Tag: Pitt Football

UNC football’s top 2026 recruiting target poses with fellow program legend

Kendre Harrison, UNC’s top 2026 football recruiting target, got his picture taken alongside a North Carolina football legend during UNC-Pitt.

The North Carolina Tar Heels can recruit all the high-end football talent they want, but unless there’s drastic changes within the program, we’ll experience the same, disappointing results year-after-year.

Landing commitments from big-time recruits has to pay off eventually though, right?

UNC already has 14 commitments in the Class of 2025, including in-state 4-star quarterback Bryce Baker, who’ll compete with Conner Harrell for the starting gig in 2025.

North Carolina is already looking ahead to its 2026 recruiting class, too, with its highest priority 5-star tight end Kendre Harrison. According to 247Sports, Harrison’s the top-ranked tight end, third-ranked player in North Carolina and 17th-ranked player nationally.

The Tar Heels are throwing every recruiting trick they have at Harrison, with hopes his commitment can spurn a chain reaction.

UNC’s latest recruiting effort involved bringing in Harrison for Saturday’s UNC-Pitt game. Not only was Harrison in attendance at Kenan Stadium, but he was pictured alongside an all-time program great in Julius Peppers.

Peppers was going to be in Chapel Hill Saturday regardless, as he was being honored for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Peppers is second-all time in North Carolina history with 30.5 sacks, plus fourth all-time in NFL history with 159.5 sacks.

Harrison, also an in-state standout, is in his third season at Reidsville High School. Harrison broke out last year, catching 62 passes for 940 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also helping the Rams’ basketball team to a state championship.

While the Tar Heels’ third-consecutive loss probably wasn’t appealing to Harrison, getting his picture taken alongside an all-time UNC athlete made his trip to Chapel Hill worthwhile.

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PHOTOS: UNC continues descent into darkness with home loss to Pitt

Check out a few highlights from UNC’s loss to Pitt earlier today, its third-consecutive of the current football season.

Just when you thought the North Carolina Tar Heels couldn’t get any worse, they did on Saturday afternoon.

UNC welcomed an undefeated Pitt team to Kenan Stadium for homecoming, a game which home teams typically win. North Carolina’s offense looked solid early, scoring 17 first-half points and entering halftime deadlocked in a 17-all tie.

The Tar Heels’ offense – and defense – then disappeared in the second half of a 34-24 loss that dropped them to .500. Today’s game was very reminiscent of last weekend at Duke, with the lone difference being Pitt (5-0, 1-0 ACC) scoring in the first half.

What frustrates me most about today’s loss is what likely frustrates the entire UNC (3-3, 0-2 ACC) fan base: another poor defensive performance. Today gave me reason to believe early, though, as Kaleb Cost provided the game’s most electric play on an 84-yard, first quarter pick-6.

Both teams played a pretty even game, with tons of offense and little defense, but the Panthers won Saturday largely based on decision-making and converting late downs.

North Carolina made several questionable calls to go for it on fourth down, only converting on two of its six tries. If the Tar Heels played it safe and chose to kick field goals, they would’ve only trailed by a possession late and had an easier chance trying to crawl back in.

Pitt’s offense was moving at will, recording 520 yards. The still-undefeated Panthers converted 9-of-16 third down tries and their lone fourth down try. UNC, on the contrary, converted just 5-of-15 third downs.

While we continue debating how North Carolina might actually be the ACC’s worst football program this year, let’s take a look at some photos:

Kickoff time for UNC-Pitt homecoming football game announced

The North Carolina Tar Heels will welcome the Pittsburgh Panthers to Kenan Stadium on October 5. When will the two programs kickoff?

After a close road win against a quality opponent, followed by two closer-than-expected wins against lesser opponents, the North Carolina Tar Heels finally got exposed at home against James Madison in last weekend’s football matchup.

This coming weekend doesn’t get any easier for UNC, which travels to play archrival Duke at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Blue Devils are undefeated and have lost five consecutive Victory Bell battles, so if they want to steal it back, 2024 is the year.

In two weekends, North Carolina returns to Kenan Stadium for Homecoming against Pitt, which is 4-0 and led by Alabama transfer Eli Holstein.

We finally know the kickoff time for the Tar Heels-Panthers matchup, as the two squads will face off at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 5.

UNC has dominated Pitt since the latter joined the ACC in 2011, winning eight of 10 matchups. Given North Carolina’s showing in the JMU game, though, the Panthers should dominate in two weekends.

