call at point guard
The Pitt men’s basketball team needed a point guard after All-ACC third-teamer Jaland Lowe’s transfer to Kentucky. Damarco Minor was happy to answer the call. A call in April, that is, from Pitt coach Jeff Capel that quickly convinced Minor to transfer in from Oregon State. “I’ve been in this...
