I couldn't stop scrolling Twitter and the Lair last night, as I'm sure was the case with most of you. Absolutely electric vibe for Pitt fans. That said, there were definitely way too many "Pay Eli, Eli going to SEC, A412 better not screw this up, Eli is going to look good in a Yankee Uniform (that one was funny), etc" reactions to his third 300 yard/3 TD game.
I GET it. Everyone who knows what it is like to be a ride-or-die Pitt fan understands where that is coming from. However, I think its really important to remember a few things:
1) From what I've been able to gather, Eli is far from an unpaid intern here. He left Alabama, where he was likely paid a very similar amount, to be a backup's backup that was pretty much being pushed to TE land. If it was all about money for Eli, I'm not sure how he justifies leaving Tuscaloosa to go a thousand miles from home to go battle for the job at a team coming off a 3-9 season.
2) Pitt Culture - Pitt will never ever be able to be the highest bidder in the room for someone the blue bloods want. Not news to anyone. However, the culture that Narduzzi has built (Duzz haters can kiss my ass) around toughness, fight, and we-not-me is something that, for many recruits/players, is invaluable. Imagine being a Pitt commit watching the last 2 games. Watching his post-game ESPN interview had me ready to run through the wall. You can tell this group is special to him already. Eli Holstein seems to be a tough mother****er that energizes off of everything that Narduzzi is. The Miamis, FSUs, and Oregons of the league will never fit that mold for players like Eli.
3) For what it is worth, I don't really think that Pitt has ever lost a transfer that was worth what they ended up getting. I could not be more elated that the hundreds of thousands saved from losing Hayes, SammyO, Jules, Kamara , etc are being given to the guys that played on the North Shore yesterday. Jordan Addison is probably the only one worth dying trying for and, from what I remember, we practically matched the offer/got very close to it in just 36 hours. Grandpa Cignetti is probably why that didn't mean much at that point. My point being, we've never had a QB like this to pay (Kenny was a 5-year loyalist so much different than this situation) and I expect, when the time comes, Eli will get what he needs to play his final college year next year (yes I am insinuating that he gets drafted after next year because I am so high on Pitt Kool-Aid).
4) Kade Bell is everything that Pitt has missed in evolving from being a starting point to being a destination. No, I am not crowning him King yet but it's trending towards that. Kade Bell's offense has benefitted everyone that is playing in it. Poppi Williams, a transfer from SDSU via Western Carolina and Pitt WR3, is looking like a stud. 5'8 Desmond Reid, who got shit on by half the PantherLair, is going league. Eli, QB3/4 at Alabama, will probably have Heisman Odds posted by FanDuel in a few weeks. Mumpfield and Kenny Johnson are on pace to 3x-4x their productivity from last year... my point being, players around the country are going to take notice of the career revivals that can happen under an OC like OCKB and his offense. Eli seems smart enough to know that changing absolutely anything at this rate would be a huge risk to his NFL future, even if it costs him some money in the short term.
He obviously has a long way to go but Lincoln Riley (scumbag), Kyle Shanahan, etc all started somewhere. Kade Bell could really be the reason that Pitt changes from just a player's starting point to a player's destination. Instead of harping on what could happen to Eli next year, it's time to let the winning do the work. Winning = better recruiting (hopefully we get some transfers for the trenches, geez), more NIL funding from whales, the number of guys thinking about leaving for any reason decreases, etc. This year could be the one that plants the seeds for a shift in success for the next 10 years.
HAILLLLLLLLL. Lastly, message me if you are going to the UNC game. I live down here and am going to have a ton of Pitt guys visiting for it. Everyone should make a point of trying to get to some away games this year!!!!!!!!!!
I GET it. Everyone who knows what it is like to be a ride-or-die Pitt fan understands where that is coming from. However, I think its really important to remember a few things:
1) From what I've been able to gather, Eli is far from an unpaid intern here. He left Alabama, where he was likely paid a very similar amount, to be a backup's backup that was pretty much being pushed to TE land. If it was all about money for Eli, I'm not sure how he justifies leaving Tuscaloosa to go a thousand miles from home to go battle for the job at a team coming off a 3-9 season.
2) Pitt Culture - Pitt will never ever be able to be the highest bidder in the room for someone the blue bloods want. Not news to anyone. However, the culture that Narduzzi has built (Duzz haters can kiss my ass) around toughness, fight, and we-not-me is something that, for many recruits/players, is invaluable. Imagine being a Pitt commit watching the last 2 games. Watching his post-game ESPN interview had me ready to run through the wall. You can tell this group is special to him already. Eli Holstein seems to be a tough mother****er that energizes off of everything that Narduzzi is. The Miamis, FSUs, and Oregons of the league will never fit that mold for players like Eli.
3) For what it is worth, I don't really think that Pitt has ever lost a transfer that was worth what they ended up getting. I could not be more elated that the hundreds of thousands saved from losing Hayes, SammyO, Jules, Kamara , etc are being given to the guys that played on the North Shore yesterday. Jordan Addison is probably the only one worth dying trying for and, from what I remember, we practically matched the offer/got very close to it in just 36 hours. Grandpa Cignetti is probably why that didn't mean much at that point. My point being, we've never had a QB like this to pay (Kenny was a 5-year loyalist so much different than this situation) and I expect, when the time comes, Eli will get what he needs to play his final college year next year (yes I am insinuating that he gets drafted after next year because I am so high on Pitt Kool-Aid).
4) Kade Bell is everything that Pitt has missed in evolving from being a starting point to being a destination. No, I am not crowning him King yet but it's trending towards that. Kade Bell's offense has benefitted everyone that is playing in it. Poppi Williams, a transfer from SDSU via Western Carolina and Pitt WR3, is looking like a stud. 5'8 Desmond Reid, who got shit on by half the PantherLair, is going league. Eli, QB3/4 at Alabama, will probably have Heisman Odds posted by FanDuel in a few weeks. Mumpfield and Kenny Johnson are on pace to 3x-4x their productivity from last year... my point being, players around the country are going to take notice of the career revivals that can happen under an OC like OCKB and his offense. Eli seems smart enough to know that changing absolutely anything at this rate would be a huge risk to his NFL future, even if it costs him some money in the short term.
He obviously has a long way to go but Lincoln Riley (scumbag), Kyle Shanahan, etc all started somewhere. Kade Bell could really be the reason that Pitt changes from just a player's starting point to a player's destination. Instead of harping on what could happen to Eli next year, it's time to let the winning do the work. Winning = better recruiting (hopefully we get some transfers for the trenches, geez), more NIL funding from whales, the number of guys thinking about leaving for any reason decreases, etc. This year could be the one that plants the seeds for a shift in success for the next 10 years.
HAILLLLLLLLL. Lastly, message me if you are going to the UNC game. I live down here and am going to have a ton of Pitt guys visiting for it. Everyone should make a point of trying to get to some away games this year!!!!!!!!!!
Last edited:
