Karl has a story on the front page about some early training camp developments....
pittsburgh.rivals.com
Pat Narduzzi understandably dedicated the first press conference of the spring to the tragic passing of Mason Alexander, and while the entire program continues to mourn the loss of an outstanding young man, as Narduzzi said Tuesday, his untimely loss is the first adversity the Panthers have to work through in the 2025 season.
Pitt hit the field at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Thursday morning for the second time this spring, and while the pads won't come on until Saturday, Narduzzi knows there's a long way to go.
"It wasn’t as clean as I’d like practice two to be, but I would probably guess that most of the time it’s not," Narduzzi said after practice. "I anticipated that in our team meeting this morning, saying yesterday they did a good job taking care of each other, but after you get that taste of the first practice, you want to go harder.
"Thought there were too many offsides on the defense. The offense did a nice job with their cadence, so that’s a tribute to Eli (Holstein), the quarterbacks and Kade Bell. So, he got them today. He won’t get them again, but it’s great that we see it that early — people trying to draw us offsides. I don’t want to see it in September. But again, good work at really all three phases."
So, what did Narduzzi say about his team Thursday?
RB2?
Desmond Reid is one of the best running backs in college football, so it makes sense that Juelz Goff is doing everything that Reid is doing.
Reid is the easy No. 1, coming off an All-American campaign, and if you ask Narduzzi, there isn't much uncertainty at RB2. It's Goff, who is coming off a solid true freshman campaign.
Narduzzi said that while Goff started slow, he looked really good in the GameAbove Sports Bowl against Toledo (six carries for 27 yards and three receptions for 32 yards). The pair formed a one-two duo in the bowl game, and that one-two duo hasn't been able to be separated since.
"Him and Dez are like two brothers," Narduzzi said. "I say we got a brotherhood in this room, but those two do everything together. When Dez is going to stretch in the training room, Juelz does."
The stats don't jump off the page in Goff's freshman season, but he's an electric athlete with plenty of speed. He looks the part. And he will have the opportunity throughout the spring to be the No. 2.
Derrick Davis Jr. is still rehabbing a late-season injury against Boston College, one that will force him to miss the entire spring, and it will take Reid, Goff, early enrollee Ja'Kyrian Turner and wide receiver-turned-running back Justin Cook.
"You need two or three or four of those guys," Narduzzi said. "And the Boosie kid, Turner, Ja’Kyrian, he’s talented, he makes you miss and for a young guy, we’re excited about him, too.”
What is Julian Dugger's role?
Julian Dugger earned a lot of fans with his gutsy performance in the bowl game last year (maybe the bowl game loss wasn't as important as the development of the young players...), and the coaching staff is high on him, too.
Dugger is the clear-cut No. 2 quarterback, and it's not because there aren't many other options.
“You saw the bowl game, right?" Narduzzi said. "So, yeah, there’s no question about it. You’ll have to defend him in the run game, and he’ll hurt you in the pass game, too. There’s always gonna be a special package for him.”
Dugger is a big, strong kid who only played in one game last season. But when he was inserted into the lineup in the second half of the GameAbove Sports Bowl, the offense opened up. I think a full four quarters of Dugger would have led to a Pitt win.
He wasn't perfect, throwing for 72 yards and two scores and rushing for 88 yards and another score (against one interception, a pick-six), but he showcased a skill set that a whole lot of quarterbacks simply don't have. It's not unfair to wish he was inserted into the lineup much earlier in the season, as the offense sputtered with Nate Yarnell and David Lynch.
There's a long way to go with Dugger, but he's clearly a good fit in the scheme and a very capable playmaker. If Holstein goes down, Dugger is ready. And I think Mason Heintschel will quickly climb the ranks to QB4.
Could Pitt use a proven backup? Sure, who couldn't? But there's a whole lot of upside in the room as it stands.
Who's taking over at Mike?
