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Stephen Thompson's Pitt football chat: 09.23.25
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Stephen Thompson
1:01
Good afternoon. You've all had two weeks to sit with the result of the Backyard Brawl but based on the questions submitted already, seems like everyone is still not quite over it. And I get it. So let's dive back in and see what we can figure out ahead of an ACC opener.
danny mac
1:02
Hi Stephen, what gives with the total lack of discipline and the more than their fair share of stupid penalties which has be a problem throughout the Narduzzi era.  He says it is a player discipline problem.  I say it is a coaching and preparation problem.  Why can't they fix or least improve in this area?
Stephen Thompson
1:05
At a certain point, senior offensive linemen can't be jumping on piles late and committing false starts on consecutive plays in the redzone. But given the way Narduzzi took some half-hearted swipes at the officiating when asked about the gaudy penalty totals, it's hard to say for sure the coaching staff recognizes the full extent of the problem.

Let's just say the penalty issues in Morgantown were not an isolated incident. This isn't the first Narduzzi team to pick up a lot of flags. I view it as a coaching issue first and foremost.
Mr Ed
1:06
Do you have any information from sources whether fund raising/NIL monies for football and basketball have increased since Allen Greene took over as AD? He has talked a good game but as a fan the only tangible result I have to go on is caliber of recruits and I really see no change in the mostly 3 star types they have got in prior years. Capel brings in a lot of four stars for visits bur hits on very few. They are really going to be stuck in 7-5 and 17-14 seasons if they don’t step up in NIL era.
Stephen Thompson
1:12
Great question Mr. Ed. I can't tell you I know anything about specific numbers. But what I can say is that, at least during this past football offseason, whatever resources Pitt did have were enough to retain its best players (i.e. Desmond Reid, Eli Holstein, Rasheem Biles, Kyle Louis, Francis Brewu and more).

There is no doubt other schools can pony up more money but that clearly isn't the end all, be all. For Pitt, the formula for success, or at least the approach, is going to remain largely the same in the NIL era -- recruit good high school players flying under the radar, develop them and convince successful ones that they are better off staying put than searching for greener grass. But without a crystal ball, I can't say for sure if that's an effective strategy or not.
SDWC
1:12
Definitely no Des Reid this week?  Longer-term status?
Stephen Thompson
1:14
There's a chance he plays this week, though it's still up in the air. I don't think this is an injury that will linger more than a couple of weeks.
SDWC
1:14
Where do you see Louisville as being the strongest, and where might they be the most vulnerable?
Stephen Thompson
1:15
The Cardinals are fantastic at the skill positions on offense, but Isaac Brown and Duke Watson are nursing injuries. This game changes dramatically if one or both of them can't play.
Doug in Erie
1:15
The WVU loss was an eye opener for me. What's the realistic win total for this team? I say 3.
Stephen Thompson
1:17
It's much higher than three in my book. Especially given how Notre Dame has looked, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see them win nine games, although a realistic projection is probably closer to seven or eight. Remember, most of the errors which sealed the loss to West Virginia were unforced.
Rob from D.C.
1:17
Despite the nightmarish loss in Morgantown, Pitt opens up 0-0 ACC play with a pathway to conference hardware and a spot in the playoff. I won't let the doomsayers wreck my hope...yet. 2021 saw Pitt inexplicably lose to WMU, yet win the conference. Give us three reasons why they can win the ACC again this year!
Stephen Thompson
1:21
There we go, Rob. It's not all doom and gloom. Here are my three reasons why Pitt can still make a run to Charlotte:

  1. Desmond Reid is still on this football team and, as far as we know, not out for the season. He's a force of nature all his own when on the field and can Pitt still hasn't seen him at his best this season.
  2. The defense is borderline elite, especially against the run. Even with inconsistent play in the secondary, it's a unit that will keep them in a lot of games.
  3. The schedule is favorable, especially after seeing how Notre Dame has opened the year. It might only take one upset against Miami or Georgia Tech, assuming Pitt takes care of business elsewhere, to be the second team in that ACC Championship game.
Retire21
1:21
I see where the ACC  has just committed to nine conference games beginning next year, 10 if you count Notre Dame and you’re playing them that year. Are we moving to a model where school Stone play their geographic arrivals like West Virginia or Penn State for Pitt?
Stephen Thompson
1:25
If anything, I think we're moving towards a world where the power conferences consolidate around each other more tightly. Nine game conference schedules make it harder in theory to schedule rivals, but playing more power conference opponents appears to be what leagues like the SEC and ACC prefer, given their latest scheduling policy decisions. So it seems unlikely to me that major rivalries would be taken off the board entirely for buy games against FCS or Group of 5 opponents.

