Four Things Pitt Must Accomplish Before 2026-27 Season

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers will officially move forward with Jeff Capel as their head coach for a ninth season. With the 2025-26 season being such a disappointment, there's much to be done before next season begins.

Pitt is set to bring in three scholarship freshmen and lose just as many seniors to eligibility, and will need to make other roster and coaching staff changes. With a supposed financial commitment to next season, this shouldn't be a problem.

The Panthers finished 2025-26 with a record of 13-20 overall and 5-13 in the ACC. Capel and Co. must have a strong 2026-27 season if he plans to see the end of his current contract, which is set to expire at the conclusion of the 2029-30 season.

Here are some areas in Pitt's program that need improvement.

New Coaching Staff

Mar 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Jeff Capel III reacts in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

On paper, Pitt's roster was not bad enough to finish where it did. There was a clear disconnect between the players and the game plan/system. If Capel isn't leaving, then something has to give on the coaching staff.

Pitt cannot move forward with the same exact staff and expect a better result. That's the definition of insanity.

This isn't me calling for any one person's job, and I'm not going to suggest who should be replaced with who, but one of the first moves Capel should, and likely will make, is on the coaching staff.

Retain Young Starters

Feb 10, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Roman Siulepa (13) reacts after making a three-point basket against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pitt has three uber-talented recruits in three-stars Anthony Felesi, Jermal Jones Jr. and Chase Foster coming in this offseason, but impact seniors Cam Corhen, Barry Dunning Jr. and Demarco Minor are all out of eligibility.

The Panthers must bring back young starters Brandin Cummings, Roman Siulepa, Nojus Indrusaitis and Omari Witherspoon to build a strong, young core congruent with the three incoming freshmen.

This 2026 class is currently ranked 12th on 247Sports and 15th on Rivals, and is on pace to be the highest-ranked recruiting class Capel has added during his soon-to-be nine years at Pitt.

The Panthers have a shot at developing a young core next season, but they need to make sure the experienced youngsters return.

Get Bigger

Nov 29, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Papa Amadou Kante (4) and teammates celebrate the overtime win at the buzzer against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Pitt ranked in the lower half of the ACC in rebounding last season with an average of 34.5 boards per game. All things considered, it's surprising to see Pitt finish 13th in the conference after Amdy Ndiaye left the program in December and Papa Amadou Kante and Dishon Jackson missed extended time.

Corhen was the leading rebounder with 6.8 per game, then Dunning — a guard — with 5.9 per game and Cummings — another guard — at 1.5 rebounds per game.

Without Corhen and both Amadou Kante and Jackson recovering from medical troubles, Pitt needs to use the transfer portal to bring in more bigs, preferably more 6-foot-10 and taller centers that can lock down the paint.

3-Point Shooters

Mar 7, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Nojus Indrusaitis (25) shoots during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Shooting from outside of the arc was another glaring issue this season for the Panthers. Indrusaitis was the team leader in 3-point percentage and made the second-most threes on the team with 55. Dunning hit the most treys with 59.

Pitt also finished in the lower half of the ACC in 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made.

Shooting 33.4% from deep and 43.9% from the field isn't nearly good enough to contend for the NCAA tournament, especially while averaging 70.5 points per game.

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