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The Tar Heels play an unusually home-heavy schedule this season, with Pitt being their fourth home matchup in six games this season.

Playing at 12 p.m. has its advantages – and disadvantages. Advantages allow fans to start their day in Kenan, then have the whole late afternoon/evening to explore Franklin Street.

Disadvantages, though, include not having as much student support. This is a college football game on a Saturday and, given Chapel Hill is one of the nation’s top college towns, students may opt to sleep in.

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Pitt DB commit gets official offer from Michigan State football

MSU offers in-state Pitt DB commit

In-state defensive back Elijah Dotson has been committed to Pitt since mid-May, right before official visit season. Now, the Spartans have re-entered the mix, and are trying to pursue the Panthers safety commit.

A 6-foot-2, 175 pound safety, Dotson started his high school football at the University of Detroit Jesuit, but will finish his career at Belleville High School. He is a 4-star prospect, ranked in the top 400.

Look for the Spartans to pursue an official visit from Dotson in 2024.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner

Julian Anderson on why he committed to Pitt football over the weekend

Julian Anderson talks about why he committed to Pitt football over the weekend.

Over the weekend, Julian Anderson committed to Pittsburgh while on an official visit. The three-star athlete is a very intriguing prospect for the ACC program to land.

The Pitt commit is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 87 edge in the country and the No. 38 player in New Jersey in the class of 2025.

This offseason, Anderson transferred from First Academy (Clearwater, Florida) to Blair Academy (Blairstown, New Jersey). As a junior last season, Anderson registered 45 total tackles and 15 tackles for a loss along with five sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Now, why is Anderson so intriguing? Well, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound athlete also played wide receiver, finishing with 40 catches for 672 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.

Not many edge rushers are athletic – and quick enough – to also play wide receiver. If he can add size and maintain his speed and agility, then Pitt will have landed a player who could be a truly elite defensive end.

Anderson picked Pitt from an offer list that also included Boston College, Duke, Syracuse and West Virginia among others.

“I would definitely say that I could just feel the love and great family atmosphere that Pitt has as soon as I got up there,” Anderson told USA TODAY High School Sports.

“It really just felt like a big family to me and that is something that is important to my parents and I.

“As well as a high-energy and younger coaching staff that they have who is ready to work every day. Especially coach Daoust (defensive line coach Tim Daoust) and coach TJ (TJ Minnifee, a defensive line assistant) who I can’t wait to be coached under and learn all I can from them.”

On the official visit, Anderson said he felt a comfort level with the program that led him to make a decision over the weekend.

The facilities that the Panthers’ program shares with an NFL team was an important decision for Anderson in his commitment.

“Definitely the fact that they share a facility with the Steelers,” Anderson said.

“And that players get to see people are where they want to be every day.”

 

One of the individuals thanked by Anderson as part of his social media post announcing his commitment is Latish Kinsler. A Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) advisor, Kinsler is a familiar name to many college football fans as being a former standout defensive back at Cincinnati.

Former Rutgers wide receiver, assistant coach Tiquan Underwood heading back to the NFL

Tiquan Underwood is set to leave the college coaching ranks.

Former Rutgers football wide receiver and assistant coach Tiquan Underwood is heading back to the NFL. Underwood is set to join the New England Patriots as an assistant wide receivers coach.

Underwood joined Rutgers as a member of the class of 2025. He was a seventh-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2009 NFL draft.

Linked to the NFL earlier this week, Underwood made it official on Thursday via his social media.

Underwood played six seasons in the NFL before transitioning to coaching. In 2020, he was hired by Rutgers as part of the first coaching staff brought in upon the return of head coach Greg Schiano.

He was a part of Schiano’s staff for two years before leaving before joining Pitt. Now, after serving as a quality control coach with the Miami Dolphins in 2019, he is heading back to the AFC East.

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Following Underwood, Rutgers hired [autotag]Damiere Shaw [/autotag]to become their wide receivers coach (Shaw is currently the running backs coach at Rutgers). [autotag]Dave Brock[/autotag], who coached wide receivers in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, currently is the wide receivers coach at Rutgers.

Bills DBs Damar Hamlin and Dane Jackson compare city cuisines: Pittsburgh vs. Buffalo

Which city has better food: Buffalo or Pittsburgh?

In the week leading up to the 2024 Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, For The Win caught up with Buffalo Bills defensive backs Damar Hamlin and Dane Jackson to cover a wide variety of topics ahead of the big game.

