Jason Mackey: After lousy 2023, Pitt football actually has intriguing ingredients that could net rebound
Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Twenty wins in two years. Averaging 30 or 40 points per game, plus an ACC championship to go along with first-round NFL draft picks and legitimate bowl games.
As Pitt players and coaches took turns discussing lingering frustration over the team’s 3-9 record from a season ago on Wednesday for media day at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, I couldn’t help but think about the Panthers’ recent run of success.
The energy and excitement that surrounded Saturdays around here. Of course, rivalry games. A noticeable swagger Kenny Pickett, Izzy Abanikanda and Jordan Addison brought on offense. The menacing pressure delivered by Calijah Kancey, SirVocea Dennis and plenty of others on defense.
Despite a lackluster campaign that Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi believes has people questioning his team’s place in college football, I actually think the Panthers are closer to what they were in 2021-22 than the ugliness that we saw through most of 2023.
“A lot of people are going, ‘OK, where’s Pitt? They’re back where they used to be,’ ” Narduzzi said. “That's not the case. We’ve got a lot to prove. We’ve got to prove it by position, prove it by units and prove it as a team. So there's a lot of proving to do.”
Hard to argue there. But I do believe the Panthers are capable of returning to a bowl, provided they can stay reasonably healthy.
One prominent story with Narduzzi’s team this season will undoubtedly be wholesale changes on the coaching staff, led by new offensive coordinator Kade Bell. The 31-year-old comes off as a breath of fresh air, especially when you consider how the rest of college football looks right now.
Formerly at Western Carolina, Bell wants to play fast — and press fast forward on top of that. Plays every 10 seconds or so. The Panthers actually think they can average 50 points per game.
“That’s a tough goal,” Bell said. “Not many teams in the country do that. What does 50 points look like? Gotta be explosive. Have to create explosive plays. You have to take care of the football. You have to be efficient. You have to be able to throw the ball on first down. You have to be able to run the football.”
I’ll give Narduzzi and Bell this: At least they’re setting some lofty goals. I also think this offense — while maybe not averaging 50 points per game — can be reasonably effective.
Nate Yarnell enters the season as Pitt’s starting quarterback, though Alabama transfer Eli Holstein doesn’t appear to be far behind. Konata Mumpfield, Kenny Johnson and Daejon Reynolds give the Panthers three solid wideouts. Gavin Bartholomew — who has been around so long that I think he played for Walt Harris — should see his role grow.
“I’m all over the field, which I like,” Bartholomew said Wednesday. “Doing everything, which I know I can do. I’m excited for it.”
The biggest question on offense remains how to improve a rushing attack that finished last in the ACC last season (101.9 yards per game), but I like how the Panthers are equipped to do that. They return plenty of experience along the offensive line, and don’t be shocked if Western Carolina transfer Desmond Reid plays a sizable role.
Listed at just 5-foot-8, 175 pounds, Bell’s former tailback drew rave reviews in spring and could become an impact player in an offense predicated on speed.
But if the Panthers are truly going to erase the sting of 2023, they’ll need their defense to shine ... which means several relative unknowns stepping up and winning jobs.
Scant production from the defensive line returns. Pitt also lost its longtime defensive line coach, Charlie Partridge. If the Panthers want to rediscover their identity, it starts here, where Sean FitzSimmons and Nahki Johnson will anchor an undersized group.
The linebackers are talented, headlined by sixth-year man Brandon George. No matter who wins spots, Pitt must get back to its pressure-driven ways, where Randy Bates’ group totaled just 31 sacks and 83 tackles for loss in 2023, their lowest such totals in six seasons.
“I would liken our defense [Wednesday] to the black lab on the first day of hunting season,” Bates said. “He’s pulling on that chain and ready to go. I think people are going to see a much more aggressive defense this year.”
The last seven months or so have been tough on everyone associated with Pitt’s program — questions about Narduzzi’s leadership, changeover on his staff, players entering the transfer portal.
Peters Township product Donovan McMillon knows better than most the void felt around here when Pitt isn’t really playing for anything.
“Going 3-9 is something no team wants,” McMillon said. “We continue to push ourselves to make sure that won’t happen again.”
Along with Javon McIntyre and P.J. O’Brien, the three safeties have left little doubt on the deepest part of the defense.
It’ll also be their job to help mentor a younger group of Pitt corners that includes Ryland Gandy, multiple transfers and some young, unproven talent.
McMillon led the Panthers in tackles last season with 105, the most since Jordan Whitehead tallied 109 in 2015. That included 18 in the Backyard Brawl.
Now a key leader, McMillon knows what a turnaround for Pitt would mean and aims on delivering that as a parting gift to his local school.
"We always talk about the 2021 team and how amazing that was, what it did for the team and players but more so for the city," McMillon said. "Me being from Pittsburgh, there’s nothing I would like more than to win with the Pitt logo on and getting the support from Pittsburgh.”
Jason Mackey: [email protected] and @JMackeyPG on X