The last two years have been a great run for Pat Narduzzi and his Panthers, but I am afraid the magic is going to be put on hold for this season. They have 20 wins in the past two years, and have finished #13 and #22 in the last two final AP Top-25 Polls. Unfortunately for Pitt, they lost a hefty percentage of their offensive numbers, and six of their defensive starters from last year.
Pat Narduzzi is some sort of wizard when it comes to player development, right next to Curt Cignetti at the top of the list, so I wouldn’t be shocked if some of these transfers helped Pittsburgh make some noise this year.
Phil Jurkovec will be under center for Narduzzi this year. A career that began at Notre Dame, but did it really? He had 17 pass attempts over two years, and probably filled up 5x the amount of water bottles. He transferred to Boston College in 2020 and recorded 5,183 yards, 35 TDs and 17 INTs over three years. He has a solid arm and the potential for a standout year is definitely there, but Pitt should rely heavily on their run game to help Jurkovec out. In the backfield you will find the MVP of the 2022 Sun Bowl, Rodney Hammond. Hammond lived in the shadows of Israel Abanikanda last year, and rightfully so. Offensive Coordinator, Frank Cignetti Jr, brother of Curt Cignetti (Transfer Portal/Player Development Wizard), will certainly miss Abanikanda and the nearly 1,500 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns he provided, but there is confidence in Hammond to step up to the plate and continue the running game success Pittsburgh has had over the years. The Panthers also say goodbye to a 1,000+ yard receiver in Jared Wayne and won't have a single receiver lined up this year that had over 600 yards receiving last year.
On the other side of the ball is a defense that was ruthless last year. The #23 defense in the nation in 2022 and a group that was a menace in the backfield averaging 3.69 per game. They lost the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Calijah Kancey and five other starters along with him. It will be near impossible to perform to the level they did last year.
How many games will Pitt win in 2023?
7 or more
6 or less
Again, there is no reason to doubt Pat Narduzzi and his player developing skills, but it will be tough for Pitt to get to 9 or 10 wins this year. They play 4 of the top 5 ACC teams and while they get to avoid Clemson, they will play the ACC’s friend with benefits, Notre Dame in South Bend. This is a newer but skilled team with a difficult schedule. I think Narduzzi can get this team to a bowl but not much else. 7-5.
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