I thought we were gonna capitalize on that season and retain some national respect. I guess it was too good to be true. We have not got three percent better whatever that means,! I still love Pitt football but it tough to watch games being lost in the same way over and over again.
11-12 Since the ACC Title Game
- Thread starter poconopanther
- Start date
1. FCJ. 2. Slovis (not playing for BYU tonight). 3. Phil.
Has a lot to do with things over the last 2 seasons. Need a re-invented offense. Operated by a very good QB.
Up to Duzz to accomplish it. You Next season will be VERY critical one for him. Can’t win scoring as little as Pitt is this season.
The ACC title game should've set a new standard for Pitt, where 8-5 was considered a down year for the team. Here we are.
The fans basically have to threaten the program. Either Lyke forces Narduzzi to fire Cignetti and hire someone who is NOT an old conservative “pro set / slow immobile pocket QB / “establish the run” crony of his as OC …
… or face massive withholding of ticket renewals and donations. No NIL donations either.
That action needs to happen immediately at the end of the season too. No him-hawing around until March when nobody but the Shawn Watson garbage retreads are what’s left.
Your call, Heather
… or face massive withholding of ticket renewals and donations. No NIL donations either.
That action needs to happen immediately at the end of the season too. No him-hawing around until March when nobody but the Shawn Watson garbage retreads are what’s left.
Your call, Heather
So I guess we’re never gonna see that championship recruiting bump. Darn it.
And Narduzzi has to be given a mandate that he must recruit over every position on the team, in the portal or through the high schools. All are up for competition and none of the members of this current team are going to be considered as 1 on the depth chart next year. Let the crybabies who don't like it leave. And take their NIL with them.
They're professionals now. If they don't do what they're paid to do, which is win, they will be recruited over and possibly cut from the team. They're not "student-athletes" any longer.
Programs like ours, wake and like 85% of fbs programs aren’t built for that long term success. Hell tcu played for the national championship last year and are like 5-4.
Our programs will have spurts of ups and downs.
And now with nil we are at a worse disadvantage
Wasn't NIL supposed to level the playing field, at least a little?
Whatever it is, it's ruining the game and it's now just a few elites having an advantage.
GT & Louisville. Very substandard offensive play led to losses to both.
Turned what could have been a 2nd straight double digit win season into something not as good.
Strongly believe the Pitt O needs revamped. Far too many games scoring 3 TD’s or less. We’ll see what the HC comes up with in the off season.
I'm still amazed that some of our fans thought that the 2021 season was going to provide some kind of recruiting bump. That's just not how recruiting works.
I wonder if there are Cincinnati and TCU fans wondering about their recruiting bump after making the playoffs?
Dirty little secret: That kind of success by Pitt, UC, and TCU can actually make recruiting a little more difficult.
@TD_6082, agree with you that some quick success and improved recruiting (and that now includes acquisitions from the Portal as well as HS recruits) don’t always go together.
To be in a position to select from the very top talent available takes being more of a destination program. We know their names. They attract top players like a moth to a flame.
For the rest, it can be a lot more “hit or miss.” Looks to me like Pitt has been hurt by not being able to stay 2 steps ahead.
The 2021 and 2022 Pitt teams had some phenomenal individual talent. In both of those seasons, Pitt had offensive skill position players who were All-Americans. Game breaking stars in KP (who we knew was in his last season in 2021), Addison and Izzy. As it turned out, JA and Izzy were so good that both left when they could have been back at Pitt: JA for NIL $$$$; Izzy a year early for the NFL.
As it has turned out, Pitt didn’t have anyone close to matching their value to the team, or their production. Anticipating top performers leaving BEFORE their eligibility expires has become critical piece for programs like Pitt, that are not laced with 4* and 5* ready to go HS players or very high $$$$ transfers. So you see these shooting star teams pop up Like you mentioned above.
Pitt also had some key early opt out losses on D, like Dennis and Kancey.
Pitt needs to become excellent at anticipating those types of losses and having on the roster, or acquiring through the Portal, adequate replacements to prevent the kind of catastrophic fall off like happened this season.
Not saying this is easy to do. But Pitt needs to have better players ready to step in on the 2 deep. The Portal can help. Development of younger players also has to be accelerated. Because underclass starters aren‘t likely to be sticking around as much in college for 4 or 5 years now.
