PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said Friday he’s thankful for what Chris Bickell has done for the program and said the current partnership with Alliance 412 is ‘big-time’ for his program.
Bickell, a 1997 Pitt grad, leads the group that works to get money to Pitt athletes in the current NIL climate. Their mission ‘working to strengthen the University of Pittsburgh's reputation as a top destination for student-elite athletes by providing NIL opportunities to current and future stars’.
They are independent of the university, but work closely with Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke and Narduzzi to help structure the program. What is believed to be unique about the program for Pitt football players is every player gets something.
Narduzzi wanted it to be a team thing, now that doesn’t mean every player gets the same amount of money. There is a tier system for athletes of higher reputation or impact position. Narduzzi said their system also allows players to work hard, perform and achieve more benefits.
“I tell our guys all the time that you earn what you get—make the team better, make the university better and make your bank account better,” Narduzzi said before practice Friday.
The CEO of Well Hive, Bickell made a $20 million donation to the program in 2021 and Narduzzi’s official title is ‘Chris Bickell ’97 Head Football Coach’. He formed Alliance 412 early in 2022 as the rules changed for college athletics and compensation.
“He’s taking care of our guys,” Narduzzi said. “Can’t thank him enough for everything he does for our program. It took us a while to get to where we are, but he did it the right way and got it done.”
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It’s the aforementioned rules and Narduzzi mentioning ‘the right way’ that still has the Pitt head coach muttering. Not that the athletes are now getting money, he’s supportive, saying what little they got before wasn’t enough. Rather his concern is what the other schools are doing. How are they policing the benefits or are they even aware of what is happening? He previously called it the ‘Wild West’ and law and order has not yet been established.
“We still need a salary cap on that,” Narduzzi said. “Everybody has to be working from the same game plan. Where the salary cap has to be (whether higher or lower), we all have to work with that.”
There have been attempts at federal legislation, but until that point Narduzzi believes their partnership with Alliance 412 is helping. It’s necessary for any college program now to have these relationships to survive and thrive.