Pitt’s 17th training camp practice on Wednesday doubled as its final full-pads session of the week, and the day brought a mix of leadership, depth-chart clarity and a few names continuing to push their way into bigger roles.
The Panthers also had a familiar face in the building. Former Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt addressed the team during Wednesday morning’s meeting, and Pat Narduzzi made clear why that mattered to him. Narduzzi said Wannstedt’s style left an imprint on him long before he arrived in Pittsburgh, pointing back to the toughness of those Pitt teams.
"The reason I wanted to come to Pitt was because of Dave Wannstedt and what he built toughness-wise here," Narduzzi said. "The teams he fielded out there, you knew were tough."
On offense, Malik Knight has moved into the kind of camp that changes how a staff talks about a player. Narduzzi said Knight has already carved out a major spot in the offense and described him as one of the team’s starters. He also pointed to a contested catch Knight hauled in during Sunday’s scrimmage, while noting the receiver has kept practicing through painful blisters.
"He's already established that Malik Knight is one of our top guys," Narduzzi said. "He's considered a starter on our offense."
"He's got toughness," Narduzzi said. "He's a playmaker, and he can run."
Freshman running back Damon Ferguson is another player turning heads. Narduzzi praised the back’s size, burst and physical edge, calling him a difficult runner to sort out because he fits somewhere between power and finesse. Ja'Kyrian Turner, who spoke to reporters as well, said Ferguson’s game shows up quickly once he gets the ball.
"He's a shifty runner, and he's big," Narduzzi said. "He's kind of that in-between back. He's pretty special."
"He's not scared or hesitant," Turner said. "He's one cut and go. He gets vertical and hits the hole."
Turner, meanwhile, is entering the season as the top name on the running back depth chart, but he said that doesn’t change the way he approaches the job. For him, the assignment is still about showing up the same way every day, staying grounded and stacking consistent reps.
"It just tells me to go harder every day, remain humble and be as consistent as I can be," Turner said.
He also said he wants to take on more of a vocal leadership role while continuing to lead by example. And in Pitt’s offense, he expects to see more work as a receiver out of the backfield, along with more chances to create big plays in space.
"You're going to see more of me getting the ball out of the backfield," Turner said. "I'm going to make the best out of each rep."
Defensively, Jeremiah Warren said he’s come a long way since spring in terms of understanding Pitt’s aggressive scheme and where he fits inside it. That comfort level, he said, has given him a better chance to focus on making plays.
"I'm much better as far as knowing the defense and knowing my role," Warren said. "Now I'm very comfortable with it, and I'm ready to make my plays."
Warren also said the Panthers’ defensive line has real depth, and he singled out younger players Josh Pittman and Reston Lehman for the plays they’ve been making during camp.
In Other News...
Pitt Is Making A Big Push To Change The Acrisure Atmosphere
Pitt is clearly trying to make Acrisure Stadium feel different this fall. Athletics announced a series of game-day changes aimed at giving Panthers football more juice, from longer pregame hype videos to a revamped team entrance with a new intro video and pyrotechnics, plus more frequent fireworks during games. The push is about more than just production value, too, because the program wants the building to play smaller and louder while giving the crowd a more obvious reason to lean in.
Part of that plan starts with the stadium itself. Pitt will tarp off the upper East and West sides of Acrisure Stadium, cutting the listed capacity from more than 68,000 to 51,416 for this season, and the timing lines up with a schedule that should help, since the Panthers are set for more night games. Syracuse and Florida State are already on the evening slate, giving Pitt a chance to sell a different kind of atmosphere than the one fans have seen there in recent years. [Read more 🡒]
Narduzzi Just Framed Pitts Biggest Camp Question On Offense
Before Pittsburgh hit the practice field, Pat Narduzzi spent part of his media session circling around the same theme that has hovered over camp: how quickly the offense can come together. The Panthers coach also opened up on a few broader topics, including his relationship with former Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt and the edge Wannstedt brought to the program, while noting the toughness that still matters as the season approaches.
Narduzzi also weighed in on the bigger college football conversation, touching on recent SEC and Big Ten decisions tied to player eligibility and the complications that come with the sports shifting rules. He pointed to the absence of preseason games as another challenge for teams trying to sort themselves out in camp, which only adds more pressure to those early offensive reps Pitt keeps trying to sharpen. [Read more 🡒]