The Pennsylvania natives and former Pittsburgh Panthers shared what they love about the Steel City’s cuisine and how it compares with Buffalo food — Hamlin really wants to give our Christian D’Andrea a tour of Pittsburgh — and their favorite bars.

“See, man, you gotta come to Pittsburgh and come get a scenery of food from us,” Hamlin said.

“For real, for real,” Jackson added.

“You gotta come get the real Pittsburgh, not the touristy [Pittsburgh],” Hamlin continued.

Hamlin said it’s a tie for him between Buffalo and Pittsburgh food, but he later changed his mind to Pittsburgh, admitting he hasn’t tried a lot of places in Buffalo. Jackson went with Pittsburgh too but noted that Buffalo has many hidden gems that “will fulfill all your tastebuds for sure.”

On the field, they broke down their defensive strategies for not letting players create space and get open, as well as how they mask their own schemes.

“It’s just all about executing the call that you’ve been running all week in practice,” Hamlin said. “However we decide to play it out this week — it may be different than [last] week, it may be the same. We might just be set on our rules because this is what works for us, you know what I mean?

“So it all depends, you know what I mean? But as long as the defense is all on the same page, you’ve got a chance to win every play. It only really gets ugly when you start to bust coverages, and you don’t know what to anticipate.”

Here’s our full interview with Hamlin and Jackson:

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Michigan State football to get OV from 4-star DT committed to Pitt

MSU is getting an OV from a 4-star DT committed to Pitt:

A huge official visitor was added to this weekends visitor list for Michigan State. The Spartans will be receiving an OV from Columbus (OH) native Francis Brewu, a 4-star defensive tackle that is committed to Pitt.

According to Rivals, Brewu is a 4-star prospect while 247Sports and On3 both rank the DT as the highest possible 3-star.

The Spartans had made a lot of progress with Brewu prior to Mel Tucker’s dismissal, and it now appears that the Spartans are firmly back in the mix for the defensive lineman’s talents.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

Social media reactions to UNC’s roller-coaster win over Pitt

From the good to the bad, we look at how social media reacted to UNC declawing the Panthers.

The North Carolina Tar Heels move to 4-0 for the first time since 1997 after delivering a roller-coaster win over Pitt.

It was not the best start for UNC, deflating fan’s confidence after the defense let Pitt walk them down to the end-zone on the first drive of the game, but that did not last long. UNC made a quick pit stop on the sideline, and the rest was history, with the Tar Heels storm trooping past the sluggish start to a lopsided 41-24 victory.

Drake Maye thrilled fans with a Mahome-style, left-handed touchdown pass while the defense forced Pitt’s offense into three turnovers (two interceptions and one fumble). The game felt like a roller coaster with many highs and lows.

In real-time, fans were tweeting their displeasure with the start and the inability to contain Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who was having a great game before unfortunately getting injured. At the same time, others could not hold their excitement about what they were watching, with UNC pulling out the classic flea flicker and defensive back transfer Alijah Huzzie putting the conference on notice.

From the good to the bad, we look at how social media reacted to UNC declawing the Panthers.

UNC Football: Five things to watch against Pitt

UNC travels up to Pitt for its ACC football opener on Saturday night. Check out the five areas to watch ahead of the primetime clash.

The UNC football program is exactly where it wants to be three weeks into the season – undefeated and tied atop the ACC.

The Heels downed neighboring rival South Carolina, 31-17, in Week 1 for just the fourth time in 11 matchups. British Brooks ran for over 100 yards in his first game since 2021, while UNC’s defense held the Gamecocks to three second-half points.

Carolina received a major scare from new in-state rival App State the following week in Kenan Stadium, but pulled off an overtime comeback to win, 40-34. Omarion Hampton cemented his status as UNC’s lead running back, scoring three touchdowns against the Mountaineers and leading the nation with 234 yards that week.

After two slow weeks under center, Tar Heel quarterback Drake Maye delivered a Heisman Trophy-esque performance in the 31-13 triumph over Minnesota, completing 29 passes for 414 yards (sixth in the nation) and two touchdowns.

Pitt is moving in the opposite direction, sitting at 1-2 after a 17-6 loss to West Virginia in the 106th annual Backyard Brawl. Panthers quarterback Phil Jurkovec experienced one of the worst games as a collegiate quarterback, tossing three interceptions and failing to reach the 100-yard mark.

Pitt won its opener, 45-7 against Wofford, but the offense has not looked as explosive since. The Panthers hung 21 on Cincinnati, but gave up 27 points in the loss.

UNC-Pitt is the ACC opener for both teams, so let’s take a look at five key areas ahead of the game: