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Abby Schnable's Pitt sports chat: 01.20.26
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Abby Schnable
12:33
Hello! So happy to be back to answer your Pitt sports questions. Hit me with anything hoops, football or even volleyball.
Matt from LA
12:34
In regards to Narduzzi and Capel, what is worst: The lack of money to buy each of them out or the lack of money to prevent them from recruiting monetarily in today’s college atmosphere?
Abby Schnable
12:37
It's different for each coach, mostly because — for the most part — I do think Narduzzi is pretty solid at his job. The biggest thing hindering the FB team is the inability to either pay high profile recruits or even players already on their squad. It's why we saw Brewu, Johnson and Biles leave.

As for basketball, I think it's worse that they don't have to money to get rid of him. We've seen time and time again he struggles with development and in-game coaching. He's good at recruiting out of high school, but not necessarily out of the portal — that has to do with money to attract talent. I don't see how it gets better under Capel at this point.
Matt from LA
12:37
Considering his performance to date, not to mention the Louisville debacle, how can Pitt possibly bring Capel back next year? The program is in a shambles!
Abby Schnable
12:39
In my opinion, the only reason he would be back is because they can't afford to get rid of him. They might try and hold out another year because of the 2026 recruiting class, but that shouldn't be the only reason. He's only taken the team to one NCAA tournament and it was largely with talent that transferred in. Maybe you can say the 2024 season was a fluke because of the amount of bid stealers, but I don't give him an excuse for that.
Matt from LA
12:39
How would you rate Pitt’s transfer portal additions in comparison to our losses?
Abby Schnable
12:43
The losses definitely outweigh the additions, with the exception of maybe the kickers — that remains to be seen. Pitt lost it's best WR, LB and one of the best DTs. The replacements have potential. I'm excited about Western Carolina wideout Malik Knight and Memphis LB DeMarco Ward. Even they are largely untested and come from lower level programs. Maybe there is something we're not seeing and they pop off like a Kavir Bains-Marquez.
Matt from LA
12:44
Is Athletic Director Greene a real person or an AI generated machine?
Abby Schnable
12:44
This made me laugh. I have met Allen Greene in person, so I can confirm he is not AI.
Matt from LA
12:44
If IU can do it, why not Pitt???
Abby Schnable
12:46
It depends on if you believe Cignetti's comment about Indiana not having as much money as people think. I find it a touch hard to believe considering that Mark Cuban became a face of the program and we all know how much he makes. Pitt would need a benefactor to step up, despite the current state of things.
Matt from LA
12:47
With the ACC’s new rules on revenue sharing, Miami got to keep all ($20 million+) of their revenue from making the championship game,correct? If so, what did Pitt make or (probably) lose by going to the Military Bowl?
Abby Schnable
12:50
Yes, Miami keeps all it's revenue based on the ACC's newer rules surrounding the idea. As far as Pitt, from my understanding both teams earned about $2 million from the Bowl game, but that money DOES go to the ACC's distribution system. I'm not exactly sure how much they would get from there.
James
12:50
How many players on the basketball team would you keep for next year?
Abby Schnable
12:53
The only one I'm 100% that I want back is Brandin Cummings. He's a very talented player that is being forces to play a bigger role than he should be at this point. He's gotten better each year and could be a nice piece to build around. I'd like to keep Roman Siulepa and get him a full offseason. He has a lot of raw talent. That's also how I feel about Omari Witherspoon, he's not super consistent. I see the vision though. I'm 50/50 on Nojus Indrusaitis. I think he has a high upside, just needs to find his rhythm.
Gary
12:53
Hey Abby you do a great job covering Pitt. Hope it continues I delivered both pg & Pgh press 50 years ago. This portal is really ruining college fb.it s ridiculous players leave every year. It should be your allowed to leave one time , if want to next time you have to sit a year. Your thoughts Abby . Thank you
Abby Schnable
12:56
I see benefits to it, but the way it currently stands is definitely problematic. It's become a pay to play model and even if a player signs a contract it doesn't seem to be binding. The instances of Washington and Duke this cycle come to mind. I'm not sure if sitting out is the right idea — I personally don't mind it, but a lot of players and coaches would. There's no clear answer. It'll be hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube at this point.
SVPanther
12:56
Have you investigated Pitt’s AD finances?  How can Pitt be competitive where its AD deficits rank near the largest nationally among FBS programs and donations to Pitt AD have sunk more than 50% in two years?  How much does Pitt need to be competitive and where will the $$ come from?
Abby Schnable
1:01
I've definitely looked into it. The problem is, because Pitt is a "state-related" institution, not a direct state agency, it is exempt from Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law. So, unlike other public universities it's very difficult to get official records. I think a lot of donors lost some faith after everything with Heather Lyke, so that could be the reason it's declined. I can't give you an exact figure, but I'd imagine they'd need a couple million if not tens of millions to dig themselves out of the Victory Heights project and then it opens up doors — like to get rid of coaches or pay players more. At this point, you're hoping a benefactor steps up. There are definitely rich Pitt alum out there.
James
1:01
With Pitt's financial struggles, are we at the end of the volleyball team's window to compete?
Abby Schnable
1:04
I don't think so. Pitt has had financial struggles for a minute now, but has retained the best player in college volleyball for all four years. They also just got a huge transfer in Izzy Starck — who I have to imagine was getting bigger offers, but still chose Pitt.  Ayanna Watson is the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2026 and she's coming. You're losing a big player in Olivia Babcock at the end of 2026 and then Blaire Bayless will graduate, too. They already have a top 2027 class brewing. I think volleyball is just fine. Maybe not continuous straight final fours, but the Panthers will still be a top program in the nation.
SVPanther
1:05
Here are Pitt AD financials 2019-2024. They can be found at Pennsylvania Stairs Reports online.  Deficits
Abby Schnable
1:10
Totally fair — I’ve seen the Pennsylvania State-Related reports and I’m not denying the deficits exist. My point was more about context than access. Those reports give us the big picture, but not the full breakdown of why the numbers look the way they do.

