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Stephen Thompson's Pitt sports chat: 12.02.25
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Stephen Thompson
1:00
Good afternoon and welcome to another Pitt sports chat. Happy to cover a lot of ground today from recruiting to basketball to football as best I can. Let's get into it.
Brian
1:00
Hello! Appreciate your time to do these chats and answer questions from fans! What bowl game do you predict Pitt will get? Any surprise signings flips in Pitts favor you see on signing day tomorrow?  And do you see any starters leaving in the portal in the off season and if so who? Thanks!
Stephen Thompson
1:07
Hi, Brian. As those who are in these chats every week know, it's the highlight of my week. Now for your questions...

  1. Seems like the Pinstripe Bowl vs. none other than Penn State is the popular choice among national writers who follow this kind of thing. But keep an eye on the Holiday and Gator Bowls. I would have thought Pitt was firmly out of the running but a couple of bowl predictors still have the Panthers headed to sunny Jacksonville or San Diego.
  2. There is usually a signing day surprise or two, but I can't say for sure I know who they will be. Maybe Ft. Cherry star Matt Sieg will deliver one when he commits tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.
  3. I don't see any starters leaving via the portal. Keep an eye on Kenny Johnson since he renegotiated deal for more money last offseason, but I think his relationship with Mason Heintschel and Kade Bell will ultimately win out for Pitt. Perhaps Francis Brewu is a player other teams are interested because of his youth and talent, but that doesn't mean he'll leave.
Rob
1:07
Does anyone within Pitt actually care about an on campus football stadium or is it just a fans dream?
Stephen Thompson
1:10
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that's just a fan's dream, Rob. Think of it this way: would you rather Pitt spend $500 million (which is a conservative estimate of what I think an on-campus football stadium would cost) on a new venue or invest money into the roster? That's not to say Pitt even has a free $500 million to spend, but the allocation of resources wouldn't make sense.
redoutt57@gmail.com
1:10
who were the 4 seniors that walked on senior day
Stephen Thompson
1:13
There were certainly more than four seniors who walked that afternoon -- 20 in all. But there were five seniors who didn't walk, which is what I think redoutt57 is getting at.

Those five were Rashan Murray, Lyndon Cooper, Justin Cook, Cole Gonzales and Kieth Gouveia. Gouveia is a medical redshirt candidate. Cooper, Murray and Gonzales could have redshirt years at their disposal. And Cook is almost certain to be back for another season to fill a slot wide receiver role -- Pat Narduzzi was explicit about that earlier in the season.
JR
1:13
IMO it’s no disgrace to lose to superior talent i.e.ND and Miami. The season turning point ironically was the loss to L’Ville. Duzz despite his bizarre comments does well developing HS players and managing NIL. Your thoughts?
Stephen Thompson
1:17
I think that your assessment is accurate on the whole, JR.

Think about this -- Pitt has landed just two top 40 recruiting classes since Pat Narduzzi took over as head coach, according to 247Sports' team rankings. But during his tenure as head coach 31 Panthers have been drafted, the most of any team in the ACC. Then you look at player retention efforts and can count on one hand how many starters or even two deep players left for the transfer portal over the past two years.

It's no secret Pitt is not among the most-resourced football programs in America, but they tend to make good use of what they have.
Pitted
1:18
Is the Pitt women's basketball team the worst team in the history of Pitt sports?
Stephen Thompson
1:21
I would have to do more research before agreeing or disagreeing with that statement, but it is shocking to me that the program hasn't turned in a winning season in more than a decade. And it's not as if there hasn't been the will to make changes.

Three different head coaches have eld the program since its last NCAA Tournament appearance and the highest win total in that span came last year, when Tory Verdi led the Panthers to a 13-19 record. Verdi's resume was one of a strong program builder but it hasn't worked out in Pittsburgh so far.
Bruce
1:23
HI Stephen, thanks for chatting on this snowy day. I caught you and Abby on the bowl podcast and someplace warm and sunny sounds pretty good right now!
Stephen Thompson
1:25
As the one who would be traveling to cover a bowl game, some sun and surf doesn't sound too shabby. Though I think it would go along way for this program to secure a ninth win, preferably on national television against a quality power conference opponent. Whether that happens in New York City, San Diego or El Paso, Texas, I think Pitt fans would be happy.
PAtoNC
1:29
Any updated predictions or thoughts on how many games the men's bb team wins? It was exciting to watch them win vs OSU. To their credit they kept fighting even when things were going wrong. Now if we could only shoot free throws...
Stephen Thompson
1:37
Good question PAtoNC. Following the Quinnipiac loss, KenPom had Pitt favored in only three of their remaining 24 games, all at home vs. Hofsta, Binghamton and Notre Dame. Now they're favored in seven of the remaining 23 contests.

Watching Pitt last Friday, I see Pitt as a team with a lot they can carry into the rest of the season. They are athletic and versatile enough to play strong defense. And when the ball doesn't stick on offense they generate good shots. The x-factor is depth. Short rotations have hurt them late in games, but if Nojus Indrusaitis, Papa Kante or Macari Moore can be more sustainable rotation pieces, I like Pitt's odds of finishing above their place in the ACC preseason poll and generating something positive going into next season.

Sportsbooks and KenPom predict Tuesday's game against Texas A&M will be decided by one possession. Win that one and we'll start dreaming about crazy things like a .500 record in ACC play.
Bruce
1:41
The men's basketball team has a lot of weaknesses. Poor defense, no inside presence, poor rebounding. There are some good shooters and when they are on, we have a chance.
Stephen Thompson
1:46
I'll also throw some stats at you: Pitt ranks 55th among Division I teams in offensive rebound rate and 108th in defensive rebound rate, which keep in mind is out of 365 teams. And in the past week they've held two teams averaging north of 85 points per game to either the lowest or second-lowest point total of the season. And Cam Corhen, for all his faults, is averaging career bests in rebounding and shot blocking.

Make no mistake, it's a flawed roster. But I would argue depth is a bigger issue. They play well in spurts, but things break down because there are few guys playing so many minutes.
H2P DC
1:50
If you could throw football NIL money at 1 position this off season, which one would it be?
Stephen Thompson
1:53
Easily left tackle. I believe the Panthers have strong veteran pieces coming back in Lyndon Cooper and Ryan Baer, plus some depth with B.J. Williams and Kendall Stanley. Ryan Carretta was a revelation at guard and if Kieth Gouveia lands a medical redshirt, this is an even deeper group.

But the Panthers have a better chance of competing with top competition if they can upgrade the talent up front and protect Heintschel's blindside more reliably.
KDub
1:53
What did you think of the volleyball team's draw? I was pleased we 1) got a one seed and 2) also got to avoid Stanford or Louisville in their region?
Stephen Thompson
1:55
It does seem like a good draw for the Panthers on paper, though their issues have rarely come in the early rounds. Home court advantage through the Elite Eight, despite finishing fifth in RPI, is massive and a testament to their willingness to schedule tough out of conference opponents. The No. 2 seed in the bracket being SMU, a team Pitt beat twice during the regular season, makes it an even more favorable seeing position.
1:59
That's all for this afternoon's chat. Appreciate everyone's questions, which covered a lot of ground took us right up to the buzzer. Stay warm, stay safe and be sure to bring children's shoes for Papa Kante's Kicks for Kids initiative if you're planning on being at the Petersen Events Center for tonight's basketball game.
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