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Stephen Thompson's Pitt chat: 03.17.26
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Stephen Thompson
1:00
Good afternoon and welcome to another Pitt sports live chat. I'm back on the saddle after a couple weeks off. Let's get this show on the road.
gary.oshell
1:00
Stephen...I see a great many pros and cons concerning retaining Coach Capel. Do you think Pitt made the right choice?
Stephen Thompson
1:04
In my opinion, it's hard to say what the "right" move was here for Pitt. There was no appealing option, though I'd argue either keeping or ditching Jeff Capel was defensible.

There's nothing defensible about Capel's record at Pitt but, as I think everyone is aware, this is about more than just his record. I can't fault an athletic department already strapped for cash saying that it's not palatable to pay someone eight figures to go away. And while there were some good candidates available this coaching cycle, none of them blew me away and I think there will be more good options whenever Pitt opts to move on from Capel.

So all in all, I think the decision to give him one more year, theoretically with more talent at his disposal, is not the worst idea in the world.
gary.oshell
1:05
Stephen....What's your gut feeling on the future of Cummings and Pitt basketball?
Stephen Thompson
1:08
Everything I have heard so far indicates Brandin Cummings will explore his options in the transfer portal this offseason. And as far as the program as a whole is concerned, I am maybe more optimistic about the immediate future than most would be. I am not nearly as low on Capel's abilities as a coach and believe he could put an influx of talent to good use. Dream of Anthony Felesi in blue and gold and that should tide you over until November.
Mr Ed
1:08
Do you have any reliable information on chances of any of Witherspoon, Indrusatis, Siulepa returning? That trio, with incoming frosh, and good portal PG and big man could see pretty drastic turnaround I would think.
Stephen Thompson
1:10
I've not heard much yet, but I would be surprised if more than one of those three end up transferring. Siulepa is probably the most likely, really because his market would be the most lucrative. But I do think all three of them believe in the coaching staff and would relish the opportunity to try and turn things around in Pittsburgh.
Bruce
1:10
Good afternoon Stephen. I  expected the Capel comments to be starting early! Now that Capel's return is official, do you believe that Jeff was not receiving the resources that he needed to succeed? How did they compare with other ACC programs? And do the additions committed by AD Greene sufficiently level the field?
Stephen Thompson
1:15
It's a good line of questioning, Bruce. I would say Pitt did not allocate what resources it did have well last offseason, though that could be somewhat obvious after a team goes 13-20. At the same time, it's my understanding their "above the cap" NIL money was not on par with what the upper echelon of the ACC was spending. Pitt had enough to be better than they were but not quite enough to be a national title contender. Everything I've heard indicates Capel and general manager Jay Kuntz will have some more money to play around with but brute force alone will not generate wins. Pitt still has to be smart with how it uses those resources.
Ernie
1:15
Will Pitt need to eventually need to join another conference for the football program to survive?  Or do you think it will join half of college football that are not in the Big10 or SEC that will slowly die.
Stephen Thompson
1:25
This is a fair question, Ernie, though it's one that even the most plugged-in administrators and insiders would have trouble answering. The ACC is viable for at least the next five years until renegotiated exit penalties kick in and make it more affordable for Clemson and/or Florida State to leave the conference.

But beyond that, it's hard to say what the future of the sport looks like. As much as the pst decade of realignment has probably accelerated the creation of a college sports "super league," Pitt football is still a valuable property and one the university would fight tooth and nail to preserve in one way or another.

