Pitt’s 2026 season may come down to a simple, bruising question: can the Panthers hold up at the line of scrimmage?
That’s the issue UCF will walk into on Saturday, Sept. 12, when the Knights head to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN2. And for Pitt, the trenches are where the real story starts.
Last season, the Panthers finished 8-5, but their offensive line was a clear weak spot. They gave up 44 sacks, which ranked 128th in FBS, along with 150 quarterback pressures and 80 tackles for loss.
The shuffle never really stopped, either. Pitt used four different starting combinations across its 13-game season, a sign that the group never settled into a rhythm.
That was a theme at ACC Media Days this summer, where starting tackle Ryan Baer talked about the value of being able to handle whatever the coaches throw at him.
"I think you need to be able to play every position, and you never know what happens. You never know what you're gonna be called upon to do.
If you want to be on the field, you gotta be able to do everything. You gotta be able to know everything.
That's helped me out throughout my career, just knowing that no matter what happens, if they need me at left guard, right guard, left tackle, I know what to do on that play, I know how to do it, so I'm ready for whatever."
Pat Narduzzi echoed that same line of thinking, stressing that Pitt has to be sturdy where football games are actually decided.
"I think anytime you talk about football, you better win it up front," Narduzzi said, noting that offensively, that will start with the veteran Baer. "We're excited about, really, that right side of the line.
We got some other guys that were filling in. We've got a transfer from Penn, Netinho Olivieri, that I'm excited about.
You know, Ryan Carretta at center, Kendall Stanley at the left guard spot right now. So I feel really good with our own line, and really the depth behind it, as well.
You know, [Jiavani] Cooley's a guy from Erie, PA, that we're looking to be that swing guy at the tackle spot. So I feel really good there, and we got swing guys throughout."
Narduzzi also pointed to the other side of the ball, where the defensive front is expected to be led by Nick James and Sean Fitzsimmons.
"Fitz is a dude up front," Narduzzi noted. "He's athletic, he's tough.
And then, you know, we've got probably four defensive ends that can rotate in there. We were a little short on defensive ends last year, so we're excited to have some depth there and stay healthy."
The larger picture hasn’t changed much under Narduzzi. In five of his 11 seasons at Pitt, the Panthers have cracked the College Football Playoff Top 25 at some point during the year.
But they’ve finished in that top 25 only twice, and not since 2021. Now, with Pitt picked ninth in a 17-team ACC, the Panthers have to clean up the details.
That begins with the line play - the kind of work that can decide whether a season steadies or slips.
In Other News...
UCFs Backup Quarterback Battle Is Already Taking Shape
The early shape of UCFs quarterback room is starting to come into focus as Scott Frost begins sorting out the depth chart behind clear starter Alonza Barnett III. Boise State transfer Kaleb Annett is getting the second-team reps for now, putting him in the lead position in a group that also includes the experienced Keyone Jenkins and promising freshman Rocco Marriott.
Frost has made it sound like the Knights feel good about the room overall, pointing to the talent and professionalism inside it. Even so, the backup job is one of the more important battles on the roster, and the mix of a transfer, a veteran and a young arm gives UCF more than one way this could play out as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Lewis Carter Is Setting The Tone For UCFs Defensive Turnaround
Lewis Carter has taken on a bigger role in UCFs defensive reset, and the linebacker is treating it like a job that starts long before kickoff. Coach Scott Frost has identified Carter as the leader of that side of the ball, and Carter has responded by leaning into a more professional routine, spending more time on film study and setting a standard for how the Knights prepare.
For a defense that had trouble forcing turnovers and stopping the run on the road last season, that kind of voice matters. UCF does not just need better execution away from home, it needs more accountability from within the room, and Carter is making it clear he wants to be part of the fix. The question now is whether that tone can carry over once the season puts the defense under pressure again. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Camp Injuries Could Reshape A Few Early Depth Chart Battles
Fall camp has opened with Scott Frost saying UCF is mostly in good shape physically, but a few early injury notes are worth tracking as the Knights start sorting out jobs across the roster. Defensive tackle Jackson Jr. is still working back from a toe issue that began in spring practice, while edge rusher Bruno Dall is dealing with a strained hamstring. Even with those bumps, the staff sounds comfortable enough with the overall health of the team to keep camp moving without major disruption.
The secondary got another brief scare when defensive back Jailen Duffie recently picked up a toe injury during plyometric jumps, adding one more name to a list that could affect some of the early depth chart battles. Frost has described the setback as short-term, and UCF believes it has enough depth to absorb a few absences while players get back up to speed. Still, in a camp where every rep matters, even minor injuries can have a way of nudging the competition in a different direction. [Read more 🡒]