Pitt Panthers betting on themselves in 2025
No one is happy with how the Pitt Panthers ended the 2024 season, certainly not the returning Panthers themselves, and the goal entering fall camp is to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Pitt participated in the annual ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C. this week, with Pat Narduzzi bringing Lyndon Cooper, Kyle Louis, Desmond Reid and Javon McIntyre to the big event, and after Narduzzi spoke to the media, he was followed by his team leaders. The message was clear.
It’s been quite some time since the last win. Since Oct. 24, which was a Thursday night throttling of Syracuse at Acrisure Stadium (helped by three pick-sixes).
The goal this offseason has been to get the Panthers into a position to bounce back from the losses.
“Like, we’ve got to work from the ground, work the foundation,” Kyle Louis said Wednesday. “First thing was culture. I honestly forgot who he was, Coach Duzz, but he brought somebody in. Right before the OTA practice, we just talked about, ‘What’s the culture of the team?’ for 30 to an hour straight.”
Pitt returned the majority of its contributors from last season (with Narduzzi himself saying the Panthers didn’t lose anyone they wanted to keep via the transfer portal).
Louis, who is coming off a first-team All-American campaign and promised to be even better this season, wants to use fall camp as a platform to launch into the season. When things get tough, the team wants to use the adversity and team building of this summer to persevere when it matters.
It’s pivotal to grow as a team, to foster those bonds that define a winning team, but individual growth is paramount, too. Pitt has talented players on offense and defense, led by Desmond Reid and Louis (as the All-Americans), and Reid – like Louis – feels like he can do so much more to help the team this season.
“There’s no ceiling,” Reid said. “Just do whatever I can. Every game, be there for the team. Every game, like I said, I was dealing with injuries last year, just trying to stay healthy and be there for the team.
“This year, I got a statement to prove. I’ve got to do what I need to do to get where I want to go to lead.”
Pitt started last season strong, largely on the backs of players like Reid, Louis and Eli Holstein. There were injuries, inconsistent play and bad luck that contributed to a six-game losing skid; the Panthers simply weren’t good enough at times, but that core group is back. The coaching staff is back, and that group believes the sky is the limit entering a new season.
“That’s the goal for every team,” Reid said. “You’re not playing to not win the championship. So the goal is the championship.”