Worse, the egregiously bad decision not to replace an utterly worthless Slovis in those games led to those losses. Similar to the refusal to do the same in the losses to Cincinnati and WVU this season. Probably VT as well.
You can stomach losses when you feel assured the coaches did whatever they can to put their best players out there against the other team, and the chips fall where they may. But in several cases the past two years, our HC and OC preferred to sacrifice several near-certain victories to assuage their egos. They’d rather lose ‘their way‘ than win ‘somebody else’s’ way.
Especially so in the case of guys opting to go pro with college eligibility remaining. Guys who could've stayed here.
In addition to the guys mentioned in the tread earlier, Wayne and Haba are a couple more. Understandable in some, but not all, cases. Especially with NIL now.
Regardless, Pitt needs to do a better job of gathering information and reading things. Then getting the replacements up to speed to avoid the kind of season like 2023.
It's more than just that.
When a school like Pitt has a lot of success recruiting productive under the radar development types, other programs take notice. Other schools start to shadow and take a closer look. It becomes a little harder to hang on to some of those guys, even players on the roster.
I'm not talking about guys like Barth & Hammond. Those guys have a big sample size and it's obvious they are nothing special. But a guy that might develop into something special... Pitt might have to pay up to keep some of those guys.
It wouldn't surprise me if a big came in and tried to pry a guy like Jordan Bass away.
TCU is a bad example. They’ve won 10 games 12 times this century. Even the last ten years which were down by comparison they had 10
Bass was by far the most prized recruit in their class. Supposedly they already had to pay up just to get him to sign in the first place. I wouldn't call him under the radar, but he may very well be bought.
Sure, odds are someone will try to do that with Bass. Wouldn’t be shocked if he’s already been tampered with.
Playing by the rules is passé. Because there’s no fear of punishment by the big name offenders due to lack of enforcement.
Pitt has to do what they must to protect themself. Just like everyone else. To expect the NCAA to send in the cavalry to help isn’t going to happen.
I didn't know he was considered the most prized in the class.
He's a local kid from here in the 757. I never had the chance to see him play, but I know that there was a vibe of surprise that he didn't have more offers or higher interest from high profile programs. I don't think he played against very good competition (but don't hold me to that, I'm not sure) and I think he played safety and WR. Perhaps some schools didn't know where he fit in. Helluva athlete tho.
Bass played at Hampton Phoebus. It’s a very good HS program and I think a bigger school classification. Can’t comment about the other schools they play. Except would imagine the enrollment sizes are similar.
I mean, DAMN!!! 😆
Schedule - Phoebus Phantoms (Hampton, VA) Varsity Football 24-25
View the 24-25 Phoebus varsity football team schedule.
www.maxpreps.com
LOL!!! Yep. Some big time players (FB & BB) come out of the Tidewater area every year.I mean, DAMN!!! 😆
Schedule - Phoebus Phantoms (Hampton, VA) Varsity Football 24-25
View the 24-25 Phoebus varsity football team schedule.
For sure.
I remember hearing David Cutliffe tell about a recruiting trip to the 757 to evaluate QBs. He said he got back to Knoxville and told the staff that they are going to recruit Ronald Curry hard. Michael Vick will never play QB. 😆
Love this area. There's not a hardcore following for any particular college program, but I'd guess the Hokies are the most prominent. The NFL is much bigger here.
I remember some guy named Iverson from Bethel HS in Hampton, VA. 😏
Still the absolute fastest BB player I’ve ever seen with the ball in his hands. He was faster dribbling the ball than the guys chasing him who were running without the ball.
Yes! They recently retired his number and renamed the gym after him. I'm not sure if he still lives in the area or not.
Not sports related, but Pitt related, I've ran into Homicide Hunter & Pitt grad Joe Kenda a number of times here in Suffolk.
Speaking of homicide, check out this graveyard...
Not sports related, but Pitt related, I've ran into Homicide Hunter & Pitt grad Joe Kenda a number of times here in Suffolk.
Speaking of homicide, check out this graveyard...
I mean, DAMN!!! 😆
Schedule - Phoebus Phantoms (Hampton, VA) Varsity Football 24-25
View the 24-25 Phoebus varsity football team schedule.
So they've only given up one touchdown this season, but they've managed to give up two safeties?
If they can keep that going the rest of the season that would have to be a first.
