PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Excitement about its quarterback and what it can do this season, Pitt football opened camp on the South Side Wednesday morning. And to stoke the flames a little more, Mason Heintschel started off strong.
“Mason had a heck of a day,” Narduzzi said. “He was on fire, just completing balls, making throws and being accurate.”
“From top to bottom we were really smooth,” Heintschel said of the operation. “I think everybody was locked in. Everybody was focused. It’s the little things that matter the most and I think we were really detailed today. That’s what I look for, making sure everybody knows what they are doing, lining up quick and playing with great effort. I think we showed that today.”
NCAA rules limit time in pads, especially at the start of the season, which isn’t as much fun for guys on the defensive side.
“First day is exciting but it’s a little anticlimactic because we don’t have equipment on,” said defensive lineman Isaiah Neal. “I count the first day when you get your pads on.”
“We don’t have pads on yet, so it’s kind of elevated OTAs,” said fellow defensive lineman Jimmy Scott. “It was good to knock the rust off a little bit.”
It might be different for Central Valley grad Sean FitzSimmons entering his final season in college football.
“Pure excitement,” FitzSimmons said. “I love this. I love playing football. It’s crazy to me going on my fifth year now. Unbelievable. Got to make this one the best one.”
With that being said, Neal did offer this assessment of the opening of practices, even if only in shorts.
“First day for me is way better than the first day of school,” Neal said with a widening smile.
“It’s great to open up camp, finally,” Narduzzi said. “We’ve been working since January. Guys are ready to get out there and get it going was exciting.”
Long time
Narduzzi is entering his 12th season as Pitt head coach and the second winningest coach in Panthers history. He said he always wanted to be in Pittsburgh for a long time.
“That was the plan coming in,” Narduzzi said. “One of the reasons I took the job because I knew I could be here for a long time and I knew we could win. It’s the reason I turned down other jobs because I knew Pitt was the place.”
Big point of emphasis
“We’ve got to win the turnover ratio,” Narduzzi said Wednesday. “You look at Indiana they were a plus-21 last year. We got to be in the pluses. The last time we won an ACC we were a plus-eight or plus-nine. Then you got a chance to win a lot more football games that way.”
Changes
A couple of noticeable coaching changes this year
- Long-time Pitt assistant Cory Sanders takes over as the new Pitt defensive coordinator and is not coaching an individual position for the first time
- A peer with Narduzzi at Michigan State, veteran coach Harlon Barnett is the new assistant head coach and in charge of safeties
- Joe Bowen takes over linebackers
- Mike Priefer is the new special teams coordinator
- Brent Davis is now coaching the tight ends
- Narduzzi praised strength and conditioning coach Michael Stacchiotti for the shape the team entered camp in
LISTEN to Pat Narduzzi, Heintschel & OC Kade Bell
LISTEN to Pat Narduzzi, Heintschel & OC Kade Bell
