MORE HEADLINES - Beville goes to the portal | Narduzzi on the QBs, DTs and more | PODCAST: Transfers, Lyke's remarks, Pro Day and more | Pitt loses Horton to the transfer portal | In the film room: The impact of Horton's transfer | All-A10 freshman guard considers Pitt | Lyke: "I think the value of continuity Is Important" | Video: Lyke on Capel, the Pitt hoops program and more | Krull looking to prove doubters wrong | Pitt makes first-day contact with Western Pa. native Cummings | Slideshow: Photos from Pro Day

In this week’s 3-2-1 column we talk about the buzz created at Pitt’s pro day on Monday. Pitt football recruiting is starting to pick up steam as well and we discuss the latest there. Pitt basketball got some great news with John Hugley returning. Heather Lyke broke her silence, and also plenty more.

A lot to dig into on this Friday morning.

THREE THINGS WE KNOW

A different vibe at Pro Day
There are your average pro days, then there was what took place on Monday at Pitt’s Southside practice facility. 31 of the 32 NFL teams were present, including two head coaches, multiple assistants, and some general managers. Oh yea, the NFL Network and ACC Network held live broadcasts at the event. ESPN has personalities in the building as well.

Sure, that kind of thing might happen at Alabama or Ohio State, but there hasn’t been that kind of hype at Pitt, perhaps ever for a single draft prospect. Having arguably the top quarterback in the upcoming draft has its perks, that is for certain, and Kenny Pickett drew quite an audience.

Monday’s Pitt Pro Day was an event. It was must see TV in the eyes of the NFL Draft world, and it went about as well as anyone could have hoped it would for Pickett. The Panthers all-time leading passer calmly went through his workout and looked good. The draft experts and NFL personnel said as much as well. Pickett’s draft status is still a bit of an unknown. How many teams are looking for a quarterback? Who wants to take one in the first round? After a wild round of NFL free agency and trading season, where do all the chips land?

It is still a mystery, but Pickett equated himself very well on Monday, and in front of the entire Carolina Panthers brass no less, one of the teams that could be swayed into taking a quarterback.

The 2022 draft is a fascinating one, because there isn’t a clear cut top quarterback, and there is not one teams are selling out to trade up in the draft for either. Some may prefer Matt Corral from Ole Miss or Liberty’s Malik Willis, just as much as they like Pickett. It is unique that we are a month out from the big day and nobody really knows.

What we do know is this: Pitt had the center of the football world at their practice facility for a day, and that’s a good thing for the program. Not only were they locked on Pickett, but it put more eyes in front of guys like Damarri Mathis and Lucas Krull as well.

Pitt has not had a first round pick since 2014, when the Rams selected Aaron Donald, and obviously that worked out alright for all parties involved. Pickett could very well change that next month. Pitt had six players picked in the 2021 draft, the most for the program in a single year since 2004. Pitt also captured its first ACC title ever and top-15 finish in years. More draft picks, more on field success — it all goes and in hand. There does seem to be a little bit of a change around this program of late, and it’s all tied together.

Recruiting picking up steam
How’s this for a segue: Pitt’s recruiting has a different feel to it as well for the class of 2023. The recent draft picks, the ACC Championship — again it all gets thrown into one cycle of success, and it is one that has been eluding this program for decades, but there does appear to be a corner turning for the Panthers under Pat Narduzzi's watch.

Can they take that next step? Well it all starts with recruiting and there are certainly some positive things going on in that department right now.

Let’s get it out there first that Pitt has one commitment at the moment, and that is three-star New Jersey wide receiver Zion Fowler. So the on-field success of 2021 hasn’t translated to an immediate overflow of commitments, but it certainly has laid some nice groundwork for what has a chance to be a successful class.

I don’t quite understand why this coaching staff never really gets a ton of traction or commitments until the summer months, but that is just how they seem to operate. They do a good job of getting their top targets on campus in June, and find a way to snag a bunch of commitments during that month.

For now, we’ve seen an impressive group of visitors, with more set to show up tomorrow and also in the next two weeks of spring ball. For instance, Hykeem Williams made his way to Pittsburgh last weekend. A top 40 recruit in the nation showing up on his own dime from Florida for a spring practice. When exactly has that ever happened at Pitt before? Three of the top players in the state of Maryland: Desmond Umeozulo, Mason Robinson, Isaiah Neal - yep they were there too.

