Three Takeaways: Pitt Opens 2024 Spring Practices
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers opened a critical spring on the South Side of Pittsburgh this week and the work of rebounding from a dismal 3-9 season is finally underway in an official capacity.
As Pitt took the field for the first time in 2024 with a retooled coaching staff, new offense, a handful of new comers and lots of familiar faces, here are three takeaways from the portion of practice open to media and the ensuing interviews with players and coaches.
New Offense a Work in Progress
It's day one so there's no need to hit any panic buttons, but it's clear the skill positions in particular are working on getting the operations of their new offensive scheme, coordinated by Kade Bell, mastered.
On the far fields at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Pitt's five scholarship quarterbacks and their pass-catchers looked a little rusty in their first practice after a long winter. There were plenty of overthrows, dropped passes and teachable moments for Bell and the rest of the entirely new offensive staff.
“We’ll watch the tape and I’m sure there will be some wrong routes and some protections going the wrong way, picking up maybe the wrong guy because there’s a lot of stuff flying around out there," head coach Pat Narduzzi said.
But that's what spring is for - get the kinks out now so you don't make them in fall camp or, even worse, an actual game. And perhaps the biggest reason there is no need for panic is because Pitt is already playing at game tempo in their first practice. They want to play fast so their practicing fast and this was the first day a vast majority of these players had ever experienced not just the scheme, but the tempo too.
“The thing is, we don’t worry about if they mess up right now. We’re worried about tempo," new wide receivers coach J.J. Laster said. "We’ll correct that in the meeting room. That’s when we’ll be teachers and teach them. We’re trying to get a lot of reps.”
Introducing Nate Yarnell, QB1
Nate Yarnell walked into spring practice as the unquestioned starting quarterback this week. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll start the season opener against Kent State but it does mean that he has the inside track on the starting job, baring an unforeseen injury or massive drop off in the quality of his play.
This has been a long time coming for Yarnell, who's been buried on the depth chart up until Week 11 of last season.
“For the last couple of years, I’ve felt as a head coach ... like this guy is a leader, the team has believed in him and I’ve felt like he’s never taken snaps with the one’s or the two’s," Narduzzi said. "He did a darn good job when he stepped out there during the season and it was like the guy’s never taken snaps with the one’s or the two’s. To me, he deserves that opportunity to find out where he can go from there.”
The opportunity to take this team and make it his own is there, all Yarnell's got to do is take it. Speaking to the media, he was confident, clear and focused. He's excited by this new offense, which feels familiar to what he ran in high school, and hungry to repair an damaged image of Pitt football.
“I definitely sense a different vibe than last year," Yarnell said. "There’s no room for complacency anymore. We’re not here to be average. Last year, I think we obviously could have been better, everyone knows that and everyone feels sick about it so we’re all moving in the right direction now.”
New Beginnings
The struggles of the 2023 campaign are well-documented and, frankly, not worth reliving in much detail. It was painful, ugly and downright embarrassing at times and, if not a couple of surprising ACC wins, would have been wholly forgettable.
But hope springs eternal in spring. This time of year, it's only natural, if not preferable, to consider a team's ceiling because how far they can go is far more interesting than how short they can come up. Expectations are not high for this edition Pitt football but who knows?
Maybe Yarnell's steady arm commands Bell's new, up-tempo offense expertly and takes advantage of some talented playmakers, who thrive under a completely new coaching staff. Maybe the defensive line reloaded enough talent to survive the departure of Charlie Partridge and the retained starters at linebacker and safety complement new faces in the defensive backfield. Maybe Pitt looks more like who they've been for the vast majority of Narduzzi's tenure and return to a bowl game.
Seriously, who knows?
In any event, this is the time to be optimistic. We can be nit-picky and cynical at the end of December but in March, everything is in front of these Panthers so save yourself the trouble and enjoy the new beginnings for now.
“Coach was talking about how we all have a bad taste in our mouth from last season. But the vibe right now is so exciting. It’s a new beginning," safety Donovan McMillon said. "Everyone’s coming being really excited and there’s just a new vibe to it.”
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