Brandon Geroge was a very solid Mike linebacker last season, stepping up into a leadership role that was greatly needed on the defense.
But he's gone, and a very, very talented linebacking corps needs a playmaker in the middle. So, who is it?
It's Braylan Lovelace and Jeremiah Marcelin.
Lovelace played on the outside last season, and unfortunately for him (because he played so well), he was overshadowed by his excellent running mates. Kyle Louis was a first-team All-American and Rasheem Biles earned an All-ACC nod.
Lovelace isn't quite the same player as George, but he's a playmaker (53 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks and a pick six last season), and he's smart enough to fulfill the role required of the "green dot" in the linebacking corps.
Marcelin, a rising sophomore who burned his redshirt last season, is incredibly intriguing, too. And he's perhaps more suited to take that Mike spot.
“Jeremiah Marcelin, and Lovelace is in there starting right now," Narduzzi said. "And then Justin Thompson. We’re always gonna play our three best. Kyle Louis could go in there and play Mike; he’d be dangerous. I don’t know what he would do in there, might have to try him there one day.”
Pitt is in a very good position with its linebackers, more so than any position on the team, and there are a couple of options at Mike. And there's versatility.
Linebackers coach Ryan Manalac has the unenviable task of dishing out snaps now, including safety convert Jayden Bonsu.
Quick Hitters
Derrick Davis is out for the spring, one of 19 players who needed surgery. Narduzzi said that was double the total over the last two or three seasons combined. Yikes. He, of course, declined to name any others who underwent surgery.
Che Nwabuko was another, though. He wasn't on the first spring roster, and Narduzzi confirmed he isn't with the team anymore. He's still at Pitt, though, and will pursue track & field.
Cruce Brookins is in the pole position at boundary safety, playing alongside Javon McIntyre at field safety. Narduzzi said he would like four starters at safety and cornerback, so Jesse Anderson and UC Davis transfer Kavir Bains-Marquez are in the mix, too.
Pat's Points: Pitt Position Battles, Camp Progress and More
Pat Narduzzi addressed football for the first time this spring on Thursday and covered a handful of topics.
Pat Narduzzi understandably dedicated the first press conference of the spring to the tragic passing of Mason Alexander, and while the entire program continues to mourn the loss of an outstanding young man, as Narduzzi said Tuesday, his untimely loss is the first adversity the Panthers have to work through in the 2025 season.
Pitt hit the field at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Thursday morning for the second time this spring, and while the pads won't come on until Saturday, Narduzzi knows there's a long way to go.
"It wasn’t as clean as I’d like practice two to be, but I would probably guess that most of the time it’s not," Narduzzi said after practice. "I anticipated that in our team meeting this morning, saying yesterday they did a good job taking care of each other, but after you get that taste of the first practice, you want to go harder.
"Thought there were too many offsides on the defense. The offense did a nice job with their cadence, so that’s a tribute to Eli (Holstein), the quarterbacks and Kade Bell. So, he got them today. He won’t get them again, but it’s great that we see it that early — people trying to draw us offsides. I don’t want to see it in September. But again, good work at really all three phases."
So, what did Narduzzi say about his team Thursday?
RB2?
Desmond Reid is one of the best running backs in college football, so it makes sense that Juelz Goff is doing everything that Reid is doing.
Reid is the easy No. 1, coming off an All-American campaign, and if you ask Narduzzi, there isn't much uncertainty at RB2. It's Goff, who is coming off a solid true freshman campaign.
Narduzzi said that while Goff started slow, he looked really good in the GameAbove Sports Bowl against Toledo (six carries for 27 yards and three receptions for 32 yards). The pair formed a one-two duo in the bowl game, and that one-two duo hasn't been able to be separated since.
"Him and Dez are like two brothers," Narduzzi said. "I say we got a brotherhood in this room, but those two do everything together. When Dez is going to stretch in the training room, Juelz does."
The stats don't jump off the page in Goff's freshman season, but he's an electric athlete with plenty of speed. He looks the part. And he will have the opportunity throughout the spring to be the No. 2.
Derrick Davis Jr. is still rehabbing a late-season injury against Boston College, one that will force him to miss the entire spring, and it will take Reid, Goff, early enrollee Ja'Kyrian Turner and wide receiver-turned-running back Justin Cook.
"You need two or three or four of those guys," Narduzzi said. "And the Boosie kid, Turner, Ja’Kyrian, he’s talented, he makes you miss and for a young guy, we’re excited about him, too.”
What is Julian Dugger's role?
Julian Dugger earned a lot of fans with his gutsy performance in the bowl game last year (maybe the bowl game loss wasn't as important as the development of the young players...), and the coaching staff is high on him, too.
Dugger is the clear-cut No. 2 quarterback, and it's not because there aren't many other options.
“You saw the bowl game, right?" Narduzzi said. "So, yeah, there’s no question about it. You’ll have to defend him in the run game, and he’ll hurt you in the pass game, too. There’s always gonna be a special package for him.”
Dugger is a big, strong kid who only played in one game last season. But when he was inserted into the lineup in the second half of the GameAbove Sports Bowl, the offense opened up. I think a full four quarters of Dugger would have led to a Pitt win.
He wasn't perfect, throwing for 72 yards and two scores and rushing for 88 yards and another score (against one interception, a pick-six), but he showcased a skill set that a whole lot of quarterbacks simply don't have. It's not unfair to wish he was inserted into the lineup much earlier in the season, as the offense sputtered with Nate Yarnell and David Lynch.
There's a long way to go with Dugger, but he's clearly a good fit in the scheme and a very capable playmaker. If Holstein goes down, Dugger is ready. And I think Mason Heintschel will quickly climb the ranks to QB4.
Could Pitt use a proven backup? Sure, who couldn't? But there's a whole lot of upside in the room as it stands.
Who's taking over at Mike?
Brandon Geroge was a very solid Mike linebacker last season, stepping up into a leadership role that was greatly needed on the defense.
But he's gone, and a very, very talented linebacking corps needs a playmaker in the middle. So, who is it?
It's Braylan Lovelace and Jeremiah Marcelin.
Lovelace played on the outside last season, and unfortunately for him (because he played so well), he was overshadowed by his excellent running mates. Kyle Louis was a first-team All-American and Rasheem Biles earned an All-ACC nod.
Lovelace isn't quite the same player as George, but he's a playmaker (53 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks and a pick six last season), and he's smart enough to fulfill the role required of the "green dot" in the linebacking corps.
Marcelin, a rising sophomore who burned his redshirt last season, is incredibly intriguing, too. And he's perhaps more suited to take that Mike spot.
“Jeremiah Marcelin, and Lovelace is in there starting right now," Narduzzi said. "And then Justin Thompson. We’re always gonna play our three best. Kyle Louis could go in there and play Mike; he’d be dangerous. I don’t know what he would do in there, might have to try him there one day.”
Pitt is in a very good position with its linebackers, more so than any position on the team, and there are a couple of options at Mike. And there's versatility.
Linebackers coach Ryan Manalac has the unenviable task of dishing out snaps now, including safety convert Jayden Bonsu.
Quick Hitters
Derrick Davis is out for the spring, one of 19 players who needed surgery. Narduzzi said that was double the total over the last two or three seasons combined. Yikes. He, of course, declined to name any others who underwent surgery.
Che Nwabuko was another, though. He wasn't on the first spring roster, and Narduzzi confirmed he isn't with the team anymore. He's still at Pitt, though, and will pursue track & field.
Cruce Brookins is in the pole position at boundary safety, playing alongside Javon McIntyre at field safety. Narduzzi said he would like four starters at safety and cornerback, so Jesse Anderson and UC Davis transfer Kavir Bains-Marquez are in the mix, too.