Again, I don’t know if Pitt signs a top 20 class or anything when it is all said and done. It does feel like this class can be a good one though. Pitt is now a stop for top out-of-state prospects at the very least, and getting good players on campus is half the battle. It comes back to winning championships and having guys drafted - Pitt has done both lately, and it’s showing up and helping out in other aspects of the program now.

Pitt has John Hugley
Pitt star sophomore center John Hugley announced on social media earlier this week that he intends to stay with the program for next season. In his post Hugley said, “I am committed to continuing my growth as a person and as a player at the University of Pittsburgh. I love Coach Capel and appreciate how he and the staff have helped me develop over the past two years. I am excited about the process and eager to continue to evolve as a person, player, and leader at Pitt.”

OK, that’s one. Now what?

Hugley is a huge piece to have return for next season, make no mistake about it. The former four-star recruit had a breakout campaign after averaging 14.8 points per game and 7.9 rebounds in 2021-22. The Cleveland native recorded nine double-doubles in 32 games this season, and will be one of the top returnees in the ACC for next year. If there is ever a player to build around for the current state of Pitt basketball it’s Hugley.

The question is, who joins him? Pitt has had four transfer portal entries since the season has ended. Shooting guard Ithiel Horton entered the portal this week, perhaps the biggest loss to date.

Couple those transfers with the departures of seniors Mo Gueye and Onye Ezeakudo, Pitt now has six scholarships to fill next season. That is assuming nobody else will leave, and in today’s college basketball, that’s far from a certainty.

Jamarius Burton should be back, and he posted 12.4 points per game this past season, a career-high for him in his four years in college basketball. Nike Sibande is set to return after missing this past season with an ACL injury. William Jeffress and Femi Odukale are also still with the program.

The existing core around Hugley is a nice start, but again we saw this group just finish out this past season with 11 wins. Needless to say he needs help. There are new prospects and transfers becoming available everyday, and the Pitt staff is working to add more pieces around the talented big man.

We know this: Pitt has John Hugley. Pitt needs more around him, and how they piece together the roster will not only dictate how next season goes, it may also decide the fate of Jeff Capel’s tenure with the program.

TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE

What do we make of Heather Lyke’s press conference?
Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke stopped by Pitt’s football practice on Tuesday, and had an impromptu media session with the reporters in attendance. There has been a lot of excitement surrounding the Pitt football program in the past year, but naturally the conversation went in another direction.

Pitt basketball closed out this season with 11 wins. It’s the sixth straight year without a postseason appearance, and the fourth under the watch of Jeff Capel, a hire Lyke made that was met with great promise, but has yet to translate to success thus far.

Lyke was candid on Tuesday. She acknowledged the failures, made mention that the program needs to improve — all things you would expect her to say. That is all well and good, but it still all felt unsatisfying, if that’s even the right word for it.

Look, we’ve talked at length about the Pitt basketball program and Jeff Capel. There have been four bad seasons under his watch, a growing list of transfers that exit the program after each season, and some recruiting failures in there that have been well documented.

The development and retention of talent is a big issue holding this program back, and John Hugley announcing his return is about the best news this program has received in probably the entire calendar year to this point. Now it really comes down to action. They need to piece together a more talented roster, as you now know Capel infamously said, ‘We need better players’ following the team's final game of the season.

It’s true. He is not wrong.

We have acknowledgment from the administration that what is happening with the basketball program is not acceptable. I guess that’s a start on their end. Lyke’s silence on the topic was a bit strange throughout the year. Not granting interview requests to local media only made it weirder. Stating her show of faith on Capel on a Friday evening through a national reporter didn’t really help matters either.

So what do we make of what she said on Tuesday? I don’t put too much stock into it. I don’t fault her for how she answered the questions, things kind of are what they are right now. Overall, I thought she said what needed to be said without going overboard. It may not have been what fans wanted to hear, but to a point there's only so much you can say when you are in her shoes.

The only thing that really matters for Lyke and Capel moving forward are wins. Plain and simple. Pitt needs to show something next year — anything, really. Talking it out in a press conference and letting the fans know it needs to improve is all well and good, but are they actually taking the necessary steps to make Pitt basketball a better team next season, or is the school just buying time until the buyout gets reduced?

We’ll see.

Who is that next wave of drafted players?
After watching what unfolded on Monday, it had me thinking who will be participating in Pitt’s Pro Day next season. Pickett and Mathis are locks to be drafted. I think Cal Adomitis and Lucas Krull may have a chance as well. So who are the candidates for next year?

Here are a few players I think will be creating some buzz this time next year.

