You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Stephen Thompson's Pitt football chat: 08.26.25
powered byJotCast
Stephen Thompson
1:00
Good afternoon! Happy Game Week to all who observe. It's thrilling to see all these questions in here already. Keep them coming and I'll try to get as many as I can.
KDub
1:00
Were you surprised by anything on the depth chart?
Stephen Thompson
1:03
We'll tackle this one first since it's fresh on my mind.

Yes, I was surprised by some things. First, the number of true freshmen (10 on offense and defense) was eye-popping. There's a lot of young talent to be excited about, but it may make you concerned about the depth.

Not seeing C.J. Lee on the depth chart was a little but of a stunner, but there's an easy explanation (he's still recovering from injury).

I was high on cornerback Rashan Murray and expected him to be at least a backup, but he's positioned as third stringer now.

I'm also willing to bet freshman running back Ja'Kyrian Turner ends up overtaking Jalynn Williams as the third stringer at that position before September is over.
demosthenes98
1:03
Given the substantial talent disparity between Pitt and Duquesne, what do you believe that fans, journalists, coaches, etc. will be able to learn from Saturday's game?
Stephen Thompson
1:06
Probably not much. There are boxes Pitt would like to check (get good push from the offensive line, create some turnovers, limit penalties, etc.) but for the most part, Saturday is about getting guys acclimated to game speed and leaving the stadium as healthy as possible. Some of the freshmen on that initial two-deep will have a chance to demonstrate they understand the playbook and worthy of more playing time, but that's about it.
Michael
1:06
Stephen, is it realistic possible for Pitt, or other teams in Pitt’s class, to ever make the playoffs AND make some noise?  Can they compete (financially / talent) with Georgia’, Texas, and Alabama?
Stephen Thompson
1:09
I suppose it depends on your definition of "make some noise." Can a team of Pitt's station win a first round game? A quarterfinal game? I'd say yes to both. But asking them to go further, which involves winning three or four games in a row against top-12 teams in December and January is asking a lot, and the difference would be depth. Notre Dame doesn't make it as far as they did a year ago without the ability to acquire capable reserve offensive linemen that filled in for injured starters.
KDub
1:09
Stephen, thanks for the chats! Do you expect Pitt to be very vanilla on offense to start out, not wanting to "show anything" to WVU in 3 weeks?
Stephen Thompson
1:12
This is a great question. The game reps are important, even for a team entering year two in the same offensive system. But it probably isn't worth it to show anything on film you don't have to. The games will dictate it, but I suspect even an aggressive play caller like Bell will keep some aces up his sleeves for both West Virginia and the ACC slate.
Michael
1:12
Stephen, what’s your (early) prediction for the WVU game?
Stephen Thompson
1:14
The Mountaineers will be breaking in a ton of new players. It's hard to tell if Rich Rodriguez is just being modest, or if training camp has been as discouraging as his press conferences indicate. Either way, Pitt has a continuity advantage that I believe will lead to a comfortable win. You should go knock on some wood now, though.
WaltHarrisInstituteForElegantSpeech
1:15
Hi Stephen - where do you think the ceiling and floor are for this year's squad?
Stephen Thompson
1:17
Hi Walt. Looking over the schedule, it's hard to imagine this team losing more than five games. I'd say the high end is 10 wins, which against this schedule I think puts you on the outskirts of the playoff race, and the low end is seven wins.
Michael
1:17
What  was the cause of last year’s collapse?  Injuries?  Were they playing over their heads in the first half pulling out some wins in the last few minutes?  The SMU game, among others, was embarrassing.
Stephen Thompson
1:18
A little bit of both. No one wanted to hear it in the middle of last year's losing streak, but you'd be hard pressed to find any team that could overcome the kind of poor injury luck Pitt had.

And not to twist the knife, but it wasn't until today at practice that I realized it's been roughly 10 months since Pitt last won a football game.
Will
1:18
Good afternoon, Losing Marcelin & Bonsu will definitely hurt the LB corp. Do you think Pitt has the necessary LB depth to hold up through the year if there's another major injury or two?
Stephen Thompson
1:21
They certainly do not have the depth to overcome two major injuries. All due respect to Nick Lapi, who is a capable reserve, but two injuries means he is a starter and that is bad news for Pitt. One injury is a different story. Cam Lindsey is a good football player and just scratching the surface of his potential.

It also matters whether the injuries happen at inside or outside linebacker. Lindsey replacing Louis or Biles is a more comfortable situation than Lapi replacing Lovelace, at least in my opinion.
Ice Cream Man
1:31
How does Eli Hostein avoid his early season mistakes?
Stephen Thompson
1:32
Age and experience -- both for him and the supporting cast. Everyone should have a better grip on the system at this point. An injection of veteran experience on the offensive line should help too.
Will
1:32
Looking at the schedule they've got 6 games they can either win or lose. The health of the defense is most important because I think they'll score points. Injuries killed them last year so don't you think health and defense are the keys to this season?
Stephen Thompson
1:35
Health is critical for every team. But I'd argue how the offense plays, especially against a really tough November slate, is more key than the defense, which I believe has a high floor.
Will
1:35
Sauls bailed the Panthers out several times last year. You having watched the practices is there any optimism for Pitt to have a decent kicking game this year?
Stephen Thompson
1:36
I'd be lying if I claimed to have any feel for how the kicking game is going to be this year. College specialists are unpredictable. Freshmen even more so. You, me and the coaching staff are all going to find out how good Trey Butkowski is at the same time.
G Money
1:36
Why does PN have so many bad losses.  Continually loses to bad VA teams, especially at home after leading at Hafltime.  The BC losses are mind numbing. Miami constantly beats Pitt, and the loss to Toledo.  There was no excuse for the lost bowl game.  And I notice that Nard has a way of turning off the home field fans early in the season with either bad losses or subpar performances.   I think this is a make or break year.  Two Preseason All Americans.  A young talented QB.  what say you?
Stephen Thompson
1:42
"Make or break" is an interesting way to frame it. It seems you're getting at whether a subpar year means Pat Narduzzi gets fired or not.

And in my mind, it would take something pretty extraordinary for Allen Greene to pull the trigger, eat tens of millions of dollars in a buyout and fire Narduzzi. Missing a bowl game might put it on the table, but I find it hard to believe even a six or seven win season would end that dramatically.
Bruce
1:48
Good afternoon Stephen, maybe it's just because it's the first game, but I'm kind of psyched about playing Duquesne. Any idea how Dukes fans are hitting the ticket office? Rooney Field only holds 2,200, so this is a big event for the Duquesne fans .
Stephen Thompson
1:51
I wouldn't expect a sell out, but a quick scan of both Pitt's ticket website and the resale market says there is some sizable local interest. A couple of months ago, it cost about seven dollars to get in the door. Today, it's 23 dollars.

The weather forecast is pleasant, there's two hyper-local fanbases involved and it's the first tailgating opportunity of the fall. What's not to love? I'm expecting a good crowd.
Bruce
1:54
Nice! Now we need to get Duquesne back on the hoops schedule
Stephen Thompson
1:55
We need you in the athletic department, Bruce.
Orest
1:55
Anything to make of Holstein not being named a captain by his teammates?
Stephen Thompson
1:56
Not at all. It's an honor typically reserved for seniors and Holstein is a redshirt sophomore. Even Kyle Louis being named a captain as a redshirt junior is remarkable.
1:59
This is where I wrap things up. Thanks to everyone who asked questions or followed along. Noon on Saturday can't come soon enough.
Connecting…