Because Pitt is state-related, we don’t get the same level of detail you would with a fully public school — things like donor trends, how Victory Heights is being serviced internally, or how much real flexibility the AD has year to year. Victory Heights, in particular, is a major constraint that doesn’t always show up cleanly in annual deficit numbers.

The donor piece matters too. Pitt has moneyed alumni, but confidence and timing matter, especially after leadership changes. So yes, the deficits are real — I just think the story behind them is more complicated than the topline figures suggest.
Matt from LA
1:11
I commend, congratulate and thank all of you and hope and pray that May 3rd never comes to fruition!
Abby Schnable
1:11
Really appreciate this Matt!
Bruce
1:21
Hi Abby, I hope the hip is recovering nicely! We may need you to handle kickoffs next year! Regarding Jeff Capel, I hear a lot about the financial concerns, but how much more is Pitt losing in the long run by retaining Capel? If he stays around until the end of his contract there may be nothing left.
Abby Schnable
1:24
Hey Bruce. So there's no current numbers for his buy-out, but it was around $15-17 million in 2022. You have to imagine that figure went up when he was extended to 2029-2030 in 2024. We're two seasons into that new deal, which is often around the time buy outs tend to decrease. The buy out is the biggest concern, because even if it's only 10 million that's money Pitt doesn't necessarily have — and could limit recruiting or retaining players.
Bruce
1:24
There is some misconception regarding endowments. Pitt has a very large endowment, but those funds are given for specific purposes and cannot be repurposed.  Aa
Abby Schnable
1:25
For sure. I think that's the issue, though. Donors would often rather give money to other things (recruiting, facilities, etc) than getting rid of a coach, especially if it's a cheaper cost. I have to imagine there's a group of people trying to pull together the funds, but the amount could be holding them back.
1:29
Well, that's it for me. Thanks again to everyone who sent questions. Stephen or I will be back next week for another live chat!
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