For Pitt specifically, there is too much money wrapped up in playing West Virginia as much as possible for either school to consider letting that series die again. Penn State, on the other hand, is less interested in the shared series.
JR
1:25
Why cant Duzz recruit locals kids? He will never get all of them however he is getting very few
Stephen Thompson
1:30
This is a question that requires a longer answer than one I can give in a live chat, but I'd be careful with "can't" here. It's not like Pitt is looking to totally cut out Western Pennsylvania in its recruiting strategy, but Florida, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia are big parts of it too. They get good players from outside the region as well.
1:31
For everyone asking about Desmond Reid, we haven't heard anything new from Pat Narduzzi regarding his health, other than he was "out there" for practices during the bye week. And that could mean anything.

In theory, we'll get some more clarity on Thursday night, when Pitt's first ACC-mandated injury report is posted.
SDWC
1:32
Does Pitt deliberately not recruit larger running backs?
Stephen Thompson
1:34
No, they've got some bigger guys in Jaylnn Williams (210 pounds) and Juelz Goff (195 pounds). But they value speed above all else and that typically means smaller players. Not many player weighing 210 pounds or more can move like Desmond Reid, for example.
DS
1:35
Half of Pitt's offensive line are transfers or castoffs  that nobody wanted and the other half isn't very good. Holstein seem confused and unsure of himself and happy feet the entire game agaisnt WVU. If Pitt cant recruit better than this or pay for better players then they should head for the MAC because they will not be able to compete in the ACC anymore.Can they pay more to getbetter players or is this it?
Stephen Thompson
1:40
A lot to tackle here, DS.

I don't agree with your characterization of the Pitt offensive line. Lyndon Cooper was a starter at another ACC school, Jeff Persi was buried on a deep Michigan depth chart and Kieth Gouevia was a multi-year starter with other FBS options. As a unit, they've actually protected the quarterback well and, even though the run blocking has been inconsistent, I've thought the line has been serviceable. And Holstein didn't look confused from my view -- he made a lot of the right decisions, just missed the throws.

We can talk more about it if they are outclassed by Louisville, Boston College or others in the ACC. But talent was not the issue against West Virginia and it's far from this team's biggest issue moving forward.
demosthenes98
1:41
How many ACC games do you think Pitt will win this fall?
Stephen Thompson
1:43
My best guess is five, which includes picking off one of Georgia Tech or Miami. But I'll revise that to six or seven if they can take down Louisville. A lot of the season hinges on this Saturday, in my opinion.
Bruce
1:43
I'm not in the "Narduzzi has to go"' camp, but if things go south the wolves are going to be howling at the door. It's generally understood that Pitt can't afford a buyout, but could a negotiated  buyout be a possibility? He may be ready for a change, too.
Stephen Thompson
1:48
If disaster does strike, Pitt would certainly be motivated to negotiate a lower buyout, but I wonder how possible that is. Maybe Narduzzi finds himself unwilling to handle the revenue sharing and NIL portion of recruiting and decides to retire or find a coordinator job elsewhere, but I'm not betting on Narduzzi going quietly. He's young by FBS head coach standards and I don't see anything to indicate his energy is waning.
Bruce
1:48
When I was a kid, every Thanksgiving I couldn't wait to open the Post-Gazette and look at the Fabulous 22. Mostly everyone was going to Pitt, Penn State or West Virginia. Now very few are going to Power 4 programs. That certainly isn't helpful to Pitt in particular.
Stephen Thompson
1:50
The talent pool is certainly not what it used to be. I'd also venture to guess there are more high schoolers these days looking to expand their horizons and experience something different. The world is only getting smaller, after all.
1:58
That's all for this live chat, which was certainly lively. Like I said earlier, Saturday is a really pivotal moment in the season for Pitt. We'll learn a lot about them this weekend and return next Tuesday to talk about it.
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