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Stephen Thompson's Pitt football chat: 10.07.25
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Stephen Thompson
1:01
Good afternoon. Doesn't it feel like a big week? It's not Pitt's first road trip, but it is their first plane ride and first time playing a ranked opponent. And the Panthers will do it with a true freshman quarterback at the controls.

Can't speak for the rest of you, but I'm excited, if for no other reason than that I get to watch a Gus Malzahn offense live and in person.
gary.oshell
1:03
The Kade Bell offense looked strong against BC. Before that, many felt he was failing as an OC. Was Eli a big part of the problem or is Bell just getting much better as a Power 4 OC?
Stephen Thompson
1:06
Fair question, Gary. I never thought Bell's offense or play-calling was the problem when Pitt wasn't operating at peak capacity. Sure, I think he can afford to run the ball a bit more but there have been receivers running wide open all season.

In the game of football, you can rarely pin blame on one player, but there were throws and plays available to Holstein that he didn't make. I'm more willing to entertain some criticism of Bell in regards to his development of quarterbacks, but the scheme is certainly not what's held Pitt back.
Bruce
1:06
Good afternoon Stephen. Things look a little better today than they did a couple weeks ago. Is this the offense that we expected from Kade Bell the entire time? With Mason playing quarterback, even after only one game, it looked different.
Stephen Thompson
1:07
Bell's offense has become known for big plays and fast tempo, but it was apparent during the losses to Louisville and West Virginia that Pitt doesn't have to hit on 40-plus yard plays or run a play every 15 seconds to be effective.

The most important stats in Saturday's win were time of possession (39:08 to 20:52 in Pitt's favor), first downs gained (31, a season-best) and redzone touchdown rate (Pitt found paydirt on six of seven trips).

Because Heintschel made good decisions and was accurate, Pitt stayed on schedule and was in manageable situations most of the afternoon. Then they paid it off in the redzone. With Holstein at quarterback, they were a little too dependent on big plays. The hope now is they can move more methodically, but efficiently, and then the explosive plays will come.
Will
1:11
Is the NIL money given to the players guaranteed? Say a big name player is given a large NIL contract but struggles and is benched after the first 3 games. Since he lost his job he says that he wants to redshirt this season which undoubtedly means he's headed for the portal. Does the team have to pay him while he redshirts or can they withdraw the NIL agreement since the player is no longer going to play this season?
Stephen Thompson
1:15
I'll go ahead and assume that, by NIL payments you mean revenue sharing, since that's money directly from the schools. In theory, NIL comes from third parties who pay for endorsements and similar work, which isn't technically tied to performance on the field or court, even if we know it to often be pay-for-play in practice.

But it depends on the school and the specific contract each player signs. Players and their representation will want to push for more guaranteed money, but they don't have much leverage if they commit to and enroll at a school. For the foreseeable future, until there is collective bargaining, I'd assume most schools will have clauses in revenue sharing contracts that are tied to completing a full season with the team, but not necessarily reaching certain statistical benchmarks.

That said, a lot of this is still shrouded in mystery and there aren't many clear rules as to how actors are supposed to operate in that space.
Fort Mac
1:16
When is Pitt/Narduzzi going to give up on the call of the sirens that is the transfer QB?  Max Browne, Jeff George, Phil Jurkovec, Christian Veilleux, and now Eli Holstein?  None of these improved the offense and you could argue retarded the growth going forward into the next year.
Stephen Thompson
1:19
Be honest, Fort Mac: will you be patient watching a freshman or sophomore take their licks while they develop into a star junior and senior? Not many coaches will.

You are not off-base. Allowing a young player to grow on the field is how great quarterbacks are made. After all, it's what Kenny Pickett had to do before enjoying one of the best passing seasons in school history. But not every coach has the luxury of job security to wait upwards of three years like Pitt did with Pickett. And fans aren't typically willing to wait either.

We live in an impatient world and everyone wants the star player without any of the growing pains, which isn't realistic.
gary.oshell
1:20
I agree with your assessment of Eli and missing throws. Still, I think the kid has talent. Do you think he just needs to find a system more tailored to his skills?
Stephen Thompson
1:21
I still think Holstein is extremely talented too and I expect him to land on his feet assuming he transfers somewhere else. A team that is more balanced between run and pass, then can utilize play-action more effectively, would probably suit him better
Bruce
1:21
Definitely agree on time of possession. Pitt's defense is probably their strong suite, and having Pitt play defense for 40 minutes is a recipe for disaster. Hopefully Reid will be available this week. He obviously adds additional element to the offense. Any word on him?
Stephen Thompson
1:22
Nothing official on Desmond Reid's health has been released by the head coach or program yet. But I have an optimistic feeling about his availability. Call it a hunch, but I think Reid will play this week, even if he's on a snap count.
Will
1:26
With the advent of NIL, college sports is now just another professional sport. In lieu of the many season ending injuries to key players do you think there's any chance college teams will be able to make trades between FBS teams anytime soon?  Or maybe have a waiver-like system of FCS players who would want to move up. Say Pitt lost their LT for the season in the 3rd game. They could go to Duquesne for their LT and either pay for him or trade them one of their non-starters who wants a chance to see some action. With all the money being thrown around I wouldn't be surprised something like this happens soon.
Stephen Thompson
1:29
I can't imagine this happens without college athletics completely divorcing itself from academic institutions. It'd be hard to ensure credits and classes transfer mid semester from one school to another. Maybe this idea has some more legs in basketball, or another sport that spans semesters, but it seems extremely unlikely, at least in the short term.

I wouldn't call it completely out of the question the "student-athlete" model is torn down eventually, but I am not counting on it.
Brad
1:33
Good afternoon Steven, two questions. 1. I know Narduzzi doesn’t discuss injuries but does Jaedon Moore see the field this year. 2. Any chance of other players besides Lee holding out to transfer at seasons end? Thanks as always!
Stephen Thompson
1:35
Good afternoon Brad.

  1. I can only make a prediction, but I think Jaeden Moore does end up playing at some point this season.
  2. That's an impossible thing to predict at this juncture. But I also don't expect CJ Lee to transfer. He's good enough to play at this level, but likely isn't getting any better offers as a sixth year senior coming off a serious leg injury.
Brad
1:40
I’ll ask two more questions. 1.What would be a passable outcome for Mason on Saturday going into an environment he will see at the Doak? 2. To add Eli struggled mightily on the road do you think that is an Eli issue or could Mason fall victim of that as well?
Stephen Thompson
1:44
If Mason keeps the completion rate above 65% and doesn't turn the ball over, that's about as much as you can hope for. Counting on a win is a lot to ask for at this juncture, but you should hope the process is good and he gets some help from his teammates.

And It's interesting you say Holstein struggled mightily on the road. I agree, he wasn't sharp against West Virginia this year or SMU a year ago, but he was excellent against Cincinnati and . Still, those home and road splits have a lot to do with quality of competition too. His numbers at home are artificially inflated by games against FCS and Group of 5 competition.

Sitting here today, I think Heintschel has the mental toughness to survive in tough road environments. But you never really know until he actually steps out there and plays in one.
1:58
That's all for today's live chat. I appreciate all the questions, especially since we were able to touch on a number of interesting topics. Now we're on to Tallahassee.
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