The question then would be whether fans still watch from home or show up on gameday if Clemson, Florida State and Notre Dame aren't on the schedule.
Aces High
1:26
Is the Pitt lacking and paying NIL money really that big of a deal? Are the Panthers now akin to the Bob Nutting Buccos??
Stephen Thompson
1:28
I'm not a baseball writer and I don't have inside access to either Pitt or Bob Nutting's books, but there is a distinction between an organization that is unable to pay exorbitant sums for talent and one that is unwilling to do it. I think Pitt is more likely the former, the Pirates the latter.
Bruce
1:28
I was listening to the sports program on Pitt's student station WPTS this morning and the hosts were talking about the basketball team's win over California. They suggested that Pitt didn't win so much as California lost. I thought Pitt played a solid game. It just showed what we are capable of. What do you think?
Stephen Thompson
1:29
That was a long time ago, Bruce but I think Pitt certainly earned that win. Cal coach Mark Madsen said so himself. Pitt was the more physical team defensively and it executed well offensively to protect their lead in the second half.
JuniataKid
1:30
Any news since 3/6 out of Pitt football spring practices? Any surprises?
Stephen Thompson
1:32
Since the players were on spring break last week, updates have been limited. But I would encourage you to check out Abby Schnable's notebook from today's practice. It should be up later today on our site. I can tease that Josh Guerrier came up with an interception and Blue Hicks was absent today because of a travel issue. If you want any more details, you'll have to stay tuned for Abby's dispatch.
Bruce
1:33
Are you hearing any names mentioned regarding the women's basketball team position? An
Stephen Thompson
1:34
I have yet to hear any specifics, but would imagine the pool of candidates will be similar to the last couple of hires: top assistants from power conference programs and up-and-coming mid-major head coaches.
JuniataKid
1:35
Given the state of college sports, is there a chance that Pitt scales back on the number of programs? I don’t see how schools can afford to keep non-revenue sports. Will there be a day when Pitt and many other schools only have D1 football, men’s and women’s hoops and volleyball?
Stephen Thompson
1:36
Unless the federal government decides to repeal Title IX, there's little chances of Pitt cutting programs down to only the most successful or profitable ones.
JuniataKid
1:38
Title IX, I thought you just had to have an equal number of opportunities? Two and two for men and women. Or is it number of scholarships?
Stephen Thompson
1:38
It has to do with scholarships. So schools need multiple women's sports programs to match the dozens of scholarships football eats up on the men's side.
John Capel
1:38
Stephen-some say the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Every day that goes by without news of new assistant basketball coaches scares me. With that said what will be different next year for Capel? Any insight on if Greene is forcing staff changes? A reasonable Pitt fan can't expect 3 freshmen to save the day.
Stephen Thompson
1:43
I believe you're referring to the popular definition of insanity, but the point is well taken, John. The biggest difference will be the level of talent. Some added investment in revenue sharing and NIL coffers, plus the addition of a full-time general manager, should help the Panthers upgrade the overall talent on the roster. To your point about not expecting three freshmen to save the day, Greene said explicitly in his announcement that Capel will return that getting older and more experienced is a goal for this offseason.

That said, I wouldn't hold your breath on any coaching staff changes. If Greene was going to force Capel to fire assistants, I would think he'd have already made such a move.
Mr Ed
1:43
I really don’t get tarping  over the seats?  Sure, maybe it isn’t as striking as seeing empty yellow seats but having a tarp with PITT on it or whatever would just subject them to a different kind of mocking or embarrassment I would  think. Like a bad toupee on a bald head.
Stephen Thompson
1:44
If your attendance is going to be mocked no matter what, then why not make the gameday atmosphere better for those who do show up? I think the tarps will end up accomplishing that. And they still reserve the right to un-tarp certain sections if demand is high enough for any given game.
Bruce
1:44
I just read that due to the NFL Draft prep the Blue Gold game is going to be closed to the public. Do you know if it will be televised?
Stephen Thompson
1:47
There is no word yet on whether the spring game will be televised or not.

I do know that, in recent years, coaches have been wary of broadcasting spring games because it exasperates the threat of tampering ahead of the spring transfer portal window. But now that there's only one transfer window in December, coaches could loosen up a little bit. Of course, that assumes college football coaches will every stop being paranoid about maintaining every possible competitive advantage, which is unlikely.
JuniataKid
1:48
I’d like to thank Bruce for giving me another reason to detest the NFL.
Stephen Thompson
1:49
The Post-Gazette Pitt sports live chat is always bringing people together. I can't think of a better endorsement.
redoutt57@gmail.com
1:55
who are the RB's on Pitt's current roster behind Boozie?
Stephen Thompson
1:57
You'll be seeing Western Kentucky transfer La'Vell Wright and redshirt freshmen Synkwan Smith and Jaylin Brown backing up Ja'Kyrian Turner this season. Division II East Stroudsburg transfer Justin Cook is listed as a running back but I wouldn't be shocked if he makes a subtle transition to wide receiver at some point between now and September.
1:58
That's all the time I have for this live chat. Thank you for your questions and hope you're staying safe and warm during an unseasonably snowy St. Patrick's Day.
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