Jordan Addison: This one seems obvious. The reigning Biletnikoff Award winner will be a draft eligible junior next season, and at the track he’s on, I doubt he will spend a fourth season at Pitt. Addison actually participated in Pitt’s pro day on Monday, as he caught passes for Kenny Pickett. Not a bad start to his draft campaign for next year with 31 teams watching him workout already.

Carter Warren: The big offensive linemen may have gotten drafted this year. He had a Senior Bowl invite on the table after starting at left tackle for Pitt for three seasons. He and the entire offensive line opted to return for one final go around, and Warren is hoping his stock improves. He has the size and experience, and has a chance to take a step forward in 2022.

Habbakkuk Baldonado: The big, athletic defensive end from Italy looks like he can follow in the footsteps of Patrick Jones and Rashad Weaver and become the next drafted defensive end for Charlie Partridge and the Pitt program. Baldonado had a breakout season in 2021 and was named second team All-ACC after registering 11.5 tackles for loss and 9 sacks. He should have every opportunity to post similar numbers this season, if not better and be in the conversation to be picked next April.

Calijah Kancey: Calijah Kancey will only be a junior, but he will be a candidate to leave Pitt a season early if he continues his current trajectory. Kancey was a third-team All American in 2021 after registering a team-high 13 tackles for loss from his interior spot. Kancey is not a big defensive tackle, but those are the types of players that have flourished at Pitt. We saw Jaylen Twyman probably leave a year too soon back in 2019, but Kancey did not follow in those footsteps and has another year to prove to NFL scouts what he can do.

Sir’Vocea Dennis: It has been a steady climb for Sir’Vocea Dennis. He was a third team All-ACC pick in 2020 as a co-starter as an outside linebacker. Last season, he moved to the middle and earned second team all conference. Dennis is a cerebral player and an athletic one at that. He may be Pitt’s most important player on defense for this upcoming season, and should have a chance to move into draft consideration with another strong year.

A defensive back: Pitt has had five defensive backs selected in the last four drafts. Damarri Mathis will make that six Pitt DBs drafted in five years next month. I have a hunch that trend will continue, but I’m not quite sure who it will be just yet. Safeties Brandon Hill and Erick Hallett improved as the 2021 season went on, and cornerback Marquis Williams has been a steady, unsung player for two years now. AJ Woods and MJ Devonshire showed promise. I don’t know if all five of these guys will get drafted, but I suspect at least one of them will.

ONE PREDICTION

We start to hear more about the Quarterback battle
Pat Narduzzi can’t keep everyone in the dark about the quarterback battle forever, right?

…Right?

The current situation is this: both Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti are both vying for the starting quarterback job, and through eight spring practices a starter has not been named. Not only has a starter not been named, there’s been very little said about who is ahead right now publicly. I would say that is not much of a surprise for a variety of reasons, but the simple one may be this: It is still a neck and neck battle.

Pitt keeps the majority of their spring practices closed, save for about a half hour window twice a week. Not much is shown during those media windows either other than some basic drills. So the next best thing is to ask the head coach, which is exactly what I did on Thursday.

“Quarterbacks are looking good,” Narduzzi replied. "Kedon and Nick are really playing well right now. It’s a great battle right now. We’ve got two quarterbacks that we can win with.”

Not much to be gained from that quote, so how about a follow up on when he plans on naming a starter?

"Don’t know. I haven’t thought about it. Just waiting for — I love the competition and we’ll see. Like I said, we’ve got two good ones.”

Yet again, not much to take from that. So why not ask one of the wide receivers?

“I’m just a receiver, I catch the ball for them,” Pitt sophomore wideout Jaden Bradley said of the quarterback race. “They’re both good, I like them both. I love them,” Bradley

A well coached answer, if nothing else from the sophomore wideout. Akron transfer Konata Mumpfield was quick to not give up anything as well.

“They look great,” he said on Thursday. "It’s a great battle, they’re both throwing the ball well. They’re both leading well, both calling plays well. We are in for a special surprise.”

So that’s the story, nobody is giving much on this quarterback battle, but I predict that changes here pretty soon, if for nothing else than more of an opportunity to see them throw. There are six more spring practices beginning tomorrow leading up until the spring game on April 9th. That will be the first real look most of us will get at how both players perform in a ‘game’ setting.

I am not saying there will be a definitive answer on the starting quarterback situation by the end of spring ball, in fact I’d be a little surprised if there was a formal announcement at all at the conclusion of the spring, but soon enough we’re going to know more about what is going on, even if we have to wait until the spring game to see it with our own eyes.