Pitt Football Preview, Best Players, Top Transfers, Season Prediction, Win Total 2024

Pitt College Football Preview 2024

The trend has to go up, and it has to go up fast.

Pitt hasn’t always been a patient program.

Dave Wannstedt was okay over his first five years, but after winning 19 games over two seasons, he was gone after going 7-5. He signed on after Walt Harris got Pitt to the Fiesta Bowl in the 2004 season, and then was gone after a contract dispute.

Pat Narduzzi is going into his tenth year with the program, and after a lot of mediocrity, the payoff came with a 20-7 run in 2021 and 2022, and then ...

2023 Pitt had the program’s worst season since 1998.

And it’s not like last year’s team was losing to a bunch of killers. It lost to a slew of okay teams, but dropping a home date to Cincinnati and losing on the road to Wake Forest wasn’t okay.

Syracuse, Duke, Virginia Tech - seven of the nine losses were by double digits. And now Pitt has to try bouncing back despite the loss of a ton of key producers, too much uncertainty at the skill spots, and with the pressure on to produce in a hurry.

Narduzzi has always found a way to come through when his teams absolutely need something positive, and he’s got a decent enough schedule to do it.

The national expectations will be low, there will be plenty of developing, and …

Just pull up out of the three-year nosedive, Pitt. It will.

Pitt Football Preview 2024: Offense

- The offense can’t be that bad again. The attack that put up 580 points in 2021 dropped like a rock in 2022 and then fell totally off the map last season finishing dead last in the ACC in scoring, total offense, third down conversions, rushing - it was all bad.

In from Western Carolina comes new offensive coordinator Kade Bell, whose Catamount team was No. 1 in the nation in scoring, No. 1 in the SoCon in scoring, No. 1 in the conference and third in the nation in passing, and great on third downs - basically, the opposite of 2023 Pitt. At WCU, it all worked because …

- The Western Carolina offensive line was great. The pass protection was strong and there weren’t a lot of tackles for loss allowed. Pitt wasn’t terrible at keeping defenses out of the backfield, but it couldn’t come up with anything for the ground attack.

Four starters are back, there’s decent veteran depth, and the production should be a wee bit better. Leading rusher Rodney Hammond is back after running for just 547 yards and four scores, and coming in from Western Carolina is Desmond Reid, who ran for 897 yards and 13 scores.

- The quarterback situation should be interesting. Nate Yarnell was third in the mix last year behind Christian Veilleux - he left for Georgia State - and graduated veteran Phil Jurkovec. Yarnell took over late in the season and had two decent games against Boston College and Duke. He’ll be battling with Alabama transfer Eli Holstein for the gig - both of them can throw.

The receiving corps should be a bit stronger. Konata Mumpfield is a veteran who’s back after leading the team with 44 catches and five scores, and Gavin Bartholomew should be one of the ACC’s better tight ends with more passes thrown his way.

There’s decent experience back for the other receiver spots along with San Diego State transfer Raphael Williams and deep threat Censere Lee from Western Carolina - he averaged over 17 yards per catch with eight scores.

Pitt Football Preview 2024: Defense

- Can Pitt get its pass rushing groove back? The D was good last year at getting behind the line with 31 sacks, but those were the fewest registered since 2017. Losing Dayon Hayes and Samuel Okunlolo to Colorado is a killer.

The hope is for Kansas State Nate Matlack to produce some punch on the outside, and the bigger need is for the rest of the spots to fill in. There are options, but no one is in place with a tone of real sacks logged in.

The inside has new parts, too. There’s quickness in the rotation, but like the ends, there isn’t a ton of experience with Sean FitzSimmons, Nahki Johnson, and Indiana transfer Nick James learning on the fly.

- The transfer portal hurts the linebacking corps, too. Solomon DeShields is gone to Texas A&M, and Bangally Kamara left for South Carolina. Getting Keye Thompson and his 251 career tackles from Ohio helps around Brandon George in the middle, but this group needs a little work, too.

- The Pitt secondary is always interesting. This has improved over the years, but they need the pass rush to help the cause as much as possible with a very, VERY green group of corners taking over. Kentucky transfer Jaremiah Anglin will step in at one spot on the other side of Ryland Gandy.

The safeties, though, are strong. Leading tackler Donovan McMillon is back at one safety spot, second leading tackler Javon McIntyre is back at another.

