The 3-2-1 Column: Training camp is on the horizon
Well, summer is just about over, at least in terms of the college football calendar. Starting on Wednesday, the 2024 Pitt football team will report to campus for fall training camp, marking the unofficial start to the season. While there will still be a month until the actual games start, there will be plenty of news, notes, and storylines to stem from training camp.
There is no denying that the 2024 season is a big one for head coach Pat Narduzzi and the program as a whole after a 3-9 campaign last year, so this week’s 3-2-1 Column will serve as a camp preview to get you ready for the start of 2024 season.
THREE THINGS WE KNOW
All eyes on the offense
On Wednesday, the Pitt Panthers will report to Pittsburgh for the start of the 2024 season. Camp itself will last for about four weeks, before the team starts its normal game week routine on August 26th in anticipation of the season opener against Kent State on August 31st.
Over these next four weeks, there will be position battles across the field and new storylines will develop because of all of this individual competitions. Those are normal things to occur in the lead up to a football season, but things will feel a little different going into this year.
Pitt is coming off of a 3-9 campaign, the worst under Pat Narduzzi, who is entering his tenth season as the leader of the program. The 3-9 record also marked Pitt’s worst season finish since 1998, when the Panthers went 2-9 under Walt Harris. While the Panthers have not had many elite teams since 1998, the program has remained consistent enough and typically found tself in a bowl game, so last year’s nine-loss season was very unexpected, especially after finishing the year ranked in 2021 and 2022.
Because the bottom fell out last year, there needed to be some changes. Narduzzi did not necessarily make a minor adjustment or two, but rather made wholesale changes, especially on offense. The Panthers hired five new offensive assistants this year, and the hope is that the youthful group can reinvigorate an offense that was undeniably stale during Frank Cignetti Jr.’s brief two-year stay.
The talk all offseason has been about Kade Bell, the wonder boy coach who comes to Pittsburgh looking to make a name for himself as the team’s offensive coordinator. Bell, of course, called a ridiculously efficient offense the past few seasons for Western Carolina at the FCS level. There Catamounts ranked fourth in the FCS this past season in scoring, after posting 37.5 points per game. Bell will be making the jump to coach at the power-four level for the first time. There is a lot to like about Bell’s resume, but there is an unknown factor about him as well.
Will his offense catch on at Pitt?
Is he ready to coach at this level?
Does Pitt have the necessary pieces to make this offense work?
Can Pitt get better quarterback play this season?
Those are all serious questions facing Bell and the Pitt program entering training camp. Pitt failed to score more than 20 points in six games last season, and the lack of offensive success was a direct reason the team only won three games and it cost Cignetti and a few others their jobs because of it.
The questions about Bell will persist until the season starts, and the same could be said for projected starting quarterback Nate Yarnell.
Since the departure of Kenny Pickett, the school’s all-time leading passer, Pitt has started five quarterbacks over the past two seasons. Of the five who have started games, Yarnell always felt like an after thought. Pitt suffered through weeks of bad quarterback play last season, as it was clear Phil Jurkovec wasn’t cut out to be the starter, and then Christian Veilleux spelled him and had serious turnover issues when he held the job.
Yarnell finally got a chance to be the starter late in the year, and while two games is not a huge sample size, he looked head and shoulders better than the two who played ahead of him. Now, as Yarnell enters the year as the starting quarterback for the first time, all eyes will be on him.
Yarnell produced an upset win over Boston College and held his own against Duke late in the year. Were those serious signs of progress or did he just look better because of Pitt’s poor quarterback play the first ten games? It’s hard to say at this point. Narduzzi never came out and officially said Yarnell was the starting quarterback during or after spring ball, but it was his job then and he will go into next week as QB1.
If last season taught us anything, it’s that bad play calling and poor quarterback play can take a season. I’m not sure if Pitt truly had a 3-9 caliber team top to bottom, but it certainly received 3-9 level play from the quarterback position. There are still some capable weapons in this offense, some new additions, and now it’s a matter of coming together.
If Bell can hit the ground running and Yarnell at least plays at an adequate level, the offense should take some steps forward in 2024, but those are the biggest question marks around the program in the days leading up to training camp.
A big season on the horizon for Narduzzi
Pat Narduzzi led a coalition of Pitt representatives to the ACC Football Kickoff this past week down in Charlotte. Unlike the past two years, there was not a whole lot of buzz around the Panthers at media days, and for good reason. Not many people will pay much mind to a team coming off of a 3-9 season, and of all people, I think Pat Narduzzi understood that best.
Narduzzi took to the stage on Tuesday morning, and he was immediately asked about his legacy as he gears up for his tenth season at Pitt. He sort of answered how you would expect him to, like a coach wanting to turn the page.
“I mean, I think you build your legacy year by year and, you know, we'll take each year one at a time. In 2024, we're looking forward to kind of bouncing back and getting where we need to be.”
I think Narduzzi recognized there is more pressure for success this season, because college football is very much a, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately type of business. While Narduzzi has had a fair amount of success during his Pitt tenure, it really comes back to the simple fact that Pitt only won three games last season. There can be some serious debates about where Pitt’s actual ceiling is from year to year, but the expectation is that the floor needs to be higher than three wins…obviously.
Narduzzi has not had a perfect tenure at Pitt, but when it stacks up, only Jock Sutherland has won and coached more games as a head coach for this university. He is the only head coach at Pitt to guide the program to an unshared conference title (2021) since the Panthers left the ranks of the independents and joined a conference back in 1991.
Narduzzi arrived in 2015 on the heels of Pitt having three head coaches in five seasons, so his first task was developing stability, which he has done. Pitt’s success within the ACC ranks towards the top among its peer programs during his tenure. There have only been three schools to win the conference since Narduzzi arrived: Clemson, Florida State, and Pitt.
That is not anything that should be taken lightly. He found a path towards the top, and the hope is that can happen again under Narduzzi. The odds will be stacked against this team to win the conference this year, but if the 2024 campaign can reverse last year’s failures, and get Pitt pointed in the right direction again, then that will ultimately dictate whether this is a successful season or not.
You can say anything in regards to improving the team, but actions have to speak louder than words. Narduzzi went outside his comfort zone and hired a young offensive coordinator with spread, no huddle concepts, a stark change from his usual choices of older coaches with pro-style backgrounds. I don’t know if hiring someone like Kade Bell is a sign of desperation, evolution, or maybe something else.
Perhaps it’s all of those things, but it also looks like a coach that recognized he could not afford another dismal season on the offensive side of the football. Narduzzi’s legacy can and will be discussed once he ultimately hangs up the whistle, but this season will be a turning point for him, one way or another.
Zoo Crew’s run ends in the ‘Sweet 16’
Over the past week, we got a chance to go down memory lane a bit. The Basketball Tournament or TBT, invaded Pittsburgh this past week. If you are unfamiliar with the event, it’s a 64-team tournament with a million-dollar cash prize. The teams are made up of ex-college players and guys playing professionally overseas.
Many of the teams are college alumni teams, and Pitt’s entry, the Zoo Crew, played three games this past week at the Petersen Events Center, invoking some memories and creating some buzz in the present.
The Zoo Crew notched wins over Million $ Worth of Game in the first round, and then Best Virginia, a WVU alumni team, in the second round. The cast of former Panthers saw their run end in the third round on Wednesday with a loss to the Happy Valley Hoopers, a group of Penn State alumni. That defeat wiped away the team’s chances at a million dollars, and put a sour note on an otherwise upbeat week around the Pitt basketball program.
The Zoo Crew experience allowed for former stars like Jamel Artis, Mike Young, Lamar Patterson, Nike Sibande, Nelly Cummings, Ryan Luther, and Greg Elliott to play the Petersen Events Center once again. Former Pitt stars Gilbert Brown, Jermaine Dixon, and Levance Fields served as coaches for the group as well.
The Petersen Events Center played host to the regional, and while they were hardly sell out crowds, it still brought out a fair amount of Pitt fans to cheer the team on, as well as the current set of Panthers watching their mentors and enthusiastically rooting for them.
It was interesting to see that bridge develop from the program’s past to the present.
One of the biggest things Jeff Capel talks about when building Pitt back as a program is taking things ‘brick by brick’ and the Panthers’ head coach has certainly made it a point to having a welcoming environment for past Pitt players to come back at any time. The TBT experience only reinforced that, because you could see that connection.
After a couple of lean years to start his Pitt tenure, Capel made it a point to develop a strong culture within his locker room. He wants guys marching in the same direction, and I think one of the ways he tries to instill that is getting former great Pitt players around the current team as much as possible.
The Basketball Tournament never staged a regional in Pittsburgh, but I think it’s something the Pitt program pushed to host this year, because it was another way to strengthen those bonds with the current players and the alumni.
The Zoo Crew’s run at a million dollars was hurt greatly by an injury to Artis, who did not play in the third round game against the Penn State alumni. Zoo Crew led for much of the game, but allowed a late comeback in a ‘rivalry’ game, and came up short when it mattered, denying them an opportunity for a million bucks.
I think this event brought up some feelings about some of those guys playing for the Zoo Crew. Players like Artis and Young sort of take some heat still, because they were on the team that started the downward spiral around Pitt hoops. Luther had the chance to play for Capel in his first season, but opted to use a graduate transfer year to play at Arizona, and it’s hard to blame him for that.
There were some dark days in the program from roughly 2017-2022, but I think those guys sort of fell victims to circumstance. Seeing Young talk about his time at Pitt and his appreciation for Capel having an open door policy for him certainly opened my eyes. These guys want the best for Pitt basketball program, and I can see why Capel wants it that way. Not every head coach pays attention to the past as much, but as he tries to build Pitt back up, having that history lesson waiting in the wings can and has been helpful.
One of Pitt’s best selling points in recent years in terms of recruiting has been the closeness of the team. When you talk to a new recruit, they sort of marvel at it, and that’s a good thing because guys want to play in upbeat environments.
There wasn’t that kind of vibe around this program for a few years, and those seasons were filled with a lot of losses. So while The Basketball Tournament may not seem like it has anything to do with the current state of the program, I think in a way it does.
It is all tied to the ‘brick by brick’ message, and whether that translates to wins is one thing, but having everyone involved or around Pitt basketball pushing in the same direction is better than whatever happened from 2017-2022.
TWO QUESTIONS WE HAVE
Which newcomers are we looking out for during training camp?
The wholesale changes to the coaching staff may have drawn a little more attention, but when looking at the roster itself, that is something that also took on a big undertaking this offseason.
The Pitt coaches signed 21 members in the 2024 recruiting class and also added 15 players out of the transfer portal. That means 42% of the 85-man roster are newcomers to the program in some fashion. I think given the state of college football, bringing in upwards of 35 players is going to be a more normal thing, especially when the number of scholarships increases from 85 to 105 beginning next year. But even so, that’s a high percentage of the roster to be flipped, but again, it should help the program get past the 2023 campaign.
Pitt needed a breathe of fresh air from the coaching ranks, but I think the roster needed to cycle itself through a little bit as well. The 2020 season screwed up a lot from a roster management standpoint, as it gave players an extra tear and it kept guys around a year longer than usual. Pitt had experience in recent years, but because of that, it may have stunted some natural growth and development for the players behind them.
Pitt is going to have a lot of new starters this year in some key spots, and some of those areas may be filled with the newcomers, so who should we been keeping an eye on fro the start of training camp? Here are a few who will have my attention.
Nate Yarnell is entering the year as the starter, but often around many football teams, the backup quarterback can quickly become one of the most popular players on the team. Eli Holstein is going to have eyes on him no matter what, but especially if the offense struggles to start the year. I think it’s only natural that a former top-100 recruit and a transfer from Alabama will command a lot of attention. Even if Holstein never seats Yarnell this year, he is still eventually going to be the quarterback for this program and his development is going to be key.
Pitt’s new-look offense is predicated on speed and getting out in space. The Panthers needed to add more playmakers ahead of this season to fir that scheme, so it makes some sense that Kade Bell went with familiarity. Running back Desmond Reid and receivers CJ Lee and Poppi Williams all played for Bell and had a lot of success. There are two questions around all three of them. The first will be about their ability to make a jump from the FCS to the ACC, then the other will be about their size. All three players are speedy and can make plays, but they do seem really small to be playing in the ACC.
The other area where we will be focused is the defensive line. The Panthers are virtually starting over at this spot in a lot of respects. The hiring of Tim Daoust to replace Charlie Partridge stands out, but so does the personnel. Pitt has to find four new starters up front this year, and while there are plenty of returning options, it’s notable the team went out and signed five defensive linemen in the class of 2024, and also brought in five D-Line transfers.
I think expectations will be high for defensive end Nate Matlack, who may assume the role as the team’s top pass rusher this season. Chief Borders came after spring ball, so nobody around the program got a good look at him, but he was once a heralded recruit with plenty of upside. Anthony Johnson, originally from Pittsburgh, had an eventful offseason as he went from Youngstown State to Illinois to Mississippi State, before eventually landing at Pitt. The veteran defensive tackle may have to play a big role for this team, and he will also have the questions around him making the jump from FCS to the ACC.
Of the five recruits brought in on the defensive line, three were graded as four-stars. Jahsear Whittington was the top-rated recruit in the class, and he did not enroll early, so many will be watching his early progress when he arrives next week. Whittington sort of has the same frame as former successful Pitt DTs like Jaylen Twyman and Calijah Kancey, and obviously those are tough acts to follow, but he does come in with that kind of pedigree.
The start of training camp always has new players to track and guys filling in new roles, but this year feels like there will be more. This truly will have the look of a brand new football team, and there are plenty of newcomers who could surprise and have a big impact on this team.
What returning players have the most to prove?
The talk around Pitt these days is about all the new faces invading the program, but there are still some returning players who can and will play big roles for the team this year. The Panthers still have a few holdovers from the 2021 ACC Championship team and guys who have played a lot of football for this program, but there is also another group of players who have yet to sort of live up to the expectations bestowed upon them.
Here are some of the guys that fit that category for me:
Ryan Baer - Ryan Baer started nine games last season and I think his career is tracking well to this point. He was the highest-ranked linemen to sign with Pitt under Narduzzi and basically was a full time starter as a redshirt freshman. It would be a very big thing to see Baer take a step forward this season and become the dominant player many believe he has the potential to be.
Rashad Battle - Battle was a four-star recruit in the class of 2020. He got on the field a lot as a true freshman, but lost out on a starting job going into 2021. Since then, injuries have sort of hampered his career. Battle has some ability, but just hasn’t been able to show it. This is sort of the season he needs to put it together, and the opportunity is there. Both starting corner jobs are open and Battle has as good of a chance as anyone to seize one of them.
Elliot Donald - If it is ever going to happen for the former four-star recruit, it’s looking like 2024 has to be the year. The nephew of former Pitt great Aaron Donald came in with sky-high expectations, but has only made his way onto the field in 15 games over his first three years at Pitt with six career tackles. In fairness, Donald did play behind some good players at the start of his career and was a bit buried depth wise, but it’s time for him to start showing something when the games count.
Nahki Johnson - Johnson was another four-star in the class of 2021 who came in with Donald as Pitt’s prized recruits. Like Donald, he has yet to make a major impact, despite being a highly sought after recruit. In order to get him going this season, Pitt shifted him from defensive end to the interior. There are a lot of people around the program bullish on that move paying off, so this could be the year Johnson lives up to his four-star billing.
Caleb Junko - Look, I don’t have great analysis on what needs to happen, but I do know Pitt needs better special teams in 2024 and punting will play a big hand in that. Pitt had several opportunities all offseason to make a run for a transfer punter and never did it and it looks like the team is sticking with Caleb Junko for a second straight season. Pitt needs him to make a significant jump this season and there are a ton of options beyond him if things don’t go well. There is a lot of pressure on Junko this season.
ONE PREDICTION
Pitt goes 7-5 this season
I have yet to make an official season prediction and I was waiting for the end of summer to do just that. The season is here, and everyone is making bold prediction across college football and mine is that Pitt will go 7-5 this season.
Is 7-5 a great season? No.
Is it a lot better than 3-9? Yes.
I never felt like Pitt had a 3-9 roster last year, but it’s undeniable the failures with the offensive coordinator and the quarterback sort of tanked any chance for the team to be successful. When I look up and down this team, I still see good players, guys with all-conference potential, and a few who will get drafted in April. This team is not devoid of talent, but it also needed some tweaks to be more successful, and I think the team will benefit from those adjustments with the coaching changes.
I don’t know if Pitt is quite ready to make another run at an ACC title in this upcoming 2024 season, but I also don’t think a 3-9 repeat is going to happen either.
The lines and margins between going 3-9, 7-5, or 9-3 are smaller than some may realize. For instance, we saw Pitt and West Virginia play a stalemate of a game last September with the Mountaineers winning 17-6. I don’t think West Virginia showed off a vast talent advantage in that game, but Pitt’s quarterback could not complete a pass and threw a bunch of costly interceptions.
West Virginia won nine games and Pitt won three.
Again, the minor differences in being OK or bad in college football are not all that great. I believe a full season with a more steady option at quarterback in Nate Yarnell will likely lead to more wins for the Panthers. Because again, Pitt’s defense struggled in 2023, but you could chalk some of those failures to the offense’s inability. There were games in 2023 where Pitt was barely getting 10 first downs, so that puts a lot of added pressure to the defense. Better quarterback play not only improves the offense, but the entire operation.
There are still areas where I have my concerns.
I am not quite sure what is going to happen with the defensive line with four new starters. There are still concerns with the running game, and simply the looming doubts if the offense will be ready to operate at a high level in Bell’s first season. I do not see the schedule as overly daunting, but also a lot of games where the outcome could go wither way, again, the margins of being a team over .500 and below that number can be small.
Here is my 12 game prediction, feel free to use this against me at the end of the season:
Kent State - Win
@Cincinnati - Win
West Virginia - Win
Youngstown State - Win
@North Carolina - Loss
Cal - Loss
Syracuse - Win
@SMU - Loss
Virginia - Win
Clemson - Loss
@Louisville - Loss
@Boston College - Win