Key To The Pitt Football Season

Get that pass rush rolling again.
The offense needs something to rely on again, the quarterback play has to be better, and you can go on and on and on, but Pitt needs to go back to doing what made it a problem for the rest of the ACC.

The 83 tackles for loss were nice. They weren't the 113 of 2021 - more than an extra TFL per game - and they were a far, FAR cry from the ten tails for loss per outing in 2020. The D needs to get that groove back.

Pitt Key Player

Nate Matlack, DE Sr.
No, really - where is the Pitt pass rush coming from?

Bam Brima is a decent senior who came up with three sacks, the parts across the line will get a few here and there, and it’s Pitt, so the pass rush won’t be too awful compared to most teams.

But the D needs someone to step up and rock, and the Kansas State veteran with 9.5 career sacks and 16 tackles for loss has to be a main man.

Pitt Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Nate Yarnell, QB Jr. or Eli Holstein, QB RFr.
Pitt has tried to piece together the quarterback situation after the four year steady run of Kenny Pickett.

Kedon Slovis couldn’t get things going in 2022, Phil Jurkovic struggled in 2023 before getting banged up, and the O needs someone to rely on for a full season. Yarnell and Holstein are big passers who should start to stretch the field.

Top Transfer Out: Bangally Kamara, LB Sr.
Plenty of key parts on the defensive front are gone, and the talent on the line that bolted really hurt. Kamara, though, is one of those do-it-all types who made 104 tackles with three sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons, and he’s a good enough pass defender to be a factor. South Carolina will love his all-around game.

Pitt Key Game

at North Carolina, Oct. 5
Pitt has some tough early games - at Cincinnati, West Virginia - and should be fully warmed up by the time October starts. The team gets a week off before starting the ACC season in Chapel Hill.

North Carolina has won eight of the last ten in the series including a 41-24 thumper last year. Pull this off, and with Cal, Syracuse, at SMU, and Virginia up next over the next five weeks, and there’s a shot to go on a big run.

10 Best Pitt Football Players

1. Donovan McMillon, S Sr.
2. Javon McIntyre, S Jr.
3. Gavin Bartholomew, TE Sr.
4. Konata Mumpfield, WR Sr.
5. Brandon George, LB Sr.
6. Nate Yarnell, QB Jr.
7. Terrence Moore, C Jr.
8. Phillip O’Brien, S Sr.
9. Rodney Hammond, RB Sr.
10. Kenny Johnson, WR/KR Soph.

Pitt 2023 Fun Stats

- Penalties: 94 for 773 yards, Opponents 68 for 642 yards

- Time of Possession: Opponents 32:22, Pitt 27:37

- 3rd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 116, Pitt 58

Pitt Football 2024 Win Total Prediction: What to Expect This Season

Can Pitt surprise?

There aren’t a whole lot of sure things on a team that sputtered and coughed through a 3-9 season and now has to replace way too many parts to be appreciably better. But that’s been Pitt over the years - it rises up and rocks when you least expect it to.

The schedule is good enough to go to the ACC Championship, but can the team be good enough to take advantage of the opportunity?

It should get off to a nice start as long as it at least splits against Cincinnati on the road and in the Backyard Brawl with West Virginia at home. Go 3-1, match last year’s win total before October, and it’ll be a better season.

Cal, Syracuse, Virginia - all three of those are winnable home games, and SMU and Boston College aren’t bad road dates. Clemson is a home game, and there’s a massive break by not having to play Florida State, NC State, or Miami.

The Panthers should be able to fight their way though to at least six wins, but they’ll lose a few they shouldn’t and - like the Louisville win last year - will win at least one from out of nowhere.

Set The Pitt Win Total At … 6

Likely Wins: Kent State, Youngstown State

50/50 Games: at Boston College, Cal, at Cincinnati, at Louisville, at North Carolina, at SMU, Syracuse, Virginia

Likely Losses: Clemson

2024 Pitt Football Schedule

Aug 31 Kent State
Sept 7 at Cincinnati
Sept 14 West Virginia
Sept 21 Youngstown State
Sept 28 OPEN DATE
Oct 5 at North Carolina
Oct 12 Cal
Oct 19 OPEN DATE
Oct 26 Syracuse
Nov 2 at SMU
Nov 9 Virginia
Nov 16 Clemson
Nov 23 at Louisville
Nov 30 at Boston College

Missing: Duke, